Qualitative Insights in COIL Projects

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) plays a transformative role in today's higher education environment by fostering global engagement, cross-cultural collaboration, and the development of key 21st-century skills essential for student success in a connected world. By integrating international experiences into the curriculum through accessible online platforms, COIL promotes global learning opportunities with a special focus on the development of intercultural competencies needed for professional and civic life. 
This study presents the outcomes of 55 COIL projects at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, encompassing a broad range of disciplines and student populations. The research employed the AbductiveAI methodology, which integrates inductive and deductive analysis models, allowing for emergent theme identification as well as rigorous testing of predefined categories, and incorporates GenAI technologies for enhanced category definition and pattern recognition. The results analysis stress that these projects promote international engagement by enabling students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds to collaborate virtually. Participants consistently reported high motivation and satisfaction, with significant development in transversal skills such as teamwork, intercultural communication and digital competence. Strengths frequently cited included effective collaboration, intercultural exchange, and digital communication proficiency; the main weaknesses involved time management. 
COIL initiatives seem to significantly enhance access to international learning opportunities for a diverse range of students, thereby expanding their academic and professional prospects. They may also play an important role in advancing universities' strategic goals of internationalization by integrating global perspectives into the learning experience without the need for physical mobility.