COIL Programs with Nagoya University

NC State University, the Office of Global Engagement and the NC Japan Center have begun a new chapter in our long-standing partnership with Nagoya University with COIL collaborations, starting with a very successful pilot program in the spring 2021 semester.

COIL, or Collaborative Online International Learning, is a wonderful and effective way for students to engage with global cohorts, learning about other countries, lifestyles and perspectives, and strengthening their cultural competency.

Dr. Kazuhito Kawakita, Vice President for International Affairs at Nagoya University, had this to say about this new collaboration:

“Nagoya University has been active in various global engagements throughout the years, and one of our strongest ties continues to be our relationship with NC State University. Since 1985, our collaborations have stretched from student exchanges to collaborative research projects and technology transfers.

I was very happy to hear that Nagoya University and NC State University have just created and successfully finished our first COIL class partnerships in Spring 2021 semester. I am thankful for all the hard work by faculty members, staff, and students at both institutions involved in this very first initiative.

COIL classes give our students opportunities to learn from and work with global peers without traveling to foreign countries. This is a relatively easy first step for students to dive into the “global” world beyond their comfort zone. This experience is certain to broaden their global perspectives and enhance their interest in studying abroad in the near future.

I really appreciate faculty members and staff at both institutions in continuing to work together to bring various COIL classes to students for their global experiences. I also hope many students will take this opportunity to grow internationally, improving their cultural competency. As a global university, Nagoya University will keep working hard to create better environments where faculty and students can engage in COIL classes more easily and more flexibly. I am looking forward to having more COIL classes with NC State.”

Spring 2021 COIL Programs

“Composite Materials” (MSE 556) + “Seminar on Advanced Process Engineering” (Nagoya University)

Dr. Jag Kasichainula’s “Composite Materials” course at NC State and Dr. Makoto Kobashi’s “Seminar on Advanced Process Engineering” at Nagoya University collaborated by having students read and view shared articles, materials and recorded lectures on composite materials, with each student creating a presentation related to this content. Students were then assigned to one or two other students from the opposite cohort to review their presentations (via a Slack workspace), and come up with questions. Finally, the instructors and students all met synchronously to view these presentations and field more questions from the group as a whole. This was a very enjoyable and educational experience for all involved!

Below, Dr. Makoto Kobashi shares his experience about participating in a COIL course for the first time.

One of his students, Kouki Omiya, had this to say about his first COIL course:

Another of Dr. Kobashi’s students, Hideto Nakatani, shares his thoughts on the COIL collaboration in spring 2021:

“Interpersonal Communication” (COM 112) + “Intercultural Training Methods” (Nagoya University)

Dr. Elizabeth Nelson and Ms. Amber Holland’s “Interpersonal Communication” course at NC State and Dr. Norihito Taniguchi and Dr. Jiro Takai’s “Intercultural Training Methods” at Nagoya University collaborated on a shared project. Students had the opportunity to participate virtually in an initial “icebreaker” session, read and viewed shared content, log-in to the collaborating class at their partner university, interact with the students in the opposite cohort, and discuss relevant topics – learning about the perspectives of young people in the other country/cultures. Thoughtful, challenging and insightful discussions resulted from these efforts, with wonderful feedback from all participants and instructors.

Below, Dr. Norihito Taniguchi shares his experience participating in a COIL course for the first time.

Student participant Rajoo shares his experience of participating in the COM 112 COIL course.