SUNY Ulster will present an International Collaborations Showcase to all members of the community on Thursday, October 25, at 1:30 p.m. in Burroughs Hall Room 120. The showcase will highlight the academic collaborations that SUNY Ulster students have completed with students from Mexican university Universidad de la Salle NoroEste, with members of course teams participating in person and remotely.
For the past three years, SUNY Ulster has collaborated with students from Universidad de la Salle NoroEste from Obregon, Mexico through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses. For a week in October, the students meet face-to-face to complete their class projects and present their project findings. This year, several students from La Salle will present in person with their SUNY Ulster counterparts, with the remaining La Salle students in each collaboration presenting remotely with their teammates via video conferencing.
Every semester, students in a variety of classes and majors participate in these collaborations. Students in Intro to Human Services joined one of La Salle’s digital literacy classes to create a useful app geared toward Human Services needs. Students in Aspects of Aging teamed up with one of La Salle’s Accounting classes to research government and financial support to the elderly in both counties. Students in fashion courses from both countries teamed up to create apparel for four new sports teams in the next Summer Olympics, including Karate for Japan, Surfing for South Africa, Rock Climbing for Australia, and Skateboarding for Spain. One Business Ethics class is exploring issues and concepts in sustainability with their La Salle Business counterparts. Finally, two Design classes are researching the universality of symbols and crafting a few drafts of their own.
Hope Windle, COIL Coordinator at SUNY Ulster, says, “COIL collaborations are a fantastic way for our students to get real world experience working within international teams, which open doors to travel, higher/further degrees, and jobs. Community members can learn a lot about the process these students work through to become digitally proficient intercultural communicators and well-versed global citizens of the 21st century.”
COIL classes allow SUNY Ulster students to study with students from other countries without the cost of travel. These classes use video conferencing and internet based tools to connect with students from institutions around the globe to work on collaborative class projects. Students in nearly any major have the opportunity to partner with students from a variety of other countries, including Brazil, the Netherlands, South Africa, Mexico, and more. SUNY Ulster students in courses partnering with students from Mexico get the added opportunity to meet their counterparts, both through La Salle’s fall visit to SUNY Ulster, and SUNY Ulster students’ optional visit to La Salle in Obregon over Spring Break. Participating in a COIL class provides students with a Global Competence Microcredential as well as intercultural and team building experience sought after by many employers and transfer colleges.
To learn more, contact Deborah Kaufman at kaufmand@sunyulster.edu or by phone at (845) 687-5261.
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