07/19/2021
Imagine the possibility of two institutions coming together, one with more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 27,000 students. The other offers 25 programs, including six at the master's level, while its enrollment is approximately 1,000 students representing over 50 nationalities and is also home to about 100 faculty members from 29 countries.
As a part of a plan to expand US-UAE higher education collaboration, Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan, USA, has joined hands with the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) in Ras al Khaimah, UAE, on a variety of initiatives.
COIL stands for Collaborative Online International Learning. WSU and AURAK have partnered with SUNY COIL to offer training and mentorship to faculty participants. Faculty and administrators from both the institution were trained by the SUNY COIL center focusing on helping the students to develop cross-cultural communication skills and a greater appreciation for diverse viewpoints through online team-based project work embedded into their course. Becoming an AURAK-WSU Global Fellow meant we immediately started with a three-week, interactive, asynchronous online workshop requiring 2-4 hours of work per week. We got a chance to think more deeply about different elements of a COIL collaboration and how we will work with your teaching partner from WSU.
From Fall 2021, I will be working with Valerie Sweeney Prince, Associate Professor of African American Studies, Wayne State University, on a collaborative project. What we are working on will be under wraps as we await confirmation on it. All I can tell you is that I am very excited to see it to its completion. Students of WSU and AURAK will take this partnership to new heights with COIL.
Let's redefine TEAMWORK with expanded cultural knowledge and improved intercultural competency.
