The International Center is pleased to announce the start of a COIL for Staff program in collaboration with São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil.

Thirty participants from UF and UNESP will contribute their interests and professional experience in their fields, share best practices, and discuss creative ways to implement improvement projects at the end of the program.

This unique bilingual program started on March 12h and will culminate in an online symposium on May 7th, 2025 in which participants will present their action plans.

A Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project, a type of virtual exchange or telecollaboration, is a technology-enhanced teaching methodology in which faculty members in any discipline facilitate sustained telecollaboration among groups of students in different countries to increase their intercultural competence.

With this professional development opportunity, we adapt the COIL methodology to further the professional development of university administrative staff. Participants in São Paulo State University (UNESP) and UF (Gainesville) will engage in facilitated conversations over the course of a semester. During this time, they will compare and contrast their job responsibilities and experiences with their counterparts and develop an online collaborative project aimed at improving some aspect on the operations within their respective areas of responsibility on campus.

This COIL for Staff Program aims to exchange best practices in services to students and other campus stakeholders in the following areas:

  • Human Resources
  • Marketing & Communications
  • Research
  • Curriculum & Evaluation
  • Libraries
  • Inbound Mobility
  • Outbound Mobility
  • International Partnerships

Virtual Exchange/COIL programs deepen knowledge, broaden perspectives, foster personal growth, and open doors to new international friendships and professional opportunities for students, faculty, and staff alike.

This experience is facilitated by the UF Office of Global Learning and the BRAVE project team at UNESP.

For more information about COIL/virtual exchange at UF: 
https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/virtual-exchange 
https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/virtual-exchange-projects 

For more information about COIL/virtual exchange at UNESP: 
https://www.international.unesp.br/#!/study/virtual-exchange-program/