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4. ND–UCU COIL Program

The Notre Dame-Ukrainian Catholic University Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Program is administered by the Ukrainian Studies Hub at the University of Notre Dame in partnership with Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv, Ukraine. At Notre Dame, it represents a collaboration between the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, Notre Dame Global, and Notre Dame Learning.

The program offers faculty at Notre Dame and UCU the opportunity to co-design and co-teach a joint course with a COIL component, bringing Ukrainian and US students into a shared virtual classroom. Through this innovative pedagogical approach, which uses co-taught curricula and technology-enabled collaboration, students engage in an immersive intercultural experience that fosters deep academic exchange without the logistical requirements of physical travel.

Those expressing interest in the program (by submitting the Expression of Interest form by February 15, 2026) will be invited to a Faculty Facilitation Workshop in May 2026 and will receive support from COIL experts in forming ND + UCU tandems to develop and implement their joint-course(s).

What Is COIL?

COIL, which stands for Collaborative Online International Learning, is a specific model of virtual exchange practiced in hundreds of universities worldwide. With COIL, faculty from two (or more) higher education institutions located in different countries collaborate to co-design and co-teach a joint project, module, or full course that includes opportunities for students from the different institutions to learn together and collaborate on assignments. It is important to note that COIL programs can be created within any discipline, and interdisciplinary collaborations often work well. In addition to deepening understanding and developing knowledge and expertise related to the course subject areas, COIL provides the opportunity to develop intercultural, problem-solving, and digital competencies. To learn more about COIL, please visit the webpage for the SUNY COIL network, of which the University of Notre Dame is a member.

Why Join?

Building on the long-term solidarity partnership between the Nanovic Institute and UCU, this initiative:

• Strengthens institutional partnership and opens new paths for joint teaching, research, and civic engagement;
• Creates global learning spaces where students critically examine the war, democracy, human rights, peacebuilding, and post-war reconstruction through multiple disciplinary lenses;
• Helps counter stereotypes, misinformation, and war fatigue by grounding discussion in lived realities, scholarly research, and intercultural dialogue; 
• Amplifies your work through a global forum – COIL tandems will be invited to present their course design, research, and student outcomes at the biennial conference on Ukraine and Ukrainian studies hosted by the Ukrainian Studies Hub at the University of Notre Dame.

Expression of Interest Form

EoI due by February 15, 2026

What Is Offered?

The program offers faculty grants for teaching tandems, with (at least) one faculty member from Notre Dame and (at least) one faculty member from UCU, to support the design and implementation of COIL components in existing or new courses, which will be implemented either in the Spring term 2027 or the Fall term 2027.

Under this call, up to four (4) teaching tandems will be selected for funding.

Core COIL Grants

Deadline to Express Interest: February 15, 2026

Amount: Up to $3,000 per faculty member in a tandem (i.e., up to $6,000 total per tandem), including all applicable taxes, fees, and institutional charges according to national regulations. The standard award amount is $3,000 per faculty member; however, in instances where one university has more than one faculty member as part of its university team, the funds ($3,000) will be divided between those faculty members.

Use of funds: course design and delivery time, development of COIL activities and materials, facilitation of joint student projects, organization of virtual events, research support related to the COIL topic, and other directly related educational expenses (in line with institutional rules).

We will give preference to COIL proposals that:

• Plan a sustained COIL collaboration of approximately 15 weeks (a full semester), rather than only a short module or one-off activity. Module collaborations of at least 5 weeks will also receive consideration.

• Are research-based COILs, where students and faculty engage in joint inquiry – for example, developing shared research questions, collecting or analyzing data together, comparing cases across Ukraine and the US, and/or producing joint outputs (policy briefs, papers, essays, presentations, digital or creative projects). Research-based COILs are prioritized because they deepen student learning, foster critical thinking, and often lead to longer-term scholarly collaboration between Notre Dame and UCU.

• Are COIL + service-learning components, where students collaborate with community or institutional partners (e.g. NGOs, parishes, schools, local authorities, civil-society organizations) to address social needs. This may include co-creating educational or advocacy materials, supporting local initiatives, or conducting small applied research projects, combined with structured reflection on service, solidarity, and Catholic social teaching.

COIL Field Trip Grant (Wroclaw, Poland)

In addition to the core grant opportunity outlined above, one selected teaching tandem will have the opportunity to apply for an additional grant to support a COIL field trip to Wroclaw (Poland) and an in-person faculty-led student program at the UCU Center in Wroclaw. Details on the application process and selection criteria for the Wroclaw field trip grant will be shared with tandems whose COIL proposals are selected for core funding.

Amount: up to $25,000 (including all applicable taxes, fees, and institutional charges according to national regulations).

Use of funds: primarily to cover travel and accommodation expenses for the two instructors and the participating student group, and other eligible logistics directly related to organizing the in-person program in Wroclaw during the 2027 spring or fall semesters.

This faculty-led student trip grant is intended to:

• Bring together students who have collaborated online into a short, intensive in-person program;

• Deepen intercultural learning, reflection, and project work;

• Connect the COIL experience with UCU’s broader European engagement in Wroclaw.

Additional Support Fund (Publications & Course Needs)

Additional funds, up to $1,000 per tandem, will be available upon request and according to demonstrated need.

This fund may cover, for example:

• Course outputs, such as publication costs (article processing charges, open-access fees, editing or design of joint outputs) or conference fees;

• Additional needs for course implementation, such as software licenses, digital platform subscriptions, or other tools required to run the COIL component;

• Modest supplementary expenses that directly enhance the COIL learning experience.

Requests will be reviewed based on a short justification and budget outline from the funded tandems.

How to Participate?

Step 1. Submit Expression of Interest (EoI) Form

Faculty members are invited to submit an online form indicating their academic profiles, potential course(s) for COIL integration, a brief course outline, and research interests. Regular faculty from all colleges and schools at Notre Dame and all faculties at UCU are eligible and encouraged to submit an EoI.

Expression of Interest Form

EoI submission deadline

February 15, 2026

Step 2. Faculty Facilitation Workshop

May 2026

COIL experts and administrators from Notre Dame and UCU will convene a facilitation workshop for faculty expressing interest that will:

• Introduce the COIL model and good practices;

• Support pair-prematching of faculty based on interests and disciplines;

• Clarify program objectives, timelines, and expectations.

Step 3. Formation and Confirmation of Faculty Tandems

By June 1, 2026

Based on the workshop and application pool, prospective tandems (Notre Dame + UCU) will be formed. Faculty members will be invited to formally confirm their participation and commitment to co-develop and implement a COIL component in their course(s).

Step 4. COIL Action Plan Design Meetings for Faculty Tandems

Summer 2026

Each tandem will participate in facilitated COIL design sessions with a COIL expert/administrative team. These meetings will focus on:

• Developing the COIL Action Plan;

• Defining shared learning outcomes;

• Designing joint activities and assessment;

• Aligning course calendars and teaching formats;

• Clarifying roles/responsibilities of each instructor; and

• Identifying external partners or communities (if applicable).

Step 5. Course Validation and Delivery

For COILs scheduled for Spring 2027, action plans and syllabi should be finalized by September 1, 2026.

For COILs scheduled for Fall 2027, action plans and syllabi should be finalized by February 1, 2027.

Step 6. Results and Dissemination

Select tandems will be invited to present their COIL experience and project outcomes at the biennial conference on Ukraine and Ukrainian studies organized by the Ukrainian Studies Hub at the University of Notre Dame (Spring 2027, Spring 2029). The shared support fund (described above) can also be used towards disseminating outcomes through publication or presentation at other conferences.

Questions?

For Notre Dame faculty with questions about pedagogical strategy, please contact Brianna Stines, Senior Learning Designer of Notre Dame Learning (bstines@nd.edu). Notre Dame faculty are asked to direct other questions, including those about eligibility, potential course fit, or the COIL model, to Grant Osborn, Executive Director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies (gosborn@nd.edu).

For UCU faculty, please direct all questions to Halyna Protsyk, Deputy Vice Rector for Global Outreach and Internationalization at Ukrainian Catholic University (galyna.protsyk@ucu.edu.ua).

Expression of Interest Form

Key Dates and Deadlines