Designing Rigorous Online Case Discussions: A Qualitative Study of Learning Outcomes in a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Project Implementation
Yamuna Baburaj
Management, School of Business Administration, Widener University, Chester, USA
Ferdi Hofstede
Faculty of Business, Media and Law, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Zwolle,
Netherlands
Brian V. Larson
Management, School of Business Administration, Widener University, Chester, USA
Dinand Warringa
Faculty of Business, Media and Law, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Zwolle,
Netherlands
Volume 21: 2026, pp. 00-00; ABSTRACT
Consistent with the relevance of virtual and multicultural teams in global organizations,
educators are incorporating newer instructional methods that promise to internationalize the
curriculum. The Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a format increasingly being
used by educators to introduce new, global experiences into the traditional higher education
classroom. In this study, we outline a COIL project endeavor which evolved iteratively, engaging
221 college students in 39 teams over a series of semesters. Utilizing an established partnership
between a US and Dutch university to launch the program, the initiative was later expanded to
integrate additional universities in subsequent phases. The project design integrated Agile
methodology and learner-centered principles, with key project structural elements adapting
incrementally in response to student learning and feedback. The implementations yielded notable
gains in virtual teamwork skills and intercultural learning, while also surfacing insights into the
generational attitudes relevant to the evolving nature of global teamwork.
Keywords: global virtual teams (GVT); cultural intelligence, business skills, thematic analysis,
agile project, stakeholder analysis, experiential learning, global learning.
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