Apr 1, 2020
By Emma Courtney, Instructional Assistant
This is a monumental week for Langara's Recreation Studies department, who, in collaboration with Penn State University, were the first to design and implement a departmental internationalization strategy, and deliver a Collaborative Online Intercultural (COIL) project.
Langara's Recreation students virtually joined with their international partners at Penn State University to present their final COIL* projects on Thursday, March 26, 2020. These presentations were initially scheduled to take place in the classroom with students co-presenting in groups through Zoom, but with all classes moving online, the presentation groups moved online as well.
The hard work of Instructor Yue-Ching Cheng to mobilize his students for a COIL project has paid off in more ways than anticipated, as it taught students all about virtual learning and collaborative online platforms mere weeks before the COVID-19 crisis took us all indoors and online. The Recreation Studies Department prides itself in preparing students for an ever-evolving industry, and an ever-evolving world; and COIL is an opportunity to not only teach students about collaborating and learning in a virtual environment, but also how to work constructively across cultures with diverse groups of people. Now more than ever, it is integral that we come together (virtually, not physically!) as global citizens to support one another and work together to combat this crisis. We are proud to provide our students with the skills necessary to adapt to whatever circumstances arise, in the workplace and in the world.
We are now accepting applications for our September 2020 cohort, and we encourage you to attend our upcoming online information session. Learn more at langara.ca/recreation.