Project Leaders: Dr Stella Nalwanga and Mi-hwa Kang Yoon
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University (France)
Project Overview:
French students at Lyon Business School will be working with our students at Coventry University London to develop an eco friendly device for watering plants when one is not at home. Coventry University London students take on the role of business development consultants for the their French colleagues contributing to the below activity:
Product Research
Looking into sustainable/eco-friendly product materials for the plant pot packaging
Comparing price, availability & eco-friendly value of the products
Writing a comparison summary for the French students to decide on the product to use
Logo Design, Advertising Campaign & Speech
Providing feedback & alternatives to the teams ideas for logos and slogans
Helping the team re word their speech to make it flow better to become more persuasive
Marketing
Generating a marketing report for the team’s social media channels, advising them on things such as:
Instagram posts best time of day
Instagram Reels best time of day
Taking the team through the STOSTAC marketing method
Image: Final Company Logo
Online Tools Used: Aula, Email, Google Docs, Zoom, Microsoft Teams
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): Makerere University (Uganda)
Image: Uganda TeamImage: Coventry University TeamImage: Coventry University Team
Project Overview:
The “Harmonizing Stakeholder Interests” COIL initiative comprised two distinct projects:
1. Wakiso Ministry Zonal Office Website Development Project:
➢ Objective: Enhance communication and information sharing between the public and officers at the Wakiso (Busiro) Ministry Zonal Office, specifically regarding land-related matters.
➢ Approach: Design and implement a website where the public can submit concerns related to property and land ownership and registration.
➢ Deliverable: A functional website developed and tested by a student from Makerere University, intended for use by the Ministry of Zonal Offices and the Ugandan population.
2. Livelihood Assessment of Project-Affected Persons (PAPs) in Kykaboga Village, Hoima District, Uganda:
➢ Objective: Evaluate the impact of development-induced displacement and resettlement on PAPs.
➢ Approach: Conduct a thorough assessment of affected households’ livelihoods.
➢ Deliverable: provided recommendations
Provide PAPs with skills that promote self-resilience and sustainability post resettlement. Suggest methods to minimize adverse effects on PAPs’ livelihoods during resettlement.
Students on the MBA Global Healthcare Management and Leadership course at Coventry University London provided consultation to the Ugandan student teams at Makerere University, Kampala, throughout the course of the two projects. They advised on website design and functionality, conducted research on United Nations’ policies regarding Accountability to Affected People following a resettlement and displacement due to a new project initiative.
Online Tools Used: Aula, Email, Google Docs, Zoom
Student Testimonials:
“This experience boosted my confidence in time management and dealing with intense work pressures, demonstrating my ability to handle multiple projects alongside coursework and to prioritize deadlines”. (THEERTHA SASEENDRAN, Coventry University London)
“The COIL project provided me with valuable real-world connections. As a consultant, I delved into extensive research to understand the structure, operations and culture in Uganda and at Ministry Zonal Offices in order to provide valuable feedback to our peers in Uganda.” (SRUSHTI SAKPAL, Coventry University London)
“I learned collaboration…working with a team that you are not sharing the same physical space with. How can you candle things together, how do you align your goals at both ends. That is something I learned from working with students from Coventry University and I feel other students should experience this at least once.” (OSMAN OBEDMONT, Makerere University Kampala).
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): University of Applied Sciences: Windesheim (NL); Dokuz Eylul University (TR); North-West University (ZA); Coventry University London (GB)
Project Overview:
Working across time zones national borders and pedagogical cultures, a diversity of twelve Coventry students were appointed to one of ten student groups to research and complete a stakeholder analysis of several countries’ stakeholders, to investments in their respective countries by Huawei telecommunications company of China.
Image: Some of the participating students, happily and proudly showing their certificates; accompanied by Roman Puchkov and Callum Morrison
Each group comprised a mixture of students from four partner universities who quickly established working relationships, divided responsibilities, learnt the power/interest framework and divided the parts of a stakeholder analysis between group members. This was the second time Coventry had participated in this project and we sought to prove scalability & the project’s appropriateness for a diversity of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Over a period of five weeks, the students progressively completed their stakeholder analyses, and meantime, frequently reported their progress to a committee of academics; particularly their working relationships and interactions in the context of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and Lewin’s change model. Some 45 students and 15 nationalities took part in the International Relations (Stakeholder) Project #2.
In conclusion, the project proved its scalability and appropriateness for a diversity of student courses. It developed the students’ hard and soft skills. For instance, the skills of establishing relations, networking, communication, intercultural, and teaming skills. All the students were very pleased with their participation.
Image: A photo from a stakeholder analysis training session, showing a whiteboard and the Power/Interest framework
Online Tools Used: Teams, Outlook, Google Docs, PPT
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): University of Applied Sciences: Windesheim (NL); Widener University (US); Coventry University London (GB)
Project Overview:
Working across time zones, national borders, & pedagogical cultures, eight Coventry postgraduate students were each appointed to one of six student groups to research and complete a stakeholder analysis of US stakeholders to an investment in the USA by Huawei telecommunications company of China. This was the first time Coventry had participated in this project, and thus it was a trial run.
Image: The eight participating students proudly showing their certificates; accompanied by Hanna Yakavenka and Callum Morrison
Each group comprised students from all three partner universities who quickly established working relationships, divided responsibilities, learnt the power/interest framework, and divided the parts of the stakeholder analysis between their group members. The Coventry students were all postgraduate, final term dissertation students.
Over a period of five weeks, the students progressively completed their analyses and considered their working relationships and interactions in the context of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and Lewin’s change model. Some 25 students, and 13 nationalities took part in the International Relations (Stakeholder) Project #1 – the students and I were very pleased with their participation in this COIL project, and therein, the university decided for future participations. (Callum Morrison)
Image: The respective national flags and the university trademarks of the three partner universities
Online Tools Used: Teams, Outlook, Google Docs, PPT
Image: Project productImage: Students from the partner institutionImage: Students from Coventry University
Academic Year: 2022-23
Project Leaders: Stella Nalwanga, Mi-hwa Kang Yoon
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): IAE Lyon School of Management (France)
Project Overview:
In this COIL project Coventry University students acted as consultants who carried out a market research for the Lonely Socks mini-company created by 9 students from IAE Lyon School of Management as part of a university project.
Within this project, the French students tried to find a solution to a reoccurring problem of losing socks, especially when managing the laundry, and came up with an idea of creating a little clip that keeps socks together. They produced these simple but innovative clips themselves using a rubber cord and wooden beads which made them not only environmentally-friendly but also profitable.
The students then worked together on a product marketing strategy. They designed a survey which targeted 200 people both in France and England and gave them an idea of what distribution channels could be used if the product was to be commercialized. The brand image and product were promoted via various social networks.
Online Tools Used: Google Docs, Microsoft Teams, Padlet
Project Leaders: Dr Kemi Chukwuma-Nwuba, Tanya Vidanagama
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa (CPUT), University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), University of CEMA in Argentina (UCEMA), American University of Ras Al Khaimah in United Arab Emirates (AURAK)
Project Overview:
This Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project involved all ICTE (International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship) students from Coventry University and students from four international institutions in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America respectively. The aim of the project was to identify a problem in any community and create a hypothetical venture to solve that problem. In doing this, the following ingenuity process questions were to be applied: Who is affected by the problem? What are the consequences? When does it occur? Where is it prevalent? How is the problem manifested? The Business Model Canvas was used to present the plan of the ventures including an audit of the skills needed for the venture.
Image: Screenshot of students participating in a zoom conference with a keynote speaker
The project lasted for five weeks with a total of 123 participants assigned into 15 groups. Each group presented their projects on creative posters. Subsequently, the best three projects were selected by the panel of judges comprising of two academics and two business owners in Coventry, who are the executives of Business Network International (BNI).
The participants had the opportunity to collaborate internationally on the project, share ideas with others which helped them develop confidence in their own knowledge while additionally increasing their social capital. Despite the varying time zones, we were still able to manage the project effectively.
This Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project involved students from Coventry University participating in a Q&A session with the executive director of revenue generation at NBC Sport, the US broadcaster. After the Q&A session students were tasked with pitching a case for NBC to buy the rights to broadcast the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. This was presented to Alex Khilnani from NBC, who provided their feedback to the class for a follow up discussion.
This virtual exchange allowed students to consider the opportunities and obstacles of presenting broadcasted sporting events in different countries, in particular an event in which the broadcasting country would not be competing in. In addition to this, students gained an insight about how NBC Sport works with existing global sports events such as the Olympic Games, especially surrounding issues such as time zones, new media, and the ability to shift between cultural environments.
Image: Voices of Sustainability by IIADImage: CU students participating in a virtual exchange with IIAD students
Academic Year: 2021-22
Project Leaders: Giulia Massera, Lauren Crabb
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s):
Project Overview:
This Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project involved students from Coventry University London (CULC) and Indian Institute of Art and Design (IIAD) who discussed and presented their recent findings on sustainable fashion. Year 2 BA Fashion Marketing and Management students at Coventry University London Campus organised The Voice of Sustainability” live seminar on Zoom, while Year 2 IIAD students presented to CULC participants a series of projects where they translated Art into Fashion and Fashion into Sustainable production.
The aim of this project was to create a platform where students could share their knowledge and understanding of fashion in different contexts. In addition, through synchronous Microsoft teams calls, students in both countries were able to exchange views on sustainable fashion and increase their awareness on fashion production and sustainability.
Online Tools Used: Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, LinkedIn
Statement from Project Leader:
“It is not simply about “what” you learn, but “how” you do it. Designing an empowering learning journey for Coventry University London is key. And so, with our Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and the Indian Institute of Art and Design we created a strong valuable cultural exchange, where we saw art transforming into fashion and fashion fighting for sustainability”
Image: Project proposal and screenshot of virtual participant discussion
Academic Year: 2021-22
Project Leader: Nikhil Sapre
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): University of CEMA (Argentina) & Connecticut College (United States of America)
Project Overview:
This Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project involved students from three universities: Coventry University (UK), University of CEMA (Argentina) and Connecticut College (USA). Each of the participating universities had to examine and investigate the stocks and indices from their respected country. This project also required students to demonstrate the necessary skills to conduct a risk assessment of international equities and markets using statistical analysis.
This COIL project aimed to develop students’ skills for working within globally dispersed cross-cultural teams as well as gaining awareness of issues and challenges in intercultural relationship building.
Online Tools Used: Open Moodle, Statistical Software, Zoom
Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): Hanoi University of Science and Technology (Vietnam)
Project Overview:
This Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project ran a virtual exchange with English language teachers and educators from various areas of Vietnam alongside current English language teaching masters’ students at Coventry University. With the help of ViVEXELT; an action research project funded by the British Council Vietnam Digital Learning Innovation Fund and supported by the National Foreign Language Project in Vietnam; participants aimed to encourage partnerships between the UK and Vietnam to generate new research, insight and/or innovations to improve the teaching and learning of English.
Students from both institutions engaged in a virtual exchange course consisting of both asynchronous and synchronous activities such as live discussions and workshops on Zoom.
This COIL project aimed to foster the development of its participants’ English language teaching skills (ELT) and support the development of the speaking and interactional online skills of English language teachers and students in teacher education in Vietnam and the UK.
Online Tools Used: Email, Google Docs, Open Moodle, YouTube and Zoom
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