UNITA COIL UVT-UPNA
Collaborative Online International Learning for SOCIOLOGY STUDENTS
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The UNITA COIL UVT-UPNA is created as a joint course as a UNITA internationalisation of the curricula initiative, by Dr Melinda Dincă from the West University of Timișoara (UVT), Romania and Dr Begoña Elizalde-San Miguel from the Public University of Navarra (UPNA), Spain, in the 2022-2023 academic year. Since then, over 450 UVT and UPNA students have benefited from this UNITA COIL UVT-UPNA curricular internationalisation module:
150 graduate students - 100 from UVT + 50 from UPNA - in the academic year 2022-2023
165 graduate students - 90 from UVT + 75 from UPNA - in the academic year 2023-2024
85 graduate students - 55 from UVT + 30 from UPNA - in the academic year 2024-2025
67 graduate students - 30 from UVT + 37 from UPNA - in the academic year 2025-2026
The joint course includes a series of learning activities for students in an international context - Collaborative Online International Learning COIL -, integrated in the standard course of Social Policies in the bachelor's degree in Sociology and Human Resources from the West University of Timișoara, Romania, and in the Social Organsation and Human Development course, bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the Public University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
Students attend training sessions for collaborative and process learning in an international context, in which they are presented with the potential of the UNITA Alliance, the structure of the UNITA COIL UVT-UPNA joint course and the opportunity to develop projects in collaboration with students following the same study program in the partner university. During the preparatory sessions, which last two to three weeks, UVT and UPNA students develop a baseline understanding of the professional skills required for future collaboration, including conceptual, theoretical, and practical approaches to the dimensions and social indicators of the subjects they explore.
Next, the students form mixed UVT-UPNA project-based learning teams of 5-6 students each. After the session of activating the international teams through inter-knowledge, group reflection and cultural exchange activities, in the next 6 weeks the students develop together comparative analyses on a social dimension, operating with social data sets and indicators for the population of Romania and Spain, actively participate in cultural exchange sessions based on the course topics co-taught by UVT and UPNA professors, complete reflective learning journals, give feedback to teammates and other mixed student teams. The collaborative learning sessions of the UVT–UPNA international teams take place online, mainly synchronously, through video conferences, within the courses and separately, organised by the students in weekly sessions of 2-3 hours.
The results of the analyses and the projects of the international teams of UVT-UPNA students are presented at the end of the module through video presentations, group reflective activities, feedback and Q&A sessions. Participation in and completion of students' projects within the UVT-UPNA international teams are recognised through their contribution to the final exam grade, the corresponding transferable ECTS credits, and their inclusion in the diploma supplement in a global context.
Participation in UNITA COIL UVT-UPNA requires active involvement, commitment, basic digital skills, and English literacy at the B1 level.
Most students believe that their best learning outcomes from the UNITA COIL program at UVT-UPNA include a better understanding of social indicators and demographic changes in Romania and Spain within a European context. They have also gained experience in international team-based learning, actively participated in the learning process, and improved their teamwork and digital skills.
UNITA COIL UVT-UPNA Students' Collaborative Projects
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