Humber Leads: Linda Hill, PC, Bachelor of Community Development; Christine McKenzie, Professor, Bachelor of Community Development
Humber Program: Bachelor of Community Development
International Partner: Biology program, Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (Peru)

COIL Description: Humber and USIL faculty co-developed case studies that were embedded within a pre-existing course at both institutions – in the fields of Biology (USIL) and Community Development (Humber). Students connected virtually and worked collaboratively, and the module was co-taught by Humber and USIL faculty. The comparative case studies co-designed by Humber & USIL faculty focused on community and environmental impact of pipeline extensions on indigenous land. Learn more (p. 17): https://bit.ly/3finqLv

Insight: Working with USIL enabled me to learn about international community development projects in Peru from local people. It broadened my understanding of issues and enriched my cultural competence. I enjoyed working with faculty partners from USIL and getting to know them as colleagues and friends. In the planning phase I had the opportunity to travel to Peru with Christine to work with colleagues at USIL to co-develop our COIL module, with funding provided by Global Affairs Canada through the Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building fund. We travelled together through local areas, sat around the same table, and planned out lessons, taught students collaboratively and shared meals and conversation. It was an amazing experience and I have carried forward lessons learned in my teaching.

Through COIL, students gain the opportunity to collaborate and talk directly with students in another country. It enables students who may not be able to afford to travel to have a global experience that increases their cultural awareness and broadens their viewpoints on international issues. It is one thing to read about community work or listen to a lecture, but to work collaboratively and speak directly with students from different parts of the world enables a deeper understanding of diverse views, values, and opinions with shared learning the result.

- Linda Hill, PC, Bachelor of Community Development

Insight: As a Professor in the Community Development degree, it was very rewarding to work collaboratively with Biology faculty from Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL). I appreciated the time we were able to take to get to know our partners and have a dialogue that connected the dots between our different contexts and pedagogical approaches.”

While writing case studies based on issues existing in each of our countries, we had the opportunity to think globally about critical issues, and our role as educators in addressing these issues. The experience inspired and challenged me to consider how to make more interdisciplinary links between theory and practice in the way I teach going forward.

The students from Humber’s Community Development Degree program and students from USIL worked together on case studies in small groups. These case studies presented social/political/environmental issues existing in both Peru and Canada. A component of our COIL initiative was for students to connect in groups during class time as well as outside of the classroom. This enabled them to build relationships and come together as a team. Students found working together in this way to be dynamic and engaging.

Students responded that they most benefitted from being able to think critically and problem solve using the participatory case study learning approach. They were motivated to engage in the learning, as they could see that their skills and knowledge were useful for solving real world problems. By having the opportunity to consider their own reality, and learn from one another’s perspectives, students were able to see that many of the issues we face have common elements. In this way, students were able to deepen their analysis by questioning ideas they had previously held to be true.

- Christine McKenzie, Professor, Bachelor of Community Development