Student-led resource development for sport and physical education: a COIL project

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects are an effective educational tool to help develop globally aware students (Hackett et al. 2023). For this COIL project, second-year students across a range of sport-related programmes at Leeds Trinity University were given the opportunity to develop Sport and Physical Education resources for utilisation in schools and clubs within KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Students collaborated online with their peers in South Africa to design and produce resources aligned with the South African curriculum. Following on from an initial virtual exchange, sub-groups were set up for the remainder of the project, led by at least one student from both countries. This enabled continued communication and collaboration for the duration of the project, as the students sought to establish specific project aims, and to monitor subsequent progress towards these objectives. 
Students involved in this project received a valuable opportunity to; apply their theoretical and practical knowledge within a real-world setting; develop their digital skills across a range of software and platforms; broaden their cultural awareness through active engagement and collaboration with peers in South Africa; develop their leadership and communication skills; and to work effectively as part of a wider project team, collaborating with a range of stakeholders both within the United Kingdom, and in South Africa. 
The initial COIL project and engagement with existing related research has also provided a platform for ongoing developments and future online learning projects due to commence in the coming academic year.