FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2017
For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations Department
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Glenville State College students (shown on the screen) take part in a COIL course with students in a classroom in Spain
GLENVILLE, WV - Glenville State College Associate Professor of Spanish and Director of International Programs Dr. Megan Gibbons was selected last year as a Fulbright scholar through the internationally recognized Fulbright Program. Since January of this year, she has been at the University of Oviedo in Asturias, Spain observing classes, holding meetings, and conducting research as part of that program.
So far Gibbons has had several meetings with education officials and given presentations on various topics related to Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). She also has continued to coordinate COIL courses between GSC and the University of Oviedo, including a GSC course in U.S. History and an Oviedo course in English Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis. Gibbons is collecting data related to intercultural competencies by administering surveys, conducting student interviews, and culling discussion forums for evidence of student learning. She also meets regularly with a GSC student who is studying at the University of Oviedoâs Casa de las Lenguas.
âIâve been meeting with as many of the senior administrators and officials as possible in order to discuss higher education collaborations of all kinds and on behalf of not just GSC but also the WV Higher Education Policy Commission and its member institutions. Iâm encouraging everyone to support and develop a state-to-state partnership between the Province of Asturias and West Virginia, one that would feature COIL, but not necessarily be limited to it,â Gibbons said.
(l-r) Danielle Cardwell, Dr. Alicia Laspra, Luis Argeo, and Dr. Megan Gibbons with her daughter. Cardwell is a GSC student and is studying abroad in Spain, Laspra is a professor at the University of Oviedo, and Argeo is the director of La plomada. Gibbons is completing research in Spain as a Fulbright scholar.
Dr. Gibbons recently attended the Spanish premiere of La plomada, a new documentary directed by Luis Argeo. In 2006 Argeo visited West Virginia to film another documentary, AsturianUS, which centered on the Asturian community in Spelter, West Virginia in Harrison County in the early-to-mid 20th century.
Collaborative Online International Learning allows students in classes with COIL components to get some of the benefits of studying abroad, without ever leaving their own campuses. The students usually connect through a learning management system as well as by using online meeting software and other social media tools. They often exchange cultural information and respond to academic questions to learn more about one another as introductory activities. Course content is then tailored to benefit both sets of students regardless of the area of study.
Click here to see more photos and videos from Gibbons' travels by visiting GSC's International Programs Facebook page.
