How to design an asynchronous COIL project

When educators design international collaboration into their courses, the instinct is often to add more meetings. More live sessions. More opportunities for students to interact in real time. More chances to connect synchronously across institutions and countries.

Collaborative online international learning (COIL) connects students from different countries through a shared online course, enabling them to learn with and from one another without travelling. Over eight weeks, our COIL project, Culture in Conversation, brought together students from China, Algeria and Portugal to explore social-emotional learning, global citizenship education and intercultural dialogue. 

Students reflected on cultural identity, challenged stereotypes, discussed global issues and collaborated to propose solutions to issues they cared about. At first glance, the project seemed complicated. We were working across three countries, multiple institutions, different educational levels, distinct academic calendars and a seven-hour time difference between some of the partner institutions. Conventional wisdom suggested that maintaining engagement would require frequent live meetings.

Instead, we designed the course so that most learning happened asynchronously, supported by three strategically timed synchronous meetings. Rather than trying to maximise the number of live interactions, we focused on creating clear weekly learning journeys, purposeful collaborative tasks and flexible opportunities for students to engage across time zones. 

Students interacted more consistently because they could contribute at times that suited their schedules, teachers spent less time coordinating logistics and more time facilitating learning, and collaboration developed gradually through sustained dialogue rather than a series of isolated meetings. Here’s how we did it.

Design around learning, not meetings

We built the project around weekly learning journeys. Each week followed a simple structure:

• students accessed shared learning materials
• they completed individual reflections
• they interacted with peers asynchronously
• they contributed to a collaborative task.

We reduced synchronous interaction to three key moments: an opening session, a midpoint check-in and a final showcase.

This decision immediately reduced logistical barriers. Students no longer had to negotiate schedules every week, and teachers were not constantly coordinating meeting times across multiple zones.

More importantly, it created space for deeper engagement. Students could reflect before responding, revisit materials and contribute when they felt ready. Participation became less about who could attend a meeting and more about how students engaged with ideas and with each other.

Create structure without overcomplicating the experience

One of the biggest misconceptions about asynchronous learning is that flexibility means fewer expectations. We found the opposite.

Asynchronous environments require intentional structure. Every week of our project had a clearly defined purpose, task and outcome. Students always knew:

• what they were expected to do
• where they could find resources
• how they should interact with their peers
• what they needed to submit.

The simpler the structure, the more confidently students participated.

Design for connection, not just completion

One of the biggest challenges in asynchronous learning is completing activities independently without developing meaningful interactions with peers. Simply moving coursework online does not automatically foster collaboration. Instead, design each activity so that students need to build on one another’s ideas. 

Begin with low-stakes activities that encourage students to share something about themselves before gradually introducing more complex collaborative tasks. For example, we asked students to create a cultural identity map or reflect on a stereotype to provide a starting point for later discussions about global challenges and collective action. When each week’s task builds on previous conversations, interaction becomes a continuous process rather than a series of disconnected submissions. 

A discussion platform such as Padlet can encourage students to respond to others’ reflections, while collaborative spaces such as Microsoft Teams allow groups to communicate beyond formal class activities. Recognition systems, including digital badges, can also encourage sustained participation by acknowledging progress throughout the course. 

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Trust your collaborators

Successful asynchronous international collaborations depend as much on relationships as they do on technology. While digital platforms facilitate communication, it is trust among teaching collaborators that keeps a project moving when people are working across institutions, cultures and time zones. 

Invest time in building this trust before the course begins. Schedule regular planning meetings to develop a shared vision, agree on learning outcomes and map the course together. Rather than planning week by week during delivery, design the overall learning journey in advance so that everyone understands how the activities connect. 

Clearly define roles and responsibilities. Assign ownership of specific weeks, activities or resources, while allowing collaborators the autonomy to contribute from their own expertise and educational context. Clear ownership reduces duplication of effort, avoids unnecessary micromanagement and enables facilitators to focus on supporting students rather than coordinating logistics. 

Finally, establish communication practices that work for your team. A combination of regular planning meetings and an informal communication channel can help collaborators quickly resolve questions, share ideas and adapt when unexpected challenges arise. Strong collaboration is rarely the result of constant supervision; it grows from clear expectations, open communication and mutual trust. 

Redefine what participation looks like

In traditional international exchanges, participation is often measured by who speaks up the most. In our project, participation looked different.

Some students contributed through detailed written reflections. Others engaged through Padlet discussions, collaborative planning or creative project work. 

Asynchronous design created multiple pathways for participation. It gave students who may have remained silent in weekly video calls other ways to contribute meaningfully. The result was a more inclusive learning environment that recognised different communication styles, levels of confidence and linguistic backgrounds.

By the end of the project, students were not only discussing global issues but also proposing actions they could take within their own communities.

The real strength of asynchronous design lies not in flexibility alone but in its ability to create space for thoughtful engagement, reflection and connection. When designed intentionally, asynchronous learning allows students to participate on their own terms while still feeling part of a larger community.

Bhawana Shrestha is a research fellow at the Learning Institute for Future Excellence at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China. Chiraz Retimi is a lecturer and PhD researcher in the Faculty of Letters and Languages at the University of Djelfa, Algeria. Ana Magano is an English teacher and international project coordinator at Agrupamento de Escolas da Damaia, Amadora, Portugal. 

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