FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How could faculty from U.S. Universities apply to participate in the program?

They must start selecting a Mexican partner form the PIC US-MX bulletin, which describes their academic background and contact data. They must contact potential partners directly, in order to start the dialogue and agree to participate with a Mexican teaching partner in the PIC US-MX. Every partner must submit his/her application individually. Results will be announced to both participants.

Could Mexican faculty submit applications in the Spring 2021 Call for Proposals?

Yes, professors from Mexican HEI who apply for the first time must comply with the requirements of affiliation and membership to AMPEI, institutional support letter, and submit their applications to the PIC US-MX. As part of the requirements, Mexican faculty must have already a U.S. teaching partner. Both of them must complete the application form available on the website: www.ampei.org.mx. Results will be announced to both participants.

As a full-time professor, could I take the COIL Design workshop?

The COIL Design workshop is oriented to faculty that will teach a COIL course. To participate, they must meet all the requirements established for the program and commit to teach a COIL course before August 2022.

Are the COIL courses organized between faculty members from HEI that already have a collaboration agreement?

It is not essential to have a signed collaboration agreement between HEI, but it is recommended to develop COIL courses with those institutions with which there is a previous relationship.

Do PIC US-MX coordinators will help me to find a teaching partner?

The role of the PIC US-MX team is to support your search for a teaching partner. But, you must also have an active role to detect potential partners that could teach a COIL course. It is also recommended to ask the international staff of your institution to support your search for a teaching partner among the partner institutions of your university.

§ If you are a U.S. faculty you can detect a Mexican teaching partner from the PIC US-MX bulletin that contains the academic profile and contact data of Mexican faculty that are already part of the program and are searching for a U.S. teaching partner. They comply with all the requirements of PIC US-MX and are ready to start the design of their COIL courses.

§ If you are a Mexican faculty interested to apply to the 2021 call for participation you must have already a U.S. teaching partner.

As a professor, will I receive evidence of my participation?

Yes, all participants will receive a certificate of participation for their successful attendance to the PIC US-MX COIL workshop and another certificate after completing successfully their COIL component (including uploading evidence and evaluation forms).

What happens in the case my partner drops out during the workshop or the implementation of the COIL component?

In this case, the situation must be reported as soon as possible to the mentor and the PIC US-MX coordinators, in order to come up with a friendly solution for everyone. The goal is to find out the adequate academic session when both faculties are able to fulfill their commitment of participation in the program.

Should   U.S. universities and faculty must be AMPEI members?

No, it is not mandatory for the U.S. faculty or their institutions to be AMPEI members, moreover, they neither need to pay the $2,000°° MXN fee, nor submit the letter of institutional support.

What are the selection criteria for the institutional coordinator as a liaison of the program?

It is recommended to appoint a professional with interest and experience on the internationalization of higher education. It is important to be fluent in English and if possible, with academic background. Usually, the COIL institutional coordinator is the head of the International Office, but it may be different in each institution.

Do coordinators also need to have a partner? Could they participate in the COIL Design workshop?

COIL coordinators do not need a partner. Their activities and responsibilities are different from those of faculty teaching COIL courses. They are appointed by each institution following internal policies. PIC US-MX offers a seminar oriented to international or academic staff who will act as COIL institutional coordinators for preparing them to fulfill successfully their responsibilities.

Could the COIL component designed in the workshop be implemented anytime? 

It is recommended to implement it during the semester following the COIL Design workshop.  Only for extraordinary reasons, it can be postponed, but it must be offered before August 2022.

Will the students receive credits for taking a course with a COIL component?

COIL components are incorporated into regular courses of institutional academic programs, for this reason, students receive credits by their home institution. The value of the program is the possibility to enrich regular courses with international, intercultural, collaborative experiences that promote internationalization of the curricula staying at their home institutions.

Do the COIL courses that the professors will teach have curricular value?

The courses must be part of regular programs of study with curricular value. Hence the value of the program which promotes internationalization of the curriculum.

Under the current confinement conditions, would COIL courses be integrated to be taken online by all students?

Certainly, in the current conditions, the idea is that ALL students enrolled in the COIL course participate, and it is very probable that they will be taking the courses from home. But if in some institutions the courses are offered in hybrid models, it is also possible to participate.  What will be done online is the COIL component, using technology to facilitate interaction between multicultural teams, in spite of the distance.

How current should the certificate of language proficiency be?

The language requirement must be in effect for no more than 2 years. This can be an official proof (TOEFL, Cambridge, IELTS), equivalent to at least level B2, or it can also be issued by the Language Department of your institution mentioning that you have the required command of the English language, it is optional to add some proof of your skills, such as having previously taught a course in English.

Both the participating professor and the COIL coordinator who will act as liaison with the PIC US-MX managers, must have English language proficiency.

We provide a table of equivalence between different English certificates: