CON TENTS
COIL SPECIAL ISSUE
2 COIL PROJECT
HUMBER PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD, UK AND BRITISH UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN
Interdisciplinary Care and Services for People Living with Dementia The COIL focuses on international approaches to gaps and developing possible solutions for dementia care. The COIL introduces students to experts in dementia from their communities in Canada and the UK.
our students an extra foot up, where they learn to work and collaborate with students from other cultures. HP: In what ways did this experience help students develop future-ready skills for the workforce? ROMA AND JO ANNE: The world is
HUMBER’S PERSPECTIVE HUMBER FACULTY LEADS:
Roma Mehta, PhD and Jo Anne Nugent, Ed. D. PROGRAM NAME AND FACULTY:
Bachelor of Behavioural Science, Faculty of Social & Community Services LINKEDIN:
linkedin.com/in/romamehta-a3385455
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SPARK September 2025
HP: What motivated you to engage in an international collaboration for this project? How does this align with Humber’s vision of Reimagining Learning? ROMA AND JO ANNE: We have
collaborated on other COIL projects before. Our continued motivation stems from the fact that it is a fantastic opportunity for our students to get a complete learning experience, which is better than simply formal theoretical knowledge. This project was born from a casual conversation with an individual from Manchester, UK. From there, it took on a life of its own. COIL projects are more than simply experiences of group work. These are international, collaborative, and interdisciplinary. This combination of experiences gives
constantly evolving, and skills that might have helped a few years ago may not be used as much today. Today’s global world demands agile collaboration and digital fluency; collaborating with people across oceans, problem-solving with people in your team, even though you may not know them very well, etc., are all crucial skills. Our students gained this experience in a safe setting, allowing them to practice their skills. HP: Can you share a breakthrough moment where students from different backgrounds worked together in a way that surprised you? ROMA AND JO ANNE: One breakthrough
moment was when it finally clicked for the students that sharing their cultural findings would create a global comparison of this topic. I think this was very beneficial for many, as they did not realize the importance of this piece before they started the project.