COIL Program (Minnesota) × University of Wisconsin–Superior Online Exchange(Friday,November 21)

As part of the foundational course “COIL Program (Minnesota)” offered by the Global Engagement Center, two students—representing the nine enrolled in the class—participated in an online exchange with six Japanese language learners from our partner institution, the University of Wisconsin–Superior (UWS) in the United States.

UWS has been one of our “traditional partners” for online international exchange since 2017. The relationship, which began even before the COVID-19 pandemic, has continued to grow and diversify over the years.

During this session, our students first conducted interviews in English and then engaged in free conversation using both English and Japanese. The discussion became lively as they shared hobbies and even showed items they use for their interests on screen. Scenes of students asking about English expressions and supplementing with Japanese highlighted the spirit of mutual learning.

Adding a special connection, the city of Superior—home to UWS—is a sister city of Ami Town, where our campus is located. One UWS student had visited Ami as part of a high school delegation two years ago and spoke fondly of those memories, making this exchange a true moment of global and local connection.

Our partnership with UWS also extends to student exchange programs, with students traveling both ways between our institutions.

We will continue to value these online connections while actively promoting opportunities for international exchange and study abroad through courses like “COIL Program (Minnesota)” 🌍✨