Ferguson College of Agriculture

The Fall 2025 semester welcomed a global partnership for students and faculty in the agricultural leadership program at Oklahoma State University. The program partnered with Shinshu University, a school in Japan, through a grant, to participate in a collaborative online international learning (COIL) experience.

Shinshu University has partnered with the English department at OSU on COIL projects in the past, explained Caitlin Pursley, OSU Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence Teaching Support Specialist. Pursley, an adjunct for the course, noted Shinshu’s previous collaborative experiences led them to their partnership with the agricultural leadership course titled: Agricultural Leadership in a Multicultural Society.

Pursley worked with Mike Finnegan, OSU agricultural leadership teaching associate professor, to co-teach one in-person course on campus. In addition to the in-person course, Finnegan, as well as Shannon Hood, OSU agricultural leadership adjunct instructor, both taught one online section of the course, Finnegan explained.

Through the combination of in-person and online sections, close to 150 OSU and 170 Shinshu University students worked together to understand global differences in agricultural practices, Pursley explained. This collaboration relied heavily on online communication. Students at OSU used an online learning platform called Padlet to share introductory videos and engage with students they had been partnered with from Shinshu University, Finnegan shared.

Students from both universities researched specific Sustainable Development Goals that were critical to their area and local agricultural practices. After the research process, students shared what they learned and had the chance to reflect and engage with their peers’ presentations, too, Pursley explained.

“Through that exchange, both sides of the students were able to learn a lot about the culture and agriculture in a different country,” Pursley said.

At the conclusion of the semester, OSU students had the chance to complete a written reflection on their experience. Many students had glowing reviews of the COIL project, Pursley explained; some even noted it as their favorite part of the course. In addition to their positive reviews, students reflected not only the differences in agricultural practices, but the many similarities they learned about as well, Pursley mentioned.

Finnegan noted OSU students were fascinated by the idea of vertical farming shared by Shinshu University students. Moreover, many OSU students were impressed that most of their Shinshu University counterparts were either bilingual or trilingual, Finnegan mentioned. He went on to explain the language and accent differences across the board gave students the chance to better actively listen and engage with their Shinshu University partners.

“What I really enjoyed about the partnership between Shinshu University and Oklahoma State is that it gave students an opportunity to apply their learning,” Finnegan said. “Specifically, intercultural competencies around a shared experience, and that shared experience is agriculture.”

Looking to the future, the agricultural leadership program would be excited to welcome a continued partnership with Shinshu University, Finnegan explained. This program allowed students to get outside of their cultural bubble and connect with other agricultural students, he said.

To learn more about the OSU Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership or the agricultural leadership program, visit the website.