Abstract
Asynchronous and synchronous modes of online communication utilizing a variety of technology applications provide students with opportunities to engage in both student-to-student and team discourse. Through experiential and project-based learning, students develop skills in digital literacy, virtual teamwork, empathy, and cross-cultural communication—all requisite 21st century skills for employment. The authors will showcase their virtual exchange collaborations utilizing the latest educational tech tools. Challenges, considerations, and opportunities inherent in developing and delivering virtual exchange projects plus student reflections will be shared. Teaching strategies that embrace a diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice learning environment will be discussed.
TopVirtual Exchange
The introduction of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools has played an integral role in the evolution of virtual exchange. New and improved video-conferencing platforms and apps, the availability of smart mobile phones and texting, and the growth of social media have altered the landscape of telecommunications. A host of technology tools, many of which are free, are available with additional tools continually being introduced.
Under the direction of faculty facilitators, two classes from different countries and perhaps different disciplines work together using a variety of asynchronous and/or synchronous digital tools to engage in intercultural communication and collaboration. Similar to activities in the traditional classroom, no two collaborations are identical, as each is uniquely designed and delivered by trained faculty partners from institutions around the world.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Synchronous: Online learning delivered remotely on predetermined days and times via a video conferencing program.
Global Solutions: Virtual exchange programs offered through IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board) and supported by the Stevens Initiative.
IREX: International Research and Exchanges Board, a global nonprofit organization that empowers youth through access to educational opportunities to develop skills for life and work as leaders and global citizens.
Digital Literacy: The ability to navigate and use online resources and tools to create, evaluate, communicate, and share content in an ethically responsible and safe manner.
Stevens Initiative: The legacy to former U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens. Supports virtual exchange through grants and resources offering programs to youth in the MENA region to enhance job readiness and develop 21st Century skills.
Coil: Collaborative Online International Learning, a virtual exchange model pioneered by the State University of New York (SUNY) system of higher education.
PESTLE: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental, elements in the macroenvironment to be considered in strategic planning.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs): Seventeen interconnected global goals established in 2015 that focus on sustainability, equity, and social justice for the well-being of present and future generations.
Soft Power: Power asserted by subtle persuasion and through relationship building as with virtual exchange.
Asynchronous: Online learning delivered with no predetermined meeting days or times. All instructional materials are housed in the learning management system.
Metaverse: An immersive 3D extended reality (XR) world that includes augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR).