As the introduction to this special issue on virtual exchange (VE), this paper presents a glimpse back at the development of VE through the lens of the central definitions that have been... Show More

As the introduction to this special issue on virtual exchange (VE), this paper presents a glimpse back at the development of VE through the lens of the central definitions that have been historically associated with VE and how these have had an impact on the evolution of VE practice and research. Next, the role of intercultural competence (IC) is discussed. IC is a prominent aspect of VE in foreign language education and also emerges as a primary topic in the articles in this special issue. Given that VE is most commonly identified within formal education contexts, the article then foregrounds recent debate on whether VE is an educational approach or method and how this may impact teacher education. Finally, looking forward, the text outlines the importance of VE for upcoming generations and how VE might keep pace with anticipated technological advances.

Higher education requires a different approach to teaching and learning since modern-day students no longer have the same learning needs as they had in the past. Project-based learning (PBL) is an... Show More

Higher education requires a different approach to teaching and learning since modern-day students no longer have the same learning needs as they had in the past. Project-based learning (PBL) is an active and dynamic approach to language teaching that makes it possible for the language students to gain transferable and applicable knowledge, skills and insights, and it also contributes to support and enhance virtual exchanges (VE), especially when it comes to developing intercultural communicative competence and using digital technologies. This paper is aimed at showing the results of using PBL in VE contexts to develop intercultural communicative competence of Costa Rican and Japanese EFL students by implementing some ideas from the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (FRCDC). The results suggest that implementing PBL in VE contexts to develop intercultural communicative competence of Costa Rican and Japanese EFL students had an impact on the participants’ skills, values, attitudes, and knowledge and critical understanding.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most classes in higher education were offered online, and student and staff mobility came to a sudden halt. With its focus on online interaction and collaboration... Show More

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most classes in higher education were offered online, and student and staff mobility came to a sudden halt. With its focus on online interaction and collaboration between students from different cultural backgrounds, Virtual Exchange (VE) has presented itself as an excellent opportunity to students and educators to combine the benefits of both digitalization and internationalization. This paper looks at the role of a series of factors in the interdisciplinary VE called 'The new normality,' which took place between BA Social Psychology students at a large public research institution in Eastern Spain and students from different BAs enrolled in Spanish proficiency courses at large public research university in the North of the Netherlands. This project had two main goals: 1) to create an environment for students to share their pandemic experiences across cultures and disciplines; 2) to determine to what extent this exchange of ideas contributed to the development of students’ intercultural awareness and competence and communicative competence.

Virtual exchange (VE) has grown out of telecollaboration, which originated in the language-teaching field, and has now expanded to all areas of knowledge as a collaborative methodology to enhance... Show More

Virtual exchange (VE) has grown out of telecollaboration, which originated in the language-teaching field, and has now expanded to all areas of knowledge as a collaborative methodology to enhance learning and fostering soft skills and intercultural competences. VE has recently received growing interest from higher education institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reduction in physical mobility. This article reports a study on the strategies used by non-language specialist professors for facilitating communication in a foreign language in VE within the Brazilian Virtual Exchange (BRaVE). Data collection and analysis involved qualitative research methodology through analyzing participants’ reflections. Implications for the field of applied linguistics point to the need for a theoretical framework for VE as an interdisciplinary field. This would serve the purpose to train professors to design and implement activities that involve foreign language communication.

The aim of this paper is to report on the impact of the BMELTET project ‘Blending MOOCs into English Language Teaching Education with Telecollaboration' in EFL pre-service teacher education in... Show More

The aim of this paper is to report on the impact of the BMELTET project ‘Blending MOOCs into English Language Teaching Education with Telecollaboration' in EFL pre-service teacher education in Florida Universitària in València (Spain) with their counterparts from the UK and China. The present study will offer the views of FU students' perceptions on the development of their TEFL specific competences. Data were collected through surveys, a focus group, and personal interviews on how their experience in BMELTET influenced their in-class professional practice. Results suggest that participants appreciated the chance of being part of a Virtual Exchange and considered that they had developed subject specific competences, particularly planning CLIL projects, teaching English for primary education and practicing their language skills. In addition, some of them transferred that knowledge to their eTwinning and Erasmus projects when in-service and highlighted the improvements in their intercultural communicative competence and their ability to teach it.