Teaching and Learning During the Pandemic: Challenges ‎and Merits of International Co-Designing and Instruction ‎

Abstract

This design case describes the design process and decisions of facilitating a week-long course on virtual teaching strategies taught by three facilitators, one in Vietnam and two in the United States at the onset of the COVD-19 pandemic. Participants were K-12 and college educators in Vietnam. The goal of the course was to introduce the Vietnamese educators to educational technology and pedagogical strategies for teaching virtually. The case also reports the facilitators’ self-reflection and biases prevalent within a Western curriculum culture as they attempted to deliver the content knowledge and connect with the Vietnamese learners. Finally, their insights into designing and implementing a cross-cultural, multilingual international online course within a rapid transition context are also shared. The intercultural online teaching experience provided a broader understanding of how students learn and what is valued.