The Global Case Study Challenge: A Virtual Exchange Developing Global Work Competencies

Abstract

The Global Case Study Challenge (GCSC) is a virtual exchange program designed for Bachelor and Master level students from interdisciplinary programs. The program focuses on the development of key Global Work (GloW) competencies, defined as: intercultural, digital communication and sustainability competencies. This paper discusses how the GCSC, as a new virtual model of teaching and learning, in a real-world context, supports the development of future-oriented work competencies. These competencies are crucial for effective global virtual teamwork and New Work scenarios in remote contexts. To date, 1450 students and 50 educators from 30 universities across 20 different countries have worked together in some 380 Global Virtual Teams on real-life business cases. 
 The learning design of this virtual exchange project is rooted in the knowledge that future-oriented global work competencies such as intercultural competence, digital communication competence and sustainability competence can only be developed through transformative learner-centred experiential learning. In the 2021 iteration of the GCSC, over the 8-weeks of the program, 86 groups of interdisciplinary Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) worked together: Establishing team-building dynamics while working in self-directed GVTs of 5-7 students, reflecting on (corporate) sustainability, collaborating on real-life business cases, and presenting their solutions and recommendations to a major global corporate partner at a virtual conference. The impact of the program on students’ competency development was measured using a longitudinal study design. The intercultural, digital communication, and sustainability competencies of the participants were measured pre-exchange (n=263) and post-exchange (n=274). The findings demonstrate a consistent increase of competencies over time among the program participants in almost all categories (knowledge, skills, attitudes), providing clear evidence of the overall positive impact of the GCSC on participants' competency development over the two-month program. Ultimately, the GCSC contributes towards students becoming highly effective members and leaders of high-performing Global Virtual Teams.