Abstract
This case study explores the Sharing Perspectives Foundation’s (SPF) blended mobility course: Europe on the Edge, which included a 10-week Virtual Exchange (VE) followed by a 1-week physical mobility held in Brussels. Engaging 131 students from 30 different nationalities and partnering with 10 European universities, this 2015 intercultural exchange aimed to give students from diverse backgrounds the space to completely rethink what it meant to be a citizen in contemporary Europe. The 1-week event in Brussels at the end of the course for a selected group of 15 students created an opportunity for physical mobility and makes this an interesting case study for analysing the value of blended mobility.
Highlights
ContextSharing Perspectives Foundation (SPF) has developed a model of Virtual Exchange (VE) based on three key elements: facilitated dialogue, expert material, and interactive assignments
This case study outlined and critically reviewed the blended mobility model we used for our 2015 Europe on the Edge course which was composed of a tenweek Virtual Exchange (VE) followed by a one-week physical mobility
We recorded a significant increase in transversal skills during the VE and, it was not formally measured, testimonies and observations indicated that those students who joined the physical mobility consolidated the skills and understanding developed during the VE as well as strengthening friendships
Summary
SPF has developed a model of VE based on three key elements: facilitated dialogue, expert material, and interactive assignments. These meaningful encounters between people are the motivation for our courses and it is for this reason that facilitated dialogue is used to create relationships This element is fundamental to our model of VE and we share this with Soliya, a US based organisation who pioneered this educational practice. One of the additional activities we explored for this earlier course was an event in Brussels that brought together a select group of participants to share a week of meetings with policy makers. This physical mobility following on from the VE created a blended learning experience
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