Virtual Exchange Research Articles

Effectiveness and Feasibility of virtual international exchange program for occupational therapy students to develop the international perspective and professional skills -Mix-method study

Background: Virtual international exchange programs have been promoted; however, the effectiveness of the programs has not yet been examined well in the field of occupational therapy (OT) field. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of a virtual international exchange program for OT students.Methods: Mix-method was applied in this study.Two universities from Japan and Indonesia created an exchange program to cultivate international perspectives and facilitate gaining OT professional knowledge and skills, as well as learning basic scientific study skills. Questionnaires on international minded and program evaluations, which were analyzed by descriptive analysis, were given to the participants before and after the program. Focus group interviews, which were analyzed with reflective thematic analysis, were conducted after the program.Results: Ten students joined the program, six students answered the questionnaires, and eight students participated in the focus group interviews. Students were satisfied with the program overall, even though there were no significant changes in the total scores of the international minded between before and after the program. In the focus group interviews, the participants mentioned their motivations for participating in the program, program evaluation, international minded, and self-growing awareness. The participants expressed that they gained OT professional knowledge and academic skills from the program.Conclusion: As a feasible virtual program, well-organized programs considering the students’ academic learning skills and interests could provide opportunities for individual development, acquiring professional knowledge, and incite self-growing. In addition, the result might show the effectiveness of virtual programs to cultivate international perspective and professional knowledge.

Advocating for learners in telecollaboration exchanges: The role of ethical training and IRB approval

As technology continually enhances telecollaboration and virtual cross-cultural exchanges, there remains a limited body of research on how ethical training impacts these initiatives, particularly concerning human subjects. Conducting intercultural exchanges without securing institutional approval may result in legal and ethical complications. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly consider ethical considerations. Based on the experiences of a specific research group, this paper highlights the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) certification requirements and explores the steps to gain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval when conducting online collaborations, particularly in the United States. CITI certification requires online training for human subjects research, including protected groups such as minors, seniors, or incarcerated individuals. Simultaneously, gaining IRB approval through participating institutions requires comprehensive research plans and adherence to ethical guidelines. The combination of informed consent and confidentiality can create a safer environment for positive learning experiences. Ultimately, prioritizing safety and ethics can enable virtual exchanges to foster meaningful connections between cultures and a heightened sense of global citizenship.

Challenging but Rewarding Aspects of Telecollaboration: The Case of Virtual Israeli-Polish (VIP) Project

Starting from the premise that implementing telecollaboration can be a challenging enterprise, it is assumed that such virtual exchanges bring positive outcomes. Despite rich body of research on telecollaboration, few studies to date have explored group dynamics in the context of online exchange. The current research examined an Israeli-Polish (N = 100) telecollaborative intercultural experience. The Israeli participants were students from a BEd program in informal education and Polish students from a BA program in translation. The main purpose of the telecollaborative project was to develop English linguistic skills and intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997) of the students. However, the present study aimed to investigate how the group dynamics influenced the telecollaboration process and the project outcomes. The students engaged in the exchange of asynchronous video recordings (Vlogs), collaborative synchronous meetings on Zoom, and completed an on-line questionnaire. This paper outlines some of the challenges related to the international telecollaboration, including technological and institutional difficulties, context-specific demands, and some individual differences of the participants. Through “thematic analysis” (TA) (Braun & Clarke, 2012) the authors of the paper explored levels of “failed communication” (O’Dowd & Ritter, 2006) and how they impacted the ongoing development of the collaboration both technically and in terms of content and development of interaction skills to uncover certain themes that referred to learners’ and instructors’ challenges. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for more effective implementation of telecollaboration in higher education.

CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN EDUCATION: STRATEGIES FOR FOSTERING INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY AWARENESS

Cultural competence in education has emerged as a critical area of focus in contemporary educational discourse, aiming to create inclusive learning environments that celebrate diversity and promote equitable opportunities for all students. This review explores strategies for fostering inclusivity and diversity awareness within educational settings. The foundation of cultural competence lies in recognizing and respecting the cultural backgrounds, experiences, and identities of students, educators, and communities. Through culturally responsive teaching practices, educators can leverage students' diverse backgrounds to enhance learning experiences. This involves incorporating culturally relevant content, perspectives, and instructional approaches that resonate with students' lived experiences. Furthermore, building cultural competence requires ongoing professional development for educators. Training programs and workshops can enhance educators' understanding of cultural diversity, unconscious biases, and strategies for creating inclusive classrooms. Additionally, fostering partnerships with community organizations and engaging families from diverse backgrounds can enrich the learning environment and strengthen cultural connections. Institutional commitment to cultural competence is crucial for systemic change. Educational policies and curricula should reflect a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. School leaders play a pivotal role in creating a culture of respect and valuing diversity among students and staff. Moreover, technology can be harnessed to promote cultural competence through virtual exchange programs, multicultural digital resources, and online forums for intercultural dialogue. Fostering cultural competence in education requires a multifaceted approach encompassing curriculum development, educator training, community engagement, and technological innovation. By embracing cultural diversity and promoting inclusivity, educational institutions can cultivate environments where all students feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.
 Keywords: Education, Cultural, Competence, Inclusivity, Diversity, Awareness, Review

Video-mediated collaborative lesson planning in virtual exchange among transnational teams of pre-service language teachers

AbstractVirtual exchange (VE) projects in pre-service language teacher education are increasingly being recognized as an innovative practice due to their affordances for providing teacher learning opportunities in technology-rich environments. This study aims to report these opportunities based on results from a VE project consisting of diverse teacher education activities, including lectures, webinars, asynchronous tasks, and synchronous video-mediated interactions. This project provides a medium for pre-service teachers to collaboratively design a lesson to be implemented in hybrid language learning environments. We specifically deal with the video-mediated interactions of the transnational groups of pre-service language teachers using multimodal conversation analysis (CA) as the research methodology and investigate VE phases to explore how their interactions become consequential for the final pedagogical design. The findings show that the pre-service teachers retrospectively orient to shared practices in the earlier phases of the VE project, and the deployment of retrospective orientation as an interactional resource creates interactional space for collaborative decision-making related to their pedagogical designs. We argue that tracking the video-mediated pedagogical interactions of the pre-service teachers using CA is a methodological innovation that allows researchers to collect interactional evidence for the emergent teacher learning opportunities. The findings bring new insights to the role of the technology-mediated settings (e.g. VEs and telecollaboration) in language learning, teaching, and teacher education and in bridging different cultures, curricula, and physical spaces.

Student Perspectives of Global Citizenship within a Virtual Exchange

Higher education internationalization has become an increasingly challenging endeavor. The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and the ever-changing landscape of immigration policies have called for a need to reexamine how universities internationalize. Transnational virtual classrooms or virtual exchanges have been shown to provide students with a more equal opportunity to develop their global competencies and cultural skills than study abroad. Traditional internationalization methods may no longer be as effective as they have been in the past, creating a need to reconceptualize how we educate college students for global competencies. This research in-progress summarizes a portion of a dissertation. The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate global citizenship student awareness in a virtual exchange. This study presents preliminary findings of their experiences; applied global citizenship and virtual exchange as a channel.

Pre-service Teachers' Perceptions on Global Citizenship and Online Education in a Virtual Exchange Context

As part of a virtual exchange program, this mixed-method research investigated the pre-service teachers’ initial attitudes and perceptions towards global citizenship and online education. In our initial findings,participants demonstrated a cautiously optimistic attitude that they believed online teaching could be effective, but more training isneeded for pre-service teachers. Moreover, the participants who had Virtual Exchange (VE) experience before had a more critical attitude toward online teaching and learning. In addition, most pre-service teachers showed limited familiarity with the concept of global citizenship education. Though they appreciate the importance of global citizenship education, they expressed concerns about cultural and language barriers to implementing it in their classrooms. These results provided a baseline of pre-service teachers and shed light on future design and implementation of VE in initial teacher education.

Multifaceted Analysis on the Role of Online Tools for Cultural and Knowledge Promotion during Exchange Program

With the advanced of information technology, various online interaction platforms have been developed. These online platforms are easy to use. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, their prominence increased due to the huge volume of user demands. For example, the public were required to rely on online tools to communicate during the lockdowns. After the pandemic, online tools have trickled into the lifestyle practice of the public. In this study, the findings indicated that there was a significant increase in the exposure, experience and digital skills in using the online tools after the pandemic. However, further investigation on the role of online tools in promoting cultural understanding and knowledge transfer has shown a mixed result. In particular, the findings have suggested that the role of online tools to promote cultural understanding need to be further strengthened via new approach. Future studies should focus on exploring the challenges in adopting online tools during the virtual exchange that has hindered the effectiveness of online tools to promote cultural understanding and knowledge transfer.

Confirmatory Exploration of innovation in virtual exchanges through a studyon Virtual Agents

The use of Conversational Agents for consumer services continues to grow, and the service industry is no exception. Carried out among 340 Moroccan consumers, this study shows the importance of perceived anthropomorphism, social presence, perceived trust, social influence, perceived cost, and facilitating conditions of a conversational agent in increasing adoption intention using the UTAUT model. The expected effort had no effect. This research confirms the moderating role of age on the relationship between social influence and intention to use, while gender and level of education had no moderating effect. The technology acceptance model tested is a powerful tool for understanding why people do or do not use conversational agents. It can explain nearly 75,8% of the variance in behavioral intention. Various recommendations are put forward to optimize the design and successful implementation of chatbots, enabling them to take their rightful place among digital tools.

Exploring an Effective International Higher Education Partnership Model Through Virtual Student Mobility Programs: A Case Study

Purpose This study examined the role of virtual student mobility (VSM) programs in developing international education partnerships and explored key factors for building successful transnational partnerships. Design/Approach/Methods Drawing on Yin’s case study approach, we explored several VSM programs offered by a Japanese national university in partnership with four research universities in China. Data sources included an autoethnographic account of planning and organizing virtual exchange programs and interviews with the partner universities’ virtual exchange program coordinators as well as with students who took different virtual exchange courses under the partnership. Findings Our case study showed that VSM models require significant collaboration, support, and commitment from universities to offer high-quality exchange programs. The initial establishment of VSM programs relies on existing relationships, clear communication, and a commitment to collaborate; however, VSM programs’ success depends heavily on the quality of online support, as well as inter-university communication and collaboration between administrators and faculty and intra-university communication and collaboration with partner universities. Based on the research results and the previous literature on international higher education partnerships, we propose a renewed partnership model in VSM comprising three main characteristics: (1) effective coordination and support, (2) effective communication, and (3) a commitment to partnership. Originality/Value Amidst emerging VSM models in higher education, this study contributes to the literature by proposing a renewed partnership model for sustaining VSM programs.

Future Potentials for International Virtual Exchange in Higher Education Post COVID-19: A Scoping Review

(1) Background: International virtual exchanges (IVEs) are here to stay. The coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19) necessitated global virtual interactions to solve wicked problems. Within industry during the pandemic, the use of online technologies expanded at a never-before-seen rate to form global partnerships At the same time, higher-education institutions lessened traditional international offerings, reimagining “campus” education using “just in time online education”. Still others leveraged international partnerships to fully embrace IVEs. Adopting virtual learning technologies to support global exchange in this way develops the knowledge and skills required in a post-pandemic world. To continue to shape knowledge that supports international collaboration toward addressing increasingly complex societal issues, higher education must learn to leverage IVEs, addressing issues of access, equity, and cost. (2) Methods: This research was conducted according to the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews” (PRISMA-Scr) guidelines. It systematically analyzed the literature published since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring methods, models, and the outcomes of IVE in higher education. (3) Results: The findings demonstrate the potential for IVE to be scaled across higher education to promote the knowledge and skills required by a global ecology.

Doing Sociology across Borders: Student Experiences and Learning with Virtual Exchange in Large Introductory Sociology Classes

Virtual exchange programs represent a relatively novel approach designed to foster a more global perspective and promote discipline-specific learning; however, this approach has not been widely adopted in sociology. This article reports findings on student experiences and learning in a virtual exchange program involving two large introductory sociology classes in Hong Kong and Atlanta. A postsurvey invited students to reflect qualitatively on their experiences, and six major themes emerged from the data: (1) global application of sociological knowledge, (2) social and cultural relativism, (3) breaking the shell and gaining intellectual and social flexibility, (4) social networking opportunities, (5) challenges and adjustments, and (6) keeping contact beyond school. Based on our experience and the students’ feedback, we conclude that virtual exchange is an effective pedagogical approach for internationalizing sociology curricula, enhancing intercultural competency, and deepening students’ understanding of core sociological concepts.

Resilient event‐triggered fault‐tolerant optimization for Euler–Lagrange plants with intermittent communication and asynchronous DoS attacks

AbstractThis paper investigates the distributed optimization problem of networked Euler–Lagrange (EL) systems with actuator faults and unknown model parameters. In order to solve this issue, some event‐triggered fault‐tolerant (ETFT) optimal coordination algorithms with the mechanism of intermittent communication and intermittent controller update are designed for the first time to compensate for the impact of physical faults on the system, and reduce communication costs and control resource consumption. For practical applications, it is difficult for the system to have a secure environment if there exist malicious attacks blocking network channels among agents. Therefore, the resilient ETFT optimal coordination with intermittent communication subject to asynchronous denial‐of‐service (DoS) attacks is considered. Especially, auxiliary systems with adaptive gains are introduced in the algorithms due to the unavailability of the EL model parameters, which also enable virtual data exchange between agents and protect actual state information. Note that the algorithms are fully distributed as the global topology information is not required. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed algorithms is verified through numerical simulation of examples.

Developing Intercultural Competence via Virtual Exchange Programs: The Case of Moroccan University Students

This article presents the results of a study conducted at the School of Law and Economics of Casablanca. The study explores the effect of intercultural interventions in developing the learners’ intercultural competence. Two groups of informants representing two different master programs participated in this study. While the control group (29) attended only a traditional classroom course on Intercultural Awareness in Business, the treatment group (37) took the same class and also participated in a virtual exchange program that counted for 15% of their final grades. The study used the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) to investigate the developmental patterns of the learners’ intercultural competence following the two intercultural interventions. The study sought to investigate how virtual exchange programs affected participants' intercultural competence and sensitivity in comparison to those who had a traditional classroom experience. The results exhibited significantly elevated levels of intercultural sensitivity in the treatment group compared to the control group, indicating that the treatment group exhibited markedly significant levels. The findings provide support for the recommendation to implement virtual exchange programs as a practical method to improve employability skills and global awareness among university students. Consequently, these findings substantiate the recommendation to incorporate virtual exchange programs as an efficacious approach for enhancing employability skills and fostering global awareness within formal academic settings, particularly among university students.

Improving intercultural competence through a combined virtual exchange and simulated pandemic response exercise.

Improving intercultural competence through a combined virtual exchange and simulated pandemic response exercise.

Two-dimensional monolayer CrGaS3: A ferromagnetic semiconductor with high Curie temperature and tunable magnetic anisotropy

Two-dimensional (2D) intrinsic ferromagnetic (FM) materials are promising candidates for fabricating next generation high-performance spintronic devices. However, all experimentally verified 2D FM semiconductors have Curie temperature (Tc) far below room temperature, which hinders their practical applications. Based on first-principles calculations, a stable and previously undiscovered 2D CrGaS3 structure is predicted, which is a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap of 1.99 eV and displays out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. More importantly, it exhibits high-temperature ferromagnetism, with Tc ranging between 520 and 814 K. The high Tc is attributed to the presence of both direct-exchange and super-exchange interactions that are ferromagnetic, along with the eg-px/py-eg super exchange having a zero virtual exchange gap. Furthermore, it has been observed that the magnetic anisotropy can be tuned by external strain. These findings indicate its potential as a promising candidate for the rapid development of 2D spintronic applications.

Coming out, heteronormativity, and possibilities of intercultural learning in a Google Hangouts telecollaboration

ABSTRACT This study offers an account of the coming out by Amy, a 20-year-old student of Japanese in Boston who has ‘been out to most’ as a cisgender lesbian woman, to Yoko, a 19-year-old student of English in Tokyo who experiences culture shock with Amy's revelation. The data originated from an exchange on Google Hangouts that was part of a US–Japan telecollaboration project. Our goal is to examine the impact of this coming-out event on the students’ experience of the virtual exchange and on their long-term cross-cultural understandings of LGBTQ+ issues and sexual diversity. We first analyze how Amy and Yoko managed the critical event discursively. We then examine the participants’ retrospections collected at the end of the project and again about 5 years later. We find that the two students co-constructed the coming-out event as one of transforming culture shock into a mutual opportunity for interpersonal bonding and intercultural learning. Nevertheless, they also reproduced stereotypical constructions of the US as a country that is open to sexual diversity and Japan as a country where queer lives are invisible. We call for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities and gender and sexuality diversity in language pedagogy and research.

HIGHER EDUCATION AND MOBILITY

The purpose of the article is to determine the impact of technology and innovation on the opportunities for international learning and cooperation in higher education and mobility based on a survey and questionnaire. Methods: the experiment was carried out in stages, using a combined approach with the use of various methods of data collection and analysis. The participants of the study are 120 students of higher education institutions represented by different specialities and levels of education (bachelor, master, postgraduate). The scientific novelty of the work is determined by a comprehensive analysis of the impact of technology and innovation on the opportunities for international learning and cooperation in higher education and mobility of modern students. The study for the first time uses a combined approach, combining different methods of data collection and analysis, and covers a variety of mobility programmes and their popularity among students. The findings indicate that digital technologies have become an integral part of academic mobility, and their use helps students to maximise their time and conveniently interact with international partners. The study also revealed differences in the popularity of different mobility programmes and pointed to factors that may influence their attractiveness for students. The findings of the study indicate that technology greatly facilitates the process of academic mobility of students. They include virtual classes, distance learning, virtual exchanges, and other innovative approaches. These technologies help students to effectively find and choose international study opportunities, interact with partners, and receive information about study opportunities.

Teaching Sustainability in Architecture through Collaborative Online International Learning

To confront global environmental challenges, architectural design can play an important role to achieve sustainability. This paper addresses the Online collaborative approach to support the integration of environmental sustainability. It will assess the efficacy of integrating collaborative online international learning exchange (COIL) and cross-cultural dialogue pedagogy into a sustainable architecture studio course to develop students’ architectural and intercultural competencies. In this study 16 groups, each group consists of 3-4 students, from An Najah university in Palestine and Memphis university in USA were involved in shared learning classroom model. Different methods were used to assess the students’ outcomes, such as reflection reports written by the students, the use of new technologies for design and communication, and the outcomes from the architectural design. The results show changes in the students' understanding of different cultures, they improved their communication skills, and their ability to design in different contexts. The findings also underline the importance of integrating COIL into architectural design education to create professionals who are able to design a resilient and sustainable built environment. The paper introduces intercultural dialogue framework and a new pedagogical technique in the field of virtual exchange.

Lost in translation: intercultural understanding in oral interactions in an e-tandem virtual exchange

ABSTRACT Besides linguistic benefits, e-tandem virtual exchanges provide opportunities for intercultural meaning negotiation in interaction. However, several studies showed that learners in such exchanges often engage in lengthy interactions but do not always succeed in intercultural communication. The present paper examines intercultural negotiation of meaning and intercultural understanding by analysing oral interactions between learners during a Spain-Canada e-tandem virtual exchange. A qualitative analysis of these conversations revealed that the interactional features that fostered intercultural understanding included active questioning strategies and displays of interest, aligning with Byram's savoirs.