Virtual exchange (VE) is an innovative form of global education that uses internet-based tools and online pedagogies to connect students from different cultures to collaborate on academic projects. VE brings the world to the classroom without the financial barriers of study abroad programs and offers the same benefits of enhancing global knowledge and cross-cultural awareness. VE is also recognized as a high-impact practice contributing to engaged learning and student success in higher education (Commander et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2022; O’Dowd, 2018; Rienties et al., 2020). Importantly, VE supports diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through widening access to international learning for students who have historically been underrepresented in global learning activities. Research indicates first-generation college students, Black and African American students, Hispanic students, and financially disadvantaged students tend to see the largest improvements in academic outcomes upon participating in VE (Lee et al., 2022). The Stevens Initiative, an international leader in VE, suggests in its 2022 Survey of the Virtual Exchange Field that VE largely expanded due to the pandemic, but “it remains to be seen whether this rapid expansion will be sustained and whether providers will continue to invest in virtual exchange” (Stevens Initiative, 2022, p.4). Since VE promotes DEI and provides numerous benefits to students, it is important to consider how universities can grow and sustain such initiatives
Virtual Exchange at Georgia State University (GSU)
GSU is recognized as one of the most diverse universities in the United States, according to U.S. News’s diversity index. With a student body of over 54,000 students from more than 130 countries, GSU includes a minority enrollment rate with 42% identifying as Black, 15% as Asian, 14% as Hispanic, and 6% as two or more races. GSU seeks to become a national leader in DEI through different initiatives, including the VE initiative. The GSU VE initiative has successfully supported students across disciplines to develop intercultural skills and global competency over the past three years with an increase of 480% from Fall 2019 to Fall 2022. Two of our campus-wide collaborative efforts have significantly contributed to the expansion and sustainability of the VE initiative to benefit a broader student population with diverse backgrounds and support DEI: The Scaling Access to Virtual Exchange (SAVE) Grant Program and tagging VE Signature Courses.
The Scaling Access to Virtual Exchange (SAVE) Grant
Despite the significant growth of VE at GSU, providing international learning opportunities for a large number of students remains a challenge. The SAVE Grant Program, sponsored by GSU’s Office of International Initiatives (OII) and the Atlanta Global Studies Center, provides funding and various support for academic departments to integrate VE into all sections of a required course for a major and thus ensures that all graduates in that program take part in at least one VE experience. This has promoted the expansion of the VE into the curriculum of required courses across disciplines, especially disciplines that have limited resources and access to international components, such as Biology, Kinesiology & Health, and Occupational Therapy, thus highlighting VE as a campus-wide program.
Funded instructors work together to create VE templates that can be customized to fit the content of the required course for the major. The SAVE Grant Program is designed to integrate VE into the curriculum through three phases: The VE templates and materials are piloted in one section of the required course in one semester (usually Spring semester) and then refined and revised during the summer based on student and faculty feedback. These materials are then used to integrate VE into all sections of the required course in the following Fall semester, allowing all students taking this required course to have VE experience. This is especially crucial and beneficial to historically underrepresented students and financially disadvantaged students.
The development of VE templates allows any GSU faculty teaching the course in future semesters to modify the projects, deliverables, and timelines based on student learning outcomes and the needs of international partners. In addition to funding, the OII is available to assist as needed in identifying international faculty to partner with Georgia State instructors, collaborate on designing VE projects and templates, and introduce technology tools that are best suited to VE activities.
Tagging Virtual Exchange Signature Courses
At GSU, courses with VE components are recognized as one type of signature course that provides students with experiential learning experiences. The tagging of VE integrated courses by the Office of the Registrar with a VE icon in the schedule of classes allows students to identify courses that offer global learning opportunities. Students can then intentionally select courses where they communicate and collaborate with international peers on meaningful academic projects that foster development of cross-cultural awareness and global competency. Tagging VE signature courses also helps the university to conduct retrospective research on the impact of the VE on student success, including studies on how the VE promotes DEI.
Faculty members who teach VE-tagged signature courses receive support from OII, a university-wide VE Faculty Teaching and Learning Community that meets monthly, and their departments to ensure the success and sustainability of VE courses. Tagging a VE signature course allows all students across disciplines to register for the course and participate in a few weeks or even a semester-long thoughtfully designed international learning activity. This works particularly well with courses for undergraduate students, many of whom are first-generation, historically underrepresented, and/or financially disadvantaged.
Conclusion
Recently, GSU won the prestigious 2023 Senator Paul Simon Award for Outstanding Campus Internationalization, one of the four universities in the nation that received this annual award (NAFSA, 2023). One important factor in garnering this award was GSU’s successful VE partnerships with many countries that allow thousands of students, especially minority students, access to international learning opportunities to develop intercultural skills, global competency, and technology skills highly needed for 21st century careers. The SAVE Grant Program and tagging VE Signature Courses represent effective methods for preparing students to work in diverse cultural contexts, a cornerstone of DEI. GSU’s efforts in promoting and expanding VE opportunities to a large number of students could inspire other universities and institutions seeking to promote DEI through VE.
References
Commander, N. E., Schloer, W. F., & Cushing, S. T. (2022). Virtual exchange: A promising high-impact practice for developing intercultural effectiveness across disciplines. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 5, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.21827/jve.5.37329
Lee, J., Leibowitz, J, Rezek, J, Millea, M., & Saffo, G. (2022). The impact of international virtual exchange on student success. Journal of International Students, 12(3), 77–95. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12iS3.4593
NAFSA. (2023). Senator Paul Simon Award for Outstanding Campus Internationalization. https://www.nafsa.org/about/about-nafsa/senator-paul-simon-award-campus-internationalization
O’Dowd, R. (2018). From telecollaboration to virtual exchange: State-of-the-art and the role of UNICollaboration in moving forward. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 1, 1–23. https://journal.unicollaboration.org/article/view/35567
Rienties, B., Lewis, T., O’Dowd, R., Rets, I., & Rogaten, J. (2020). The impact of virtual exchange on TPACK and foreign language competence: reviewing a large-scale implementation across 23 virtual exchanges. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(1), 1–27.
Stevens Initiative. (2022). 2022 Survey of the Virtual Exchange Field Report. https://www.stevensinitiative.org/resource/2022-survey-of-the-virtual-exchange-field-report/
U.S. New Index. Georgia State University. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/georgia-state-university-1574