A Virtual Educational Exchange

Abstract

Increasingly, international competence is considered an important skill to be acquired from an undergraduate education. Because international exchange presents a challenge to many students, there is a need to develop and implement alternative means for incorporating international and cross-cultural experiences into the undergraduate classroom. We report on the implementation of a semester-long, virtually shared course offering between a U.S. and a Bolivian university. As STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors tend to be under-represented in study-abroad programs, this class sought to provide a multidisciplinary experience that could be relevant to both hard and social science majors. Furthermore, the relevance and learning impact of this class was enhanced through the incorporation of a servicelearning component in conjunction with a rural Bolivian partner organization. The results of this experience show that virtually shared classroom experiences can successfully facilitate international experiences for undergraduate students.

What are we talking about when we talk about STEM education? A review of literature

“…STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] keywords the term "STEM education," or similar (STEM literacy, teaching, or learning). Therefore, following the perspectives of STEM education described by Bybee (2013), Abdullah et al (2014), and Abrahamse et al (2015) it is demonstrated that this could be compared with the teaching of mathematics and science, respectively. In this regard, the understanding of Castellanos, Haya, and Urquiza-Fuentes (2017) on STEM education corresponds to the teaching of technology.…”

The use of virtual reality for public health education with reference to Syrian refugee camps

“…Engagement of the students, group learning and intercultural awareness are enhanced by the use of a Virtual Exchange (Abrahamse et al, 2015;Olsen, Zimmer, & Behr, 2006;Todhunter, Hallawell, & Pittaway, 2013). This intervention sought to investigate if VR could be used as part of the Virtual Exchange to satisfy the following objectives:…”

Community engagement in engineering education: A systematic literature review

“…While logistics constraints can be minimized, situational communication issues due to cultural and language barriers are sometimes not easy to tackle. In our reviews, 37 articles reported this issue, most of which involved international projects (e.g., Abrahamse et al, 2015;LaPorte et al, 2017). In community engagement programs, communication problems are often reported between the project team and the community partner; even minor communication issues can have a big effect.…”

“…Time, funding, and travel are primary logistical barriers, even more pronounced for community engagement programs that involve international travel (Abrahamse et al, 2015). For all projects, careful planning and clear objectives are essential, and authentic partnerships between institutions and communities that reflect quality and reciprocity are critical to ensure the impact of community engagement .…”