Virtual Exchange to Develop Cultural, Language, and Digital Competencies

Abstract

Many researchers have underlined the benefits of student mobility in strengthening their communication skills. Studying a foreign language and fostering knowledge about behavioural attitudes are the most common research cases. One of the major issues of mobility, by its very nature, is that it implies significant travel and accommodation costs. Virtual mobility, or Virtual Exchange (VE), can be introduced as a proactive alternative solution. This work presents an evaluation of a telecollaborative online course model organised as a VE between German and Moroccan universities. It was established to explore the benefits of integrating a VE experience by practicing some 21st-century knowledge elements as tools for the development of intercultural, language, and digital competencies from the perspective of mobility. In this paper, we present a VE model and its design, structure, and progress. Then, we evaluate this first experience to overcome some challenges that similar future experiences could face. We analyse the tools proposed in this design, the interactions between the different actors, and their feedback. The evaluative study shows the acquisition of awareness of cultural differences and the improvement of language skills through practice in addition to the development of some digital skills.

Indonesian Cultural Representation in Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) Virtual Exchange Programs

“…In line with Barkin [5] and Silvia Canto et al [6] reveal how the virtual model of learning gives an impact on students' language proficiency. Further discoveries from Machwate identify the presence of self-reflection and cultural awareness after learning about other cultures.…”

Marginalization and Underrepresentation in Virtual Exchange: Reasons and Remedies

“…First and foremost, despite the fact that it is by now well established that VE is as impactful as traditional study abroad programs (Olsen et al, 2006;Todhunter et al, 2013;Machwate et al, 2021), this message has yet to reach educators and educational decision makers globally. The same applies to VE-specific benefits which are supported by an emerging body of research in multiple disciplines (e.g., Bowen et al, 2021;Dawson et al, 2019).…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 on Digital Technology-based Teaching and Learning in English Language Education: A Systematic Review

“…Similarly, such challenges are also evident in studies after COVID, for example, in Pratolo and Solikhati's study conceptualises digital literacy as a social practice and points to some challenges in implementing digital literacy such as lack of time and limited budgets in Indonesian context [37]. Some other examples of while-pandemic studies that have conceptualised digital literacy as socially constructed and consider it helpful for students' successful engagement in the 21st century are Jamalai &Krish's study which focused on Malaysian context [38], Machwate et al's study hat focused on German and Moroccan contexts, and Rifai et al's study [39,40] that focused on Indonesian and Japanese contexts. Although there exists difference in contexts, the conceptualisations of digital literacy are quite similar within each study.…”