‘Designing and implementing virtual exchange – a collection of case studies’

Since last year, the Dutch Ministry of Science, Culture and Education is offering subsidy for Dutch higher education institutions to develop innovative virtual projects that foster collaboration amongst Dutch and international students. Any institution that has been granted this specific subsidy is also offered a range of activities to build capacity for designing effective and successful virtual projects.  Let us tell you why this is such an exciting initiative.

The FRAMES Toolkit provides key information, inspiration, tools and case examples of the approaches that HEIs can take to integrate and accredit Virtual Exchange. The Toolkit is a usefull one-stop-shop for educational professionals working in higher education.

Being in front of someone ‘in real life’ obviously assists in clear communication, as it allows us to pick up on small social cues, to establish eye contact, and to have a clearer sense of prosody, tone, and body language. The truth is that we can still pick up on most or all of these in online dialogue, but this requires those involved to make an effort and use the digital tools at hand deliberately. 

Towards the end of the 9-week virtual exchange 'Climate Movements', participants reflect and express their gratitude towards the group for the experience and the learning that happened. Facilitators invite participants to bring a ‘(virtual) parting gift’ to their last online session as a way of saying goodbye and celebrating their achievements. Over the years our facilitators have seen this exercise lead to wonderful expressions from participants, like digital cards and even musical performances. This spring iteration, one virtual gift stood out in particular for its relevance to the subject matter of ‘Climate Movements’. 

Sharing Perspectives Foundation is joining forces with partners to foster a harmonised implementation and accreditation of Virtual Exchange (VE), as an integral part of (blended) mobility approaches, among European Higher Education Institutions. The FRAMES project (Fostering resilience through Accredited Mobility for European Sustainable Higher Education innovation) aims to make the European Higher Education Area more innovative, intercultural, and resilient.

The norms we can take for granted in a classroom setting often get lost in cyberspace and a virtual setting brings with it the opportunity (and challenge) to rethink them. Educators can anticipate and respond to emergent challenges in virtual learning and engage students in the process. In this blog we share discussion guides and tips for collaboratively confronting challenges in virtual teaching.

From bonding over a shared passion for dancing to deep realizations on climate action; A few weeks into the Virtual Exchange ‘Climate Movements’ all involved are already experiencing plenty of highlights.  We approached Helen Eve from our partner ESIEE Paris to share thoughts on the relevance of Virtual Exchange for her students; "Young people today need several international experiences in order to be ready for a globally-connected workplace."