What is Virtual Exchange? A strategy for global training!
First, it is important to differentiate between Virtual Exchange and Virtual Mobility, as they are two different things. First, Virtual Mobility is defined as a form of academic training that consists of earning academic credits (SCT) through a virtual program at another national or foreign institution. Virtual Exchange involves participating in activities within the framework of a credit-bearing course at the home university, whether undergraduate or graduate, enabled by technology. These activities involve constructive communication and interaction between individuals or groups who are geographically separated and/or from different cultural backgrounds, with the support of educators or facilitators.
What is a virtual exchange for?
Benefits for students:
Develops key professional competencies in interpersonal relationships, and develops a critical analytical and comparative perspective with a global focus.
Promotes empathy and cultural understanding
Contributes to a wide variety of key learning outcomes for their graduate profile and labor market needs.
Benefits for teachers:
A way to integrate the international research network into the classroom and strengthen their international collaborations.
Concrete and facilitate professional growth opportunities.
Strengthen the quality of their subject curriculum. Actively involve students in their learning process.
There are different approaches, methodologies, and ways to implement virtual exchanges. One of the approaches being promoted by the DGRRII is COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), as it allows for the measurement, monitoring, and promotion of quality mechanisms related to the results and impact of the learning experience.
COIL was born as an initiative to democratize access to internationalization and training spaces with an international, global, and/or intercultural perspective within the New York City public university system (SUNY) around the year 2000. COIL as a methodology has taken on a much greater leadership role during and after the pandemic, when we were forced to use virtual tools to communicate. Today, COIL’s commitment is to leverage this learning to project international relations with our partner universities from in-person to a parallel virtual version, where our students can be part of this international online community.
(ES) Para estudiantes
Beneficios para docentes
(ES) Es importante que primero te capacites con la DGRRII en COIL como metodología, para posteriormente presentarnos tu proyecto para aprobación, previa a la implementación. Debes enviar un correo a [email protected] para conocer la proxima oportunidad de capacitación. Normalmente la DGRRII imparte cursos de capacitación durante las escuelas de verano a invierno de formación docente que se dictan todos los años en enero y julio/agosto, a través de la VRA.
Si ya conoces la metodología y has aprendido sobre sus contenidos y dinamicas, puedes buscar un socio, o bien consultar en la DGRRII que te ayuden a conseguir un socio para tu COIL. Una vez que tengas tu socio, se deben revisar los siguientes aspectos
(ES) La DGRRII cuenta además con dos fondos de apoyo a los COIL: