Center for Instructional Technology and Training
Last week, my colleagues Laura Jervis, Chris Sharp, and I, were joined by Carrie Martins from the UF International Center’s Office for Global Learning to host a Tech Byte on designing and implementing online virtual exchange courses. We approached this by addressing six barriers that are often brought up by people who are unsure about teaching a virtual exchange course.
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Barriers |
Solutions |
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“I don't know where to start or who I can ask for help with my virtual exchange.” |
UFIC Office of Global Learning can help with finding an exchange partner, Virtual Exchange training, ideas and resources, and offers a Step-by-Step Guide to getting started. |
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“I don’t have time in class to do virtual exchange, and I don’t even teach an online class.”
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Virtual Exchange courses can be in-person, online, or hybrid, with the virtual exchange portion normally lasting around 4-6 weeks. |
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“I don’t know what common platforms to use for us to collaborate.” |
Collaboration tools are available through UF’s Gatorcloud, virtual whiteboards, VoiceThread, Microsoft Teams, and more. We were lucky enough to have Dr. Tara Mathien show us how she used Google Sites in her own virtual exchange course. |
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“My class is too big for virtual exchange.” |
The Tech Byte recording shares large enrollment strategies, including a faculty testimonial on providing alternative assignments, by Dr. Christine Wegner. |
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“My students tell me that virtual exchange is hard to do.” |
Establish clear communication of instructions and goals, keeping things simple and streamlined, staying flexible, and paying attention to multimodality and accessibility . |
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“I don’t know how to get my students to connect on a personal level.” |
The Tech Byte recording shares strategies for building community, including an example from Dr. Erika Brooke on how she incorporated icebreakers into her virtual exchange course.
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If you’re interested in teaching a virtual exchange course, the UFIC Office of Global Learning is taking applications from now until October 13, for their Spring 2025 Virtual Exchange Training for faculty and staff. There will also be a Creating Global Classrooms Through Virtual Exchange Workshop held via Zoom Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 3:00 - 4:00 pm.
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Tags: Accessibility, Collaboration, Course Design, Education Technology, Online Teaching, UFIC, Virtual Exchange