12-01, 14:30–15:00 (Europe/Berlin), Stage 3 (Lovelace), WiFo
This presentation outlines the findings of Phase A of a PhD research project which qualitatively explores student/educator perspectives from recent COIL/VE projects. Although COIL/VE should be carefully designed, delivered and reflected upon, a poor exchange need not be a wasted opportunity. We’ll explore perspectives of the experience for students/educators and what this might mean for future practice and evaluation.
The presentation will outline what we know about potential benefits and risks of Virtual Exchange from academic literature such as reported educational gains in relation to intercultural competence (Vahed & Rodriguez, 2020), digital literacy (Rajagopal et al., 2020), cultural awareness (Munoz-Escalona et al., 2020) and subject knowledge (McCollum et al., 2019) before highlighting the potential bias towards positive reporting (despite the known challenges of COIL/VE practice).
The PhD study will be described, providing the rationale for the qualitative study and the methodology thus far.
The preliminary findings will be outlined, along with the priorities for the next phase of the research.
Finally, a discussion will be facilitated to engage the audience with ideas around preparing students for Virtual Exchange and the importance of Educator framing and reflection in the learning process.
I went to school in Scotland and studied BSc Geography at the University of Edinburgh. After some time working and travelling in Australia and New Zealand, I started my Higher Education career at Leeds Metropolitan University (now Leeds Beckett University) doing student pastoral support work before moving into a Learning Development (Study Skills) role at the University of Bradford. During this time, I also completed my MSc in Psychology and developed a particular interest in supporting collaborative learning/student groupwork. After a few years abroad in Germany/Cyprus working in vocational/secondary education with the British Army, I returned to the UK to work in Outreach/Widening Participation at the University of Cambridge. In September 2020, I started as a full-time Postgraduate Research student at Coventry University. My research investigates student/staff experiences of Collaborative Online International Learning, also known as Virtual Exchange. When not working on my PhD, I love travelling and reading about current affairs/the natural world.