19 Recommendations

1. Plan ahead: Running a successful Virtual Exchange requires careful planning, active partnerships, and commitment from both parties. Regardless of the nature or format of your collaboration, it is important to identify and anticipate barriers associated with the integration of a Virtual Exchange in your course as early as possible. From our experiences, you can never fully know what might happen or how students will respond to the Virtual Exchange, so the more you plan ahead the more time you will have to address challenges that arise.

2. Expect the unexpected. All key stakeholders should display a strong level of commitment and trust while navigating the uncertainties that arise throughout the Virtual Exchange experience. This was a major point of discussion during our collaboration. Although the instructors and coordinators anticipated various barriers and facilitators and prepared accordingly, it quickly became obvious that this was a dynamic project. And that challenges would arise throughout the process in an unpredictable fashion. For instance, we at McMaster University were unaware that USFQ does not observe Daylight savings, which required us to readjust meeting times. Therefore, it is important for coordinators and instructors to assist students by providing ongoing support throughout the process and, as mentioned above, plan ahead as much as possible.

3. Meet regularly. Regular meetings should also be held within the Virtual Exchange instructional team for planning, updates, and to ensure continual alignment of expectations. We found these regular meetings helpful and kept both parties committed to the Virtual Exchange.

4. Stay flexible: One of the most important elements of a successful Virtual Exchange partnership is flexibility of both parties. For example, despite pedagogical differences, Nergiz was very receptive to an inquiry-based project in which our students would work collaboratively to identify an issue in neuroscience and generate an intervention. Our classes were also offered at different times, so our classes did not have the benefit of meeting regularly as a collective. However, we both recognized the importance of having some shared time together, so we each worked with our students to find alternative times during which both classes could meet.

5. Be aware of time differences: In our collaboration with USFQ, we were fortunate as the time difference between Canada and Ecuador was nearly non-existent. For individuals interested in a Virtual Exchange collaboration, the time zone of the partner institution may be an important consideration especially if there is interest in meeting regularly over the term. Despite similarities in time zones between Canada and Ecuador, we were still faced with the challenge of having different course times. Although we were able to find some collective time for our classes to meet, our students would have benefitted from additional time together, a piece of feedback that our students also provided to us. As we move forward with our collaborations, we have been exploring ways in which we might align our class times. Alternatively, we are exploring how we might implement a “tutorial” time during which students from both institutions can interact.

6. Include students as partners. Both institutions in this collaboration had a student coordinator, who helped with organizing the groups, took minutes during our meetings, and who helped with many of the logistical pieces. The student coordinators were a vital part of this collaboration and contributed immensely to ensuring the Virtual Exchange experience was a seamless one. We also benefitted from their perspectives in all aspects of the Virtual Exchange from deciding on assignments, selecting technologies, and assisting with the facilitation of student group meetings. They served as an important bridge between the instructional team and the students in the class.

7. Consider digital literacy: While many students today may be considered digital natives and possess the procedural skills to navigate technology, this is not the case for all students, especially if new or unfamiliar technology is involved. Therefore, it is important to consider how you might provide opportunities for students to learn this technology. Keep in mind that you do not have to do this alone. Encouraging peer support can be extremely helpful; in fact, this approach also encourages peer-to-peer learning and interaction.

8. Address the dominant culture. One aspect of our Virtual Exchange collaboration that became apparent to us was it can be easy for the dominant culture or institution to “take over,” whether explicitly or implicitly. Therefore, it is important to be intentional about how they might build a culturally co-created space and to embed more conversation, reflection, and activities related to this topic. This may include facilitating awareness of how one’s culture, expectations, and biases may impact others. This will ensure that students are well-equipped with the skills necessary to work collaboratively with their global peers over the course of Virtual Exchange.

9. Carefully consider the language of instruction: The language of instruction of our collaboration was English, which might have played a role in our Canadian/McMaster culture taking precedence over the Ecuadorian/USFQ culture. For example, we noticed some students from USFQ were not comfortable speaking English, which impacted the degree to which they participated during class discussions and presentations. Moving forward, we would like to integrate more translation technologies that would enable students to converse in the language of their choosing. More recently, we also implemented project guidelines in both English and Spanish and recruited student coordinators who speak both languages. It would also be important to consider ways to encourage students to be supportive of each other’s language abilities.

10. Foster curiosity of each other’s language and culture: Virtual Exchanges can provide an opportunity to foster curiosity in other cultures. For example, two USFQ student coordinators have come to Canada to continue their education upon exposure to a McMaster/USFQ Virtual Exchange. These encounters can serve to not only educate but guide a students’ education to consider a global perspective.