Colleagues M. Laura Angelini and Rut Muñiz (Master in Teacher Training, specialising in English, Universidad Católica de Valencia ‘San Vicente Mártir’) are delighted to announce the successful completion of the 5th Edition of their virtual exchange collaboration using Simulation in the Master of Secondary Teacher Education from 12-24 April, 2024.
About the project
They say, “Our collaborative project has demonstrated that Virtual Exchange is an effective way to teach intercultural competences and skills in our increasingly connected world. We focused on ensuring the students had a platform to develop critical thinking skills too, as well as understanding different educational realities.
This iteration welcomed students from Ukraine, Poland and Algeria, who joined the team consolidated by universities from Romania, Tunisia and the United States. 132 participants, future teachers and 28 academics, observers and evaluators made up the COIL 2024 team in 19 mixed teams. They all played a central role in each team by negotiating ideas, proposals and, most importantly, they were be able to identify their own strengths and limitations.
In a world where democracy is increasingly under threat, it is essential that we educate our students to be active and engaged citizens. We are particularly excited about the potential of this project to transform the way we teach and learn. By harnessing the power of technology, we can create engaging and interactive learning experiences that are accessible to all, creating a global community of learners engaged in educational and intercultural dialogue.
Special thanks to UNICollaboration for providing a platform for asynchronous interaction once more! See you next year!“
List of participating universities
1. Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2. Université Virtuelle de Tunis, Tunisia
3. Carthage University, Tunisia
4. University of Zaragoza, Spain
5. Northeastern Illinois University, USA
6. Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Poland
7. Odessa I.I. Méchnikov National University, Ukraine
8. Université Abdelhamid Ibn Badis Mostaganem, Algeria