Empowered Learning Through International Virtual Exchange: Removing Barriers and Building Bridges in Higher Education

Empowered Learning Through International Virtual Exchange is a rich and diverse collection of case studies, theoretical explorations, research projects, and best practices on international virtual exchange.

International Virtue Exchange (IVE) offers a powerful alternative to traditional forms of international exchange by leveraging technology to connect individuals and institutions across the globe, providing more accessible and sustainable opportunities for cross-cultural engagement. Using authentic examples from higher education, this edited volume delves into the transformative and concrete impacts of virtual exchange in fostering global connections, removing barriers, and building bridges across cultures and nations. By highlighting successful models, identifying common challenges, and depicting real-world collaborations, these chapters aim to advance the field of IVE and inspire global institutions to adopt and support such initiatives in their own contexts.

Researchers, educators, designers and technologists, and policymakers will find a wealth of replicable experiences from Australia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Tunisia, the United States, and elsewhere.

PART I: Empowering Virtual Exchanges as Global Bridge-building Practices 1. My Early Days with COIL through the Present: Overcoming Barriers, Developing A Community of Practice, and Seeing Virtual Exchange Take Off! 2. “Building Connections across Different Generations” - Undergraduate German Learners’ Perspectives on Virtual Intergenerational Service-Learning Exchanges 3. Opposite Sides of the World: The Impact of a Student Virtual Exchange Program through Shared Construction of Knowledge 4. Building from Both Sides: Virtual Japanese Internship PART II: Virtual Exchange to Promote Cultural Connection and Understanding 5. Promoting Global Connectivity: Building Bridges and Overcoming Hurdles for International Virtual Exchange 6. Crossing Oceans and Building Global Competence Through a Virtual International Partnership 7. Virtual Exchange for International Business Education: A Case Study of Cross-Cultural Collaboration in Global Consulting 8. Nonverbal Communication Considerations in Video Conferencing: Building Intercultural Communication Competence in Virtual Exchange Student Collaborations 9. Building Bridges in Virtual Exchange through Multilingual Approaches PART III: Pedagogical Transformation through Virtual Exchange 10. Digital Diplomacy and Virtual Exchange in Culturally Responsive Educator Preparation 11. Designing Transcontinental Visual Dialogues 12. Empower, Connect, Build: Overcoming Barriers and Bridging Gaps through Virtual Exchange 13. Impact and Implementation of Collaborative Online International Learning in Nursing Education PART IV: Future Directions: Institutional Buy-In and Sustainable Virtual Exchange 14. Enhancing Business Education through SWIF: A High-Impact Virtual Exchange Practice 15. Barriers to Institutional Buy-In for International Virtual Exchange 16. Strategies for Sustainable Virtual Exchange: Institutional Partnerships between Norway, the US, and Japan Afterword: Virtual Exchange: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Ethan Trinh is Associate Director of the Atlanta Global Studies Center at Georgia State University and Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

Yali Zhao is Associate Professor of Social Studies in the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education in the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State University, USA.

Anthony F. Lemieux is Professor of Communication and Founding Co-Director of the Atlanta Global Studies Center at Georgia State University and Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

"This book checks all the right boxes! For practitioners, the shared successes and challenges of multi-disciplinary VE projects, along with the innovative technology used, provides strong evidence that the learning and teaching outcomes are more than worth the investment. For researchers, the VE studies significantly contribute to the body of knowledge while guiding future investigations. Additionally, a compelling case is made to administrators that VE’s power to impact internationalization of curricula requires support with an emphasis on sustainability. Most importantly, this seminal work fosters connectiveness and respect at a time when strengthening cross-cultural ties is sorely needed. The editors and authors are to be commended for creating an outstanding resource for global learning in higher education."

Nannette Commander, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Educational Psychology, Georgia State University, USA

"SUNY COIL Center enthusiastically endorses Empowered Learning through International Virtual Exchange: Removing Barriers and Building Bridges in Higher Education. At a time when misinformation too often shapes perceptions across borders, this powerful volume affirms the need to double down on authentic human connection. COIL/VE creates spaces where students engage directly, challenge assumptions, and move beyond media-driven narratives. We are proud to see so many colleagues and friends in these pages doing the hard work of articulating their practices. This publication reflects the power of community, the spirit of Ubuntu: “I am because we are”, and offers a compelling roadmap for more truthful, empathetic, equitable and inclusive global engagement."

Hope Windle, Director, SUNY COIL Center, The State University of New York at Oneonta, USA

"Developed over the past twenty years, Virtual Exchange is an interventional format for initiating educational and international dialogue without physical mobility. Empowered Learning through International Virtual Exchange: Removing Barriers and Building Bridges in Higher Education, by Trinh, Zhao, and Lemieux is an exciting new text from Routledge that looks at the past, present and future of this evolving field, providing case studies and insights into the reasons for the field’s success, and suggestions for its future development. This book will become a must read for those interested in international educational innovation."

Jon Rubin, Director, COIL Connect, USA

"This book checks all the right boxes! For practitioners, the shared successes and challenges of multi-disciplinary VE projects, along with the innovative technology used, provides strong evidence that the learning and teaching outcomes are more than worth the investment. For researchers, the VE studies significantly contribute to the body of knowledge while guiding future investigations. Additionally, a compelling case is made to administrators that VE’s power to impact internationalization of curricula requires support with an emphasis on sustainability. Most importantly, this seminal work fosters connectiveness and respect at a time when strengthening cross-cultural ties is sorely needed. The editors and authors are to be commended for creating an outstanding resource for global learning in higher education."

Nannette Commander, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Educational Psychology, Georgia State University, USA

"SUNY COIL Center enthusiastically endorses Empowered Learning through International Virtual Exchange: Removing Barriers and Building Bridges in Higher Education. At a time when misinformation too often shapes perceptions across borders, this powerful volume affirms the need to double down on authentic human connection. COIL/VE creates spaces where students engage directly, challenge assumptions, and move beyond media-driven narratives. We are proud to see so many colleagues and friends in these pages doing the hard work of articulating their practices. This publication reflects the power of community, the spirit of Ubuntu: “I am because we are”, and offers a compelling roadmap for more truthful, empathetic, equitable and inclusive global engagement."

Hope Windle, Director, SUNY COIL Center, The State University of New York at Oneonta, USA

"Developed over the past twenty years, Virtual Exchange is an interventional format for initiating educational and international dialogue without physical mobility. Empowered Learning through International Virtual Exchange: Removing Barriers and Building Bridges in Higher Education, by Trinh, Zhao, and Lemieux is an exciting new text from Routledge that looks at the past, present and future of this evolving field, providing case studies and insights into the reasons for the field’s success, and suggestions for its future development. This book will become a must read for those interested in international educational innovation."

Jon Rubin, Director, COIL Connect, USA