VIEW: Virtual Intercultural Exchange Worldwide

The Seminar-Concept

VIEW (= Virtual Intercultural Exchange Worldwide) is a digital international project-seminar-concept. The goal of this seminar is to promote an intercultural exchange of international and German education students.

Seminar Group and Tandems/Groups

There will be a steady seminar group consisting of international students and JLU students. During the seminar, the group forms tandems/small groups made up of at least an international student and a JLU student each. An intensive exchange on a formal and informal level is promoted through an intensive collaboration of the tandem/group partners throughout the seminar that also allows the students to get to each other. 

Content and Method

The seminar will consist of three content-modules. Each module will follow a flipped classroom design: In the first session, students receive theoretical input via a digital learning environment (e.g. videos, texts, …). In the second session, the tandems meet virtually and work on their tasks together. The last session includes a joint discussion on the topic of the module and the students’ individual experiences. 

Informal Exchange

In addition to that formal exchange, informal exchange is very important for this virtual international seminar. Since the students do not have the possibility to meet each other in person, there will be regular wrap-up-sessions that the students can use to discuss their own interests and topics as well as their study experiences or upcoming problems. This informal exchange is essential for building sustainable relationships – also beyond the tandems/groups. 

ePortfolio, (intercultural) Reflection and Assessment

During the course of the seminar, students will create an eportfolio to document and reflect on lesson contents and their personal experiences. The course assessment will focus on the presentation of the tandem/group work in module 3. 

 In Practice

In Summer term 2023, there will be two seminars based on the VIEW-concept:

Virtual International Exchange: Transition and Inclusion in Global Educational Contexts

Lecturers: Dr. Ulrike Beate Müller (Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany) and  Maire Tuul (Associate Professor, School of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University, Estonia)

Course Description

Due to increasing migration and globalization processes, dealing with (cultural) heterogeneity and preparing for it is a central challenge of primary school teacher education. Intercultural perspectives and international experiences are essential for the professionalization of future (primary school) teachers. VIEW (= Virtual intercultural exchange worldwide) as a digital project-seminar focuses on intercultural perspectives and exchange. There will be a fixed group of international and JLU students. The group will be divided into fixed tandems or small groups of international and JLU students.
The seminar will focus on 3 content modules (topics: M1: Transition to primary school; M2: Inclusion; M3: free topics, choosen by student tandems or groups). Each module will be designed by a flipped classroom-model: In the first module session students get theoretical input via a digital learning environment (e.g. videos, texts…). In the second session the tandems or groups meet virtually and work on a task together. The last session focuses on a joint discussion about the module topic and the students’ experience. Beyond the formal exchange there will be compulsory wrap-up sessions for informal exchange.
Accompanying to the seminar, students will create an e-portfolio to document learning content as well as their personal experiences and reflections. Assessment will focus on the presentations of the tandem-work and on essays.

Virtual International Exchange: Intercultural Communication and Inclusion in Global Educational Contexts

Lecturers: Dr. Annika Brück-Hübner (Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany) and Tatiana Joseph (Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Wisconsin UWMilwaukee, USA)

Course Description

Global citizenship is an umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals.  Globally minded individuals are able to understand and actively engage with the world for the purpose of creating just and sustainable communities.  From the perspective of education, an educator with a global mindset is able to nurture respect and build classrooms communities that are more peaceful, tolerant, and inclusive.  Unfortunately, our local contexts and mandates become roadblocks and gatekeepers of global mindsets.  As such, intercultural competencies are seldom explored and developed. As a response to the need to develop intercultural competencies and a global mindset, the Department of Childhood- and School Pedagogy at Justus Liebig University (JLU) in Giessen, Germany, and the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee-Wisconsin, USA have partnered to offer a summer virtual exchange course. 

This seven-week virtual exchange includes a series of synchronous and asynchronous collaborative opportunities and lectures. Lectures will be taught by faculty members and staff from both JLU and UWM and will cover topics such as intercultural communication, inclusion, and diversity.