In this presentation and conference proceedings paper, we discuss a pilot program for international education and examine the development and preliminary assessment of an international education hub between Texas State University (TXST), USA and the Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD), Italy. Launched in 2024, the TXST-UNIPD hub (henceforth…

Virtual exchange (VE) has gained prominence as a means to improve students' intercultural competence and foreign language abilities through forums and other supplemental activities. This study examines a supplemental activity referred to as the student-generated survey (SGS) implemented in the IVEProject, a large-scale VE with, at the time of this…

The importance of internationalization and effective online collaborative learning is well established, and the recognized value of cross-cultural exchanges by higher education institutions has resulted in a diverse range of initiatives including the use of virtual exchanges. Virtual exchanges are global online learning experiences for students…

This essay explores the potential of short international study trips and virtual exchanges to foster EdD learner engagement with new ideas, practices, and peoples in other parts of the world. To frame the discussion, I consider alignment of frequently articulated goals for international learning with CPED (2022) Guiding Principles for Program…

This paper explores how immersion and engagement with different cultures in the home environment impacts Korean children's intercultural learning. More specific attention is given to the experience of nine Korean children whose families have voluntarily served as homestay host families and hosted foreign guests for more than seven years. This…

Purpose: This study aims to examine how participation in international exchange programs influences both the teaching practices and intercultural competence of student teachers. Focusing on the experiences of Vietnamese participants in Thailand, the study explores how these educators adapted their teaching methods in response to cross-cultural…

A deeper understanding of how teachers bridge cultural differences in teacher-student relationships provides insights into the cultural, social and emotional capabilities needed in teachers. This phenomenographic study investigated the experiences and conceptions of Anglophonic Western trained teachers who worked in non-Western institutions with…

The article illustrates the potential of engaged arts-based pedagogies in higher education with respect to integration interventions for young refugees in Europe. It discusses the conception and implementation of the collaborative initiative "Find Refuge in Art", which was part of the research Project PRESS at the Hellenic Open…

This study examines the effect of a virtual exchange experience on the intercultural competence of college students from the United States and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Archival data from the Stevens Initiative was used to test whether 70 students from the United States and 72 students from Iraq and Jordan gained intercultural…

A study abroad program offers numerous benefits and holds significant importance in a student's educational and personal development. It offers a transformative and enriching experience that can positively impact a student's personal, academic, and professional life. We propose a short-term study abroad and cultural exchange program where one of…

The development of new media technology facilitates interaction between people of different cultures. However, people from different cultures show different cross-cultural communication behaviors that may influence their communication efficiency, perceived communication experiences, and perceived social presence. This study aimed to explore…

This descriptive pilot study investigates and evaluates nursing students' perceptions of their learning gains and the factors contributing to academic integration within a one-week Intensive Programme (IP) course, part of the Nordplus Programme. Nordplus encourages mobility and curriculum development across Nordic and Baltic higher education. The…

In this plenary session, Paige Ware wanted to talk about how telecollaboration and virtual exchange has offered a creative space to animate as educators over the last 20 or 30 years. Because the focus is on teacher education and because over the last ten years her focus has been on teacher education, she wanted to talk about some of the key…

For agentive and influential involvement in online communities, language learners and teachers need to develop critical digital literacy (CDL), conceptualized by Darvin (2017) as an awareness of "how meanings are represented in ways that maintain and reproduce relations of power" (p. 5) and thus privilege some and marginalize others…

Intercultural competence (IC) is essential for fostering meaningful interactions and understanding in diverse environments, particularly in today's pluralistic societies. The impacts of both intercultural competence and incompetence are profound, shaping relationships and outcomes in various ways. Many definitions of IC emphasize being 'effective'…