UF Faculty Put Virtual Exchange Classroom Expertise on the Global Stage

Six University of Florida faculty members have co-authored chapters for the new Handbook of Using Virtual Exchange Across Disciplines, published by Springer as part of its International Handbooks of Education series. The volume, edited by Kelly A. Tzoumis, highlights innovative ways educators use virtual exchange to connect students across borders and enrich learning across academic fields.

The UF contributions reflect the university's impressive range of virtual exchange. From sustainability and design to literacy, data science, criminology and law, these chapters demonstrate that virtual exchange can bring global learning into any discipline. These co-authored pieces also highlight the power of virtual exchange to generate international collaboration and joint scholarship.

• N. Coers, G. Sullivan and K. Khalil —Sustainable Systems Leadership in Water Challenges: A Virtual Exchange Between Students from Morocco and USA

• E.J. Brooke and X.A. Castillo — Learning Justice Across Borders: Virtual Exchange and Disciplinary Learning in Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Law
• L. Mejia-Puig, E. M. Martinez and G. Lopez-Diaz — Design Studio: Dialogue for Cross-Cultural Exploration in Action
• T. Mathien and R. Castillo — Digital Dialogues and Shifted Practices: Virtual Exchange as a Transformative Tool for Family-Engaged Literacy Instruction
• M. Mocko, P. Burneo, L. Fawcett, R. López, H.H. De la Cerda and W. Yu — Global Learning in Statistics and Data Science: Enhancing the Discipline Through Virtual Exchange

• M. Kiermeier and E. Johnson -International Collaborative Data Analysis in Finance: Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Strategies in a Virtual Exchange

There is also a meaningful UF connection behind this scholarship. All the UF authors (and several of their international partners) participated in professional development through the Global Learning Institute (GLI) and/or UF’s Virtual Exchange/COIL Design & Facilitation training. These programs equip faculty with strategies for integrating global perspectives, intercultural learning, and international collaboration directly into their courses—creating opportunities for students to learn with peers around the world, not simply about the world.

Their work is a great example of the ripple effect of faculty development: training leads to innovative teaching, innovative teaching leads to new scholarship, and that scholarship helps advance the field of global learning. The handbook will soon be available at the UF Libraries. In addition, a podcast on these book chapters is available on YouTube and Spotify.

Learn more: Global Learning Institute and Virtual Exchange/COIL Design & Facilitation

Explore the Handbook of Using Virtual Exchange Across Disciplines