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University of Florida

Developing Global Citizenship


UF Faculty:
Tara Mathien 
Department:
Early Childhood Education 
College:
College of Education 

Partner Faculty: 
Luciana Cabrini Simões Calvo
Department:
Modern Languages Department
Partner Institution: 
State University of Maringá

Partner Faculty: 
Lynn Hartle
Department:
Department of Education
Partner Institution:
Penn State University, Brandywine 

Partner Faculty: 
Benameur Nehar
Department:
Department of Agronomy and Forest Sciences
Partner Institution:
University of Abou Bekr Belkaid, Tlemcen 

Partner Faculty: 
Jorge Ernesto Matamoros Canales
Department:
Language Center
Partner Institution: 
Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán
Title: Developing Global Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Conversations
Project Description:

This Virtual Exchange (VE) project focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and connected students across five universities in the USA, Brazil, Honduras, and Algeria. The four-week program included synchronous and asynchronous activities that fostered global awareness and collaborative dialogue. Through these interactions, students shared solutions to address some of the Sustainable Development Goals that were specific to their country contexts and interests. At the end of the project, students submitted a short reflection in the form of a one-paragraph written assignment and accompanying image to illustrate the aspect of the VE project that was the most meaningful for them. 

An in depth explanation of this project is available through the publication below:

Calvo, L. C. S., Mathien, T., Nehar, B., Matamoros, J. E. & Hartle, L. (2025). Developing global citizenship through interdisciplinary conversations: Virtual exchange on the UN SDGs. Acta Educationis Generalis, 15(2), 129-142.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Demonstrate increased awareness of global issues, including sustainability and world citizenship
  • Demonstrate increased awareness of the relationship between actions and outcomes on global and local stages
Participating Countries: Algeria, Brazil, Honduras
Number of Participants: 9 UF students; 100 international partner students
Discipline: Sustainability
UF Course Code & Name: Extracurricular -
Project Duration: 4 weeks
Activity Type(s):
  • Student-to-Student Dialogue
  • Virtual Guest Speaker
Time allotted to each activity:
  • Synchronous Activities: 1 hour every other week
  • Asynchronous Activities: 1 hour every other week
Technology Tools:
  • Zoom
  • Padlet
  • Google products
  • YouTube
Sequence of Activities:
  • Icebreaker: Asynchronous get-to-know-you activity in Padlet where students put a pin on the map to show where they are from and shared some information about themselves
  • Engagement Activity:  Synchronous session with faculty guest speaker, followed by small group discussion among students in Zoom breakout rooms.
  • Collaboration Activity: Through asynchronous and then synchronous interaction, students shared solutions to address some of the Sustainable Development Goals that were specific to their country contexts and interests.
  • Reflection Activity: At the end of the project, students submitted a short reflection in the form of a one-paragraph written assignment and accompanying image to illustrate the aspect of the VE project that was the most meaningful for them.