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University of Florida

Living COVID-19 around the Globe


UF Faculty: Sara Agnelli
Department: One Health Center of Excellence
College: College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

UF Faculty: Rania Gollakner
Department: One Health Center of Excellence
College: College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Partner Faculty: Iván Palacios
Department: School of Medicine
Partner Institution: Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador)
Title: Living COVID-19 around the Globe
Project Description: This virtual exchange project was an interactive collaboration between undergraduate and graduate students at University of Florida and Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. Separately, UF students studied different social and behavioral science methods to understand the complexity of the current pandemic and learn about tools for resilience, preparedness, and management of the current pandemic as an investment for future global crises. USFQ students were attending the Global Health program offered USFQ School of Medicine in affiliation with Hospital de los Valles. In the collaborative session, students share their Covid-19 experience, discussing a variety of topics including “Public health systems in US and Ecuador”, “Challenges in times of Covid-19”, “Health, language, and minorities”, “Education, University life, and Covid-19”, “Family life and Covid-19”.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Global perspectives
  • Intercultural awareness
  • Collaboration and exchange of new information related to geography and culture
Participating Countries: Ecuador
Number of Participants: 20 UF students and 15 students from the partner institution
Discipline: Global Health
UF Course Code & Name: ALS4932-COV1(28449) - The Circular Nature of Covid-19
Project Duration: 1 week
Activity Type(s):
  • Student-to-Student Dialogue
  • Virtual Guest Speaker
Time allotted to each activity:
  • Synchronous Activities: 1 hour
  • Asynchronous Activities: 2 hours
  • Local group activities: 1 hour
  • Individual Work: 2 hours
Technology Tools:
  • Videoconference: Zoom
  • Learning Management System: Canvas
  • Message Boards/Video Boards: Flipgrid
  • Email
Sequence of Activities:

The project had two parts: guest lectures from faculty and one synchronous discussion among students. 

  • Lecture by USFQ faculty to UF class: COVID-19 in Ecuador: Interventions, Lessons and Impacts of the Pandemic
  • Lecture by UF faculty to USFQ class: COVID-19 in the US: Interventions, Lessons and Impacts of the Pandemic

Synchonous discussion between UF and USFQ students to discuss the following topics:

  • Public health systems in US and Ecuador
  • Challenges in times of Covid-19
  • Health, language, and minorities
  • Education, University life, and Covid-19
  • Family life and Covid-19
  • Politics, policies, WHO?

Final reflection: what did they learn, what did they walk away with, what were the notable differences, what else would you like to learn or to know (Written assignment)

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