Internationalising Higher Education and the Role of Online Intercultural Exchange introduces ‘Online Intercultural Exchange' (OIE), or 'Virtual Exchange', as an innovative form of online learning which involves engaging classes of learners in interaction and collaboration with partner classes in distant locations. This type of learning most commonly takes place through online communication technologies under the guidance of teachers or cultural facilitators.
In contrast to many forms of online learning, which are based on the transfer of information through video lectures for example, OIE is based on student-centered, collaborative approaches to learning where knowledge and understanding are constructed through learner-interaction and negotiation. OIE is gradually growing in popularity in universities around the globe, as educators from all disciplines use online technologies to engage their classes in authentic collaborative experiences with members of other cultures. This volume will provide a detailed introduction to this fascinating activity by reviewing the myriad of ways OIE is being carried out across universities. Further to this, it will also provide evidence of and arguments for the integration of OIE in university internationalisation policies and course curricula.
The volume is timely and important and should be of great interest to researchers, academics and postgraduates in areas such as technology-enhanced learning, international education and online education. It should also be indispensable reading for university planners and managers who are confronting the demands of the global curriculum, as well as for educational decision-makers at national and international levels.