2.3.2 Implementing virtual exchanges

Virtual exchange can be organised and implemented in a wide variety of ways. The Training Manual on Telecollaboration for Teacher Trainers [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] (EVALUATE Group, 2023) based on the outcomes of a large-scale telecollaboration research project EVALUATE gives six key recommendations about what can make a virtual exchange project successful:

• A minimum duration of 6-8 weeks which allows for sufficient time to establish working relationships between the students.
• Genuine collaboration between the online partners and not merely the exchange of information.
• The exchange’s topics and tasks are related to the students’ course syllabus and are relevant to students’ learning needs.
• Collaborative tasks gradually increase in intensity and degree of collaboration as the exchange progresses.
• The exchanges are firmly integrated into the students’ classes and the teacher plays an important role in helping students prepare for their online interaction and reflect on their experiences and the outcome.
• Students receive credit or recognition for their participation in the telecollaborative exchange.

One of the first things to consider when planning a virtual exchange is the task sequence the students will carry out. A task sequence is a collection of tasks that are combined and follow on from each other during a virtual exchange project.

There are many different types of tasks which have been developed for virtual exchange over the years. For example, you can find over 100 tasks for university telecollaboration on the UNICollaboration platform. The Training Manual on Telecollaboration for Teacher Trainers discussed above suggests using the Progressive Exchange Model when planning the task sequence. The model involves three interrelated task types, which students move through in sequence:

1. Information Exchange tasks – where learners provide their virtual exchange partners with information, for example, about their personal biographies, local schools or towns, or aspects of their local cultural practices. It is important to realise that these cultural practices are not necessarily determined by geographical boundaries but that they represent all kinds of cultural relations and ways of living, such as being a supporter of a local football team or playing an active part in the local climate group. These tasks function as an introductory activity for the two groups of learners, who are not yet familiar with each other.
2. Comparison and analysis tasks – requiring learners to carry out comparisons or critical analyses of cultural and/or local products or events from both contexts such as books, surveys, films, newspaper articles, or local actions for climate. These tasks generally require learners to provide their partners with explanations of the cultural and/or local significance of certain practices and then to engage in dialogue to establish similarities or differences between the two contexts.
3. Collaborative product tasks – requiring learners to work together to produce something. This could involve, for example, the co-authoring of a website or online document, or the co-production of a cultural adaptation of a text.

By following this process, students develop transversal skills that can be used in a wide variety of situations in life and in work, for example digital literacy, intercultural competence and problem solving.

Next, you’ll look at an example of virtual exchange in practice.