Virtual Mobility as Innovative Teaching and Learning Approach

Estela Daukšienė,Vytautas Magnus University (VMU)

Kaunas, Lithuania

• What is virtual mobility?• Different virtual mobility cases VMU has

experience in• Virtual mobility curriculum design• Virtual mobility implementation issues

The focus of the presentation

• “the set of ICT-supported activities that realize cross-border, collaborative experiences in a context of teaching and/or learning”

Vriens, M., Van Petegem, W., Op de Beeck, I., & Achten, M. (2010)

• “it is the way of collaboration among people from different backgrounds and cultures, working and studying together where crossing borders in not a necessity any more”

Poulova, P., Černa, M., & Svobodova, L. (2009).

Virtual mobility

Physical mobility vs virtual mobility

Pavia university, Italy

VMU, Lithuania

In physical mobility or exchange

Physical mobility vs virtual mobility

Aveiro universitety, Portugal

Pavia university, Italy

VMU, Lithuania

In virtual mobility

Virtual mobility in higher education is a way of learning, teaching, research, communication, or collaboration, based on the following characteristics:

• Development of intercultural competence;• Cooperation of higher education institutions;• Application of appropriate technological solutions for

teaching and learning, communication and collaboration;• Aimed at achieving academic goals and recognition of the

achieved learning outcomes

Virtual mobility

1. Virtual seminar (series) or part of the virtual course or virtual course/module or Virtual study programme

2. Virtual placement

3. Virtual support activities for physical mobility (before, during or after traditional mobility)

Types of virtual mobility activities

• Student virtual mobility

• Teacher virtual mobility

2 perspectives or types of VM

Feature Virtual mobility (course) Distance learning (course)

Main aim Learning and teaching in multicultural environment

Learning in selected place, in own pace, time

and preferred wayInternational student groups

For cooperation and intercultural competence

development

Not required

International teaching groups Must be present at TVM Not required

Multicultural exchange

Intercultural or multicultural depend on no. of

participating countriesNot required

Use of IT Must be present Must be present

Distance learning vs. virtual mobility

VM benefits for institutions

• enhances the quality of courses and curricula• contributes to the internationalization and

modernization of HE: open, international, recognizable; attracts foreign students

• enhance sound competition between institutions• enables and fosters multi-institutional

collaboration between institutions

Main benefits of vm forstudents and teachers

• Different forms of learning and methods of delivery• Different cultures + different perspectives = wider approach

• Experience and improvement of virtual mobility competences – Linguistical/language– Cultural/intercultural– ICT– Educational/LO related– Personal and social

• More career opportunities...

Various VM scenarious – Ubicamp

www.ubicamp.eu

• Based on bilateral agreements• Recognition of ECTS credits and virtual

mobility at student home institution(via TOR as in ph. mobility, indicating VM in diploma)

• Motivation of the participants• Thorough preparation, coordination and

planning of the pilot

Success factors - Ubicamp

Various VM scenarious – VMcolab

www.vmcolab.eu

• There was a strong leadership and coordination that enabled the organization and successful finalization of the pilot (learners’ PoV)

• Motivation of the participants: there were real challenges for student groups which had some passive students (lurkers), however groups managed to focus on the task, were highly motivated and dedicated (organizers’ PoV)

• Thorough preparation, coordination and planning of the pilot, coherent information for the participants (organizer’s PoV)

• Attractive topic was selected (learners’ PoV)• Prior experience and dedicated collaborators who

communicated, participated and supported the pilot from the very beginning till the end (organizers’ PoV)

Success factors - VMCOLAB

Various VM scenarious - TeaCamp

Teacamp.eu

• We became more open-minded for the other cultures…• We improved various skills and competences • It was a chance to use knowledge practically• We discovered new viewpoints of cultural differences • We learned to collaborate in a virtual environment• We learnt to better organize our study time schedule• We had many positive feelings and a valuable

experience

Student testimonies after VM sessions in TeaCamp

Various VM scenarious - Mevel

mevel-eu.net/

• Created learning content was interested and rated as good, but

• Workers didn’t like attending synchronous meetings and doing the tasks

• Suggested tools (moodle and google hangouts) were not typical for learners and were rarely used

Mevel - VM in metal sector with trainers(teachers) and

workers (learners)

VMU

USA university

Joint course

delivery for 9 years

Various VM scenarios – VMU case

The selected topic – global social problems:More different students – more perspectives – more and different global problems analyzed

• “the chosen subject has to be interesting to be seen from different countries perspectives”

Main additional value

Various VM scenarious – OUVM

www.ubicamp.eu

openstudies.eu

In order VM is successful

• It has to come from a need and organized within trusted network

• Try to do this in a blended way - necessity of synchronous meetings

• Everything has to be pre-planned and coordinated• Initial teacher training and support necessary• Benevolent attitude and encouragement for

participants

• OUVM project results - 3 training materials:– On curriculum design– On open educational technologies and – On creative commons licenses or licencing

All available at openstudies.eu/trainingmaterial/all

Virtual mobility curriculum design

Unit 1• Decision making

Unit 2• Transforming your course into vm course

Unit 3• Tools for virtual mobility

Unit 4 • VM organization

Unit 5. • QA of curriculum design for VM

Virtual mobility curriculum designing

• International group collaboration activities• Intercultural competence development• Common (English) language• Virtually accessible learning content (VLE)• Use of technology for communication and

collaboration

Characteristics of a virtual mobility course

• Synchronous/asynchronous or both• Group size: min. 4 - max. 6• Learning content – international/intercultural• Number or tasks – 1-3: aim?

– Exchange of information– Analysis and comparison– Collaboration (intercultural experience)

Designing online international group work: the do’s and don’ts

Additional value in virtual mobility:• “the chosen subject has to be interesting to

be seen from different countries perspectives”

• Please reflect - what topics could be most efficient in the subject you teach?

Innovative way of learning

TVM SVM Institutional • Teacher training • Language • Costs and benefits• Workload • Socio-cultural exchange • Adaptation of the

academic resources• Legal framework • Knowledge of the tools (synchronous & asynchronous)

• Adaptation of the administrative resources

• Academic recognition

• Quality • Master classes• Cultural identity • Credit recognition • Legal framework

• Blended Mobility • Virtual mobility recognition

Barriers and problems for teacher VM (TVM) and student virtual mobility (SVM) by Juan Fuente and Menendez Ferreira (2011)

Virtual mobility implementation issues

TVM SVM Institutional • Teacher training • Language • Costs and benefits• Workload • Socio-cultural exchange • Adaptation of the

academic resources• Legal framework • Knowledge of the tools (synchronous & asynchronous)

• Adaptation of the administrative resources

• Academic recognition

• Quality • Master classes• Cultural identity • Credit recognition • Legal framework

• Blended Mobility • Virtual mobility recognition

Issues still in 2015

Virtual mobility implementation issues

• Mainstream of virtual mobility• Offer of virtual mobility courses• Socio-cultural content• Teacher virtual mobility

Virtual mobility implementation issues

• Vriens, M., Van Petegem, W., Op de Beeck, I., & Achten, M. (2010, July 5-7). Virtual mobility as an alternative or complement to physical mobility. Retrieved from Abstract submitted for EDULEARN conference in Barcelona, Spain: http://move-it.europace.org/kfm/uploads/Edulearn_Move-IT_VM.pdf

• Poulova, P., Černa, M., & Svobodova, L. (2009). University Network – Efficiency of Virtual Mobility. Proceedings of the 5th WSEAS/IASME International Conference on EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES (EDUTE' 09), (pp. 87-92).

• Juan Fuente, A. A., & Menendez Ferreira, R. (2011). TeaCamp Scenario and Barriers. WP7: TeaCamp Exploitation, TeaCamp project: www.teacamp.eu

References

• Let’s open universities for student and teacher virtual mobility

Contacts:Estela Dauksiene

e.dauksiene@isi.vdu.lt

www.openstudies.eu