Virtual Exchange

Virtual exchanges are technology-enabled, sustained, people-to-people education programs that involved collaborative design between educators and collaborative student projects.

TESM G472: Global Tourism Seminar

Since 2012, students in Yao-Yi Fu’s TESM G472 Global Tourism seminar have been connecting with faculty and students of Faculty of Tourism Studies of University of Primorska in Slovenia for global exchange. Students in TESM G472 and a tourism class in Slovenia join twice a week every Fall semester through videoconferencing technology in the IUPUI Global Crossroads room. Many international students from Bosnia Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, etc. who were studying abroad at University of Primorska also engaged in this global experience.

Global Learning objectives for this class were for the students to

  • gain more knowledge about cultures and conditions of at least one country beyond the United States.

  • gain international experience through virtual connections with European students and faculty.

  • further advance global learning and intercultural competence.

Tech Platform

TESM G472 has been using CourseNetworking (CN) which is a social media platform for students in higher education. TESM and European students posted texts, photos, videos, and polls that promoted intercultural dialogue and learning on CN. Besides discussing global tourism topics on the CN site, students talked about food, music, art, hobbies, travel, sport, college life, holidays, etc. in Europe and in the U.S.

Outcome and Feedback

Many students commented that the global experience in TESM G472 helped them learned about different cultures and various communication styles. Students also felt the experience helped them further develop skills and competencies such as patience, respect, openness, tolerance for ambiguity, clear communication skills, and active listening.

Student Comment Examples

Global Dialogue: Virtual Suitcase

"Hey everyone!

We decided we wanted to give you something as a reminder of our classes together. In the name of all of us from Slovenia I created a virtual suitcase that contains a QR code. By scanning the code with your phone you will have acess to a folder which contains different kind of recepies, selected by all of us. So I hope you will enjoy making and especially eating some of our mediterenian traditional foods.

P.S. I would like to thanks everyone for sharing their thoughts and experiances with us I really enjoyed having classes with all of you :D"

Global Dialogue: Dark Tourism

"A few weeks ago we talked about dark tourism. I live in a Slovenian town close to the Italian border where in WW1 was the front line and we have a memorial called "The walk of peace" (slovensko: Pot miru) going from the north of the country to the Adriatic sea, following the WW1 front line. You can see caverns, ditches, and read information about the battles taking place here. Once i went walking a part of this path and it made me feel how stupid it is fighting for some hills. The tragedy of Slovenians was that they were fighting on both sides, because some lived in Italy and some lived in Austria-Hungarian empire."

Global Dialogue: Sharing Place

"Today I was walking along the river Soča near my hometown and an idea me to my mind: I want you to send a picture of your nearest river or stream."

Global Tourism: Food & UNESCO Heritage

"Hello everyone! Since we were talking about Slovenian traditional food and about UNESCO heritage, i wanted to show you some pictures and share some facts of the region in Slovenia that I live in. It it called Bela krajina and it is located in southeast Slovenia. Last time we learned that every region in Slovenia has its own tipical dish. The tradicional dish in Bela krajina is belokranjska pogača. Tradition dictates that it is offered to guests that come to the house. Now it is offered to the tourists. And something else is very important: it is protected by a label of traditional reputation and has a certificate certified in Brussels as food with a protected designation of origin.

Moreover, the nature in Bela krajina is spectacular. The destination is know for its natural and cultural richness so more than half of it is protected. On the pictures below you can see belokranjska pogača, the sunrise and the birds that come to feed in winter, i can see that from my room and some other natural sights of the destination that i like the most.

If you ever come to Slovenia, Bela krajina is absolutely worth a visit! :)"

Global Dialogue: Final Thoughts from IUPUI

"I wanted to share some thoughts with you guys since Monday will be our last class together. It has been a privilege to share the last 6 weeks with you and to learn about your culture. I am a better person because of the interaction with you guys. It has made me understand that intercultural learning and intercultural competence is necessary to help us communicate with each other.

It has been a long journey for me to get to this point and I am beyond happy. It has taken me 32 years of attending classes at IUPUI to reach graduation. I got married, raised 2 daughters, and worked full time during this span of time. This is the last class for me and I would not have had it any other way than to share it with all of you. Thanks for sharing your stories about your lifestyle (music, movies, pictures, etc.) I wish everyone a wonderful, safe Christmas (or Holiday) and congratulations for reaching another milestone in your educational career. Blessings to all!!"