Internationalise your curriculum through virtual mobility
Chair: Bernard Smeenk, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Sander Schroevers, Hogeschool Van Amsterdam, Netherlands
Globalisation is what students will find once they graduate: we have to provide the students with a suitable tool-box.
For a virtual mobility project some steps must be taken: manage the expectations of the partners, select communication technologies, put up a team of international lecturers, choice the subject of work, agree on how and what to assess and qualify, etc.
Virtual mobility programmes offer an incredible opportunity for developing informal learning.
Ulrik Bisgaard, Business Academy Aarhus, Denmark
Use social media that students already use for communication, exchange of information.
Offer support online to students, including online access to learning materials.
Why so few teachers use this technology to support and foster virtual mobility?
If we add business cases and virtual learning we can come up with virtual work placements where students can virtually (online) collaborate with remote (even foreign) businesses. Common tools like Facebook or Dropbox are very useful in this virtual work placements.
Discussion
Virtual mobility is more about coaching than teaching: facilitating.
Finding leaders, motivated people that can start such a project and make it happen. Perseverance.
Technical support is crucial even if the technology used is sometimes a simple or common one.
