Virtual Exchange
Virtual Exchange (VE) is a teaching and learning framework that promotes the development of intercultural competence by linking university classes in different countries to create a multicultural learning environment. VE expands high-impact learning opportunities to students who cannot study abroad using everyday, online communication technologies. The An-Najah Virtual Exchange Collaborative runs two primary formats of virtual exchange, team based and dialogue based. In the team based format, students tackle real life challenges and complete shared assignments and projects in international virtual teams with supervision of education staff from the participating countries. The second format is dialogue based, where students engage in small group intercultural dialogues with a trained dialogue facilitator over a sustained period of time.
The An-Najah Virtual Exchange Collaborative is made up of a group of educators at An-Najah and internationally who are committed to providing the highest quality international educational opportunities to their students.
The Collaborative is overseen by the Office of International Development and External Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
How It Began:
An-Najah National University has informally been creating virtual exchange (VE) collaborations with international partners for years to connect with the international world despite the many travel restrictions. The University implemented its first formal virtual exchange project from 2017-2019 after winning a grant through the Stevens Initiative that brought together students studying architecture and building engineering to develop innovative green building models through bi-national virtual teams. This project helped build the capacity of An-Najah staff in best practices of VE and laid the foundation for future initiatives.
Since 2017, through the leadership of the Office of International Development and External Affairs, the University has continued to engage with An-Najah faculty to help implement quality VE projects across disciplines.
The Office of International Development and External Affairs and the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs seeks qualified faculty to help expand Virtual Exchange, an exciting and interactive high impact teaching practice, at An-Najah National University that:
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Connects An-Najah students and faculty with their counterparts at an international university to work collaboratively,
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Promotes students’ intercultural competence and digital literacy across shared multicultural learning environments, and
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Utilizes a variety of teaching strategies, such as peer review, cooperative learning, online discussions, project based learning (PBL) and co-teaching.
An-Najah has seen significant growth in VE over recent years, reaching over 200 students per semester. Virtual Exchange Faculty Fellows, working with the Virtual Exchange Director, will continue to expand this growth by focusing on specific areas such as assessment, research, outreach, training, and sustainability. Faculty of all ranks and from all facilities who teach fulltime and are open to developing a course collaboration with an international partner during the Fall 2023 semester are invited to apply for the next cohort of VE Fellows.
Applying for and participating in the January Virtual Exchange Design workshop will give you priority for this fellowship. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Deadline to apply: February 15th, 2023.
Contact [email protected] to inquire about our programs.
If you are part of an international university and are interested in collaborating with us, fill out this form to find a VE partner for you: