Advanced teacher training | 20 March – 14 April 2023

The advanced teacher training consist of four weeks of self-study combined with live online group training sessions, with a combined estimated 4-5 hours of weekly workload. This training is for teachers who have previous experience with international virtual collaboration. Participants will be introduced to the relevant approaches and methods, and guided through the processes involved in creating and implementing co-designed VIS projects using Virtual Exchange pedagogy. They will also develop a deeper understanding of the pedagogical and technological choices involved, and will be able to consider and select the appropriate approach and tools for their co-designed projects. 

Furthermore, participants will be introduced to the challenges associated with designing and implementing virtual co-designed international collaborations. They will learn how to come up with solutions for these challenges and learn ways to navigate through the implementation phase. The training will also offer participants a taste of what a virtual international collaboration project looks and feels like, from the students’ point of view. This is done by engaging in the materials and tasks provided for each week, as well as asynchronous forum discussions with fellow trainees and weekly synchronous sessions with the trainers. 

Participants can expect to spend 4-5 hours per week on the course, including synchronous and asynchronous activities (self-study and engagement with fellow trainees via course fora: 2.5-3.5 hrs; synchronous session: 1.5 hrs. 

Overview

Duration: 4 weeks, from 20 March – 14 April 2023
Weekly time commitment:

•  Self-study: 2.5-3.5 hrs.
• Online group session: 1.5 hrs.

Registration deadline: 3 March 2023
Language: English or Dutch
Weekly group session timeslots:

• Dutch: Thursday afternoon 15.00 to 16.30 (Mar 23, Mar 30, Apr 6, Apr 13)
• English: Friday morning 10:00 – 11:30 (Mar 24, Mar 31, Apr 7, Apr 14)

Total hours: 16-20
Platforms: Canvas/Zoom
Successful completion:

• Attend at least 3 out of 4 synchronous sessions; 
• Complete 80% of the module self-study tasks.

Learning outcomes

By taking this training, participants will: 

• Deepen their understanding of the Virtual Exchange pedagogy and be able to position it in their VIS project;  
• Understand the role of virtual international collaborations in supporting intercultural exchange, collaboration and the development of students’ transversal skills; 
• Consider the main features and components of co-designed virtual international collaborations and select the appropriate approach for their own projects; 
• Understand the process (and steps) of creating and implementing co-designed virtual online collaboration projects, including defining learning outcomes, designing different types of tasks, selecting appropriate tools, and considering forms of assessment ; 
• Understand the potential challenges of creating and implementing co-designed virtual online collaboration projects, and be able to work out solutions during the implementation phase of the virtual online collaboration projects.   

Modules

There are four modules in the training, i.e., one each week/day:

Week 1: Establishing learning goals for co-designed collaborative projects
Participants will be drafting, sharing, discussing and receiving feedback on learning goals for their collaborative projects. These goals will be revisited throughout the following weeks, as they are likely to change and evolve during the training course. Anonymized examples with comments from previous projects will be available as a source of inspiration. Participants will also start working on their project plan using a template provided. They will be working on a bespoke section of the plan/template in each of the training weeks so that they have a complete outline of their collaborative projects at the end of week 4.

Week 2: Developing collaborative activities and task sequences
Participants find out about common steps in collaborative projects. The steps are, in fact, a series of activities designed to help students familiarize and engage with each other, the content of the collaborative projects and the learning environment.

Week 3: Tools and technologies to support co-designed international collaboration

Participants deepen their knowledge of tools and applications which are popular in co-designed collaborative projects to be able to make pedagogically-informed technology choices. The focus is on those technologies that promote meaningful interaction and collaboration among students rather than superficial exchanges. Following the principle of “experiential learning”, participants will try out the tools and apps they have selected for their co-designed projects and share the insights they have gained, including the rationale behind their technology choices.

Week 4: Towards a complete project plan
Participants continue to “workshop” their project ideas using the template they have been given in week 1. They prepare a mini presentation of the outline of their co-designed project including the following: duration, learning goal(s), mains step/activities, and chosen technologies. The focus is on the potential challenges associated with each of these elements. They will seek specific feedback on challenges they have identified while developing their project plans, and jointly work on ways these challenges can be addressed during the implementation of their projects.

Attendance & participation 

Trainees are expected to be available for the full duration of the training (4 weeks) and participate actively in the online group sessions with working video and audio. In between training sessions, materials are provided in the virtual learning environment to engage with and to work on with fellow trainees, in preparation for the synchronous sessions. 

Trainees are required to:

• Attend at least 3 out of 4 synchronous sessions;
• Complete 80% of the module self-study tasks. 

Registrations are now closed.