Faculty grant winners pictured from top left to bottom right: Dr. Patrick Freer, Dr. Jennifer McCoy, Dr. Yali Zhao, Telmeko Ransom, Dr. Jung Ha Kim, Dr. Erin Vinoski Thomas, Taylor Chlapowski, Dr. Tuba Angay Crowder, Dr. Christine Stauber, Dr. Roberta Attanasio, Courtney Strosnider, Dr. Mourad Dakhli.
PAST VIRTUAL EXCHANGE PROJECTS
Writing Across Cultures: Creating a Graduate Peer Support
Professor of Music, Dr. Patrick K. Freer, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Dr. Janelize Van Der Merwe (Lecturer in Music Education) of North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. Students in their classes will engage in peer reviews of manuscripts that follow country specific scholarly guidelines. Students will utilize synchronous video distance learning seminars (professor-led), synchronous video chats on student platforms of preference, asynchronous video, and text chats through iCollege.
Democratic Erosion and Polarization Around the World
Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, Dr. Jennifer McCoy, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Dr. Murat Somer at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey. Students in their classes will examine polarization and democratic erosion in countries around the world, including the United States. Students will use WebEx, iCollege, blogging and video-conferencing to interact face-to-face and/or to meet asynchronously for discussions, as well as to collaborate on a written assignment that will contribute to a large national events database.
Enhancing Cross-cultural Understanding of Social Science Education through Collaborative Online International Learning Communities
Associate Professor of Social Studies and Multicultural Education, Dr. Yali Zhao, is partnering on Virtual Exchange Projects with international universities in China, Singapore and South Korea. Students in their classes will develop cross-cultural understanding of different educational systems and practices. Additionally, students will have reciprocal learning opportunities to share views pertaining to 21st century competency skills for social studies teachers. Computer-mediated technology and web-based technologies, including iCollege, WeChat, and Zoom will be used for discussions.
Promoting Intercultural Competence for Creating Culturally Inclusive K-12 Classrooms
Lecturer of Education, Telmeko L. Ransom is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Anna W Y Yuen of the Creative Communication Department of Hong Kong Baptist University. Students majoring in education at each institution will share their teaching philosophies, behavior management tips, and educator preparation requirements. Students will utilize technologies such as Flipgrid, Zoom, and Edmodo for faculty and student communication.
Global Sociology of Food
Senior Lecturer & Director of Undergraduate Studies in Sociology, Dr. Jung Ha Kim, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Dr. Saoti Yasumoto, Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Human Science at Osaka University. They will utilize WebX, Google Doc, and Skype to facilitate asynchronous and synchronous groups of students from the US and Japan. These students will meet online for bi-weekly peer reviews, sharing, and discussions on topics such as the cultural meanings of food production, preparation, and consumption; stereotypes of “American” and “Japanese” food; food waste and controversies; and global food movements.
Enhancing Public Health Students’ Intercultural Connectedness Around Disability and Health
Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Erin Vinoski Thomas, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Dr. Herman Myburgh of the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR) at North-West University (NWU) in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Students will gain opportunities to explore interpersonal, cultural, and societal differences as issues of disability and health are discussed and politicized across a global context. Students will also have opportunities to reflect upon how their personal characteristics (e.g. race, ethnicity, religious identity, rural vs. urban identity) inform their beliefs about PWD. The Virtual Exchange activities will be facilitated through the use of two innovative online platforms: Flipgrid and VoiceThread.
Language in Society
Instructor Taylor Chlapowski (Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and supervised by GSU’s Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Dr. Eric Friginal), is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with the University of Baghdad (UB), Baghdad, Iraq. Students in their classes will learn an overview of Sociolinguistics. Specifically, they will cover the study of variation in language form and use associated with social, situational, temporal, and geographic influences. The course focuses on numerous sociolinguistic issues in the United States and globally. Students will have bi-weekly online discussions on course readings and a choice between two final projects; the linguistic landscape project (students photograph publicly written language used in two different areas highlighting differences in language use) or the sociolinguistic interview project (students analyze how language differences in two areas represent regional demographics).
The Role of Inquiry-Based Multiliteracies Project in Developing Pre-Service Language Teachers’ Intercultural Competence in Second Language Acquisition Courses
Dr. Tuba Angay-Crowder (instructor of TSLE 7250/4250, and the Co-Investigator (CI) in the research project) and Associate Professor of Education, Dr. Gertrude Sachs, are partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Dr. Sedat Akayoglu, (the Department Chair at Foreign Language Education, and the second CI and the course instructor of ELT Il- English Language Teaching) of Bolu Abant izzet Baysal University (BAIBU) in Turkey. Students in their classes will understand the role of critical language in teacher education practices and the importance of mastering second language acquisition (SLA) in praxis and developing intercultural competence. Students will utilize iCollege, Flipgrid, Infogram, ThinkLink and VoiceThread.
Virtual Exchange in Environmental Health: Think Global, Act Local
Associate Professor of the School of Public Health, Dr. Christine Stauber, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with the Institute of Collective Health at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Students in their classes will gain a greater understanding of the role of socio-economic, demographic, and environmental determinants of health from a global perspective. They will also gain skills in cross-cultural communication, collaboration and problem solving. Students will utilize various technologies such as WhatsApp, Youtube, Skype, Webex, Zoom, and the App +Lugar.
Leadership in Biology
Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Roberta Attanasio, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Dr. Michela Signoretto (Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems) and Dr. Cinzia Bettiol (Department of Environmental Sciences, Information, and Statistics) of Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Italy. Students will engage in cross-cultural interactions on a blogging platform where they will write about topics of inclusion and diversity related to the general theme of leadership in the Sciences. Ten to twelve discussions will take place contributing to students’ development of a “scientist identity” and personal leadership style that is clearly articulated, continuously improved, adapted to change, and used to excel as scientists.
Kinesiology and Health
Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Health, Courtney Strosnider, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Students will learn about the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) and share with each other how they have personally applied this model to their own lives. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss barriers to health and treatment in regard to their own personal beliefs, allowing them to recognize these barriers for their own patients. The Virtual Exchange activities will be facilitated using iCollege and video conferencing.
GSU-ESCA: Using Virtual Exchange to Solve Real Innovation Challenges
Clinical Professor of International Business, Dr. Mourad Dakhli, is partnering on a Virtual Exchange Project with Dr. Rihab Abba, Ms. Loubna Essabbab, and Dr. Thami Ghorfi (president of ESCA) of SCA-School of Management in Casablanca, Morocco. This collaboration establishes virtual teams of GSU and ESCA students who will solve real life problems on the Agorize (www.agorize.com) open innovation challenge platform. In addition, students will design creative solutions to innovation challenges, applying field-related technology.
