The "UAS7 Virtual Academy" will be rolled out in cooperation with the long-standing US consortium partner SUNY (State University of New York). It will redesign international university cooperation across all disciplines and establish new innovative teaching and learning formats.
Currently, collaborative virtual teaching is the only way to offer lecturers and students an international experience. However, we plan to expand the Virtual Academy beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and develop a model to be applied to all UAS7 universities and departments. After evaluating the first round of projects, we will share our collectively gathered expertise in the form of Best Practices, to make our learnings available to other interested faculty members.
Virtual teaching will enable an even broader group of students from the universities on both sides of the Atlantic to participate in exchange opportunities and international learning formats. They will gain valuable intercultural experience unimpeded by geographic or time restrictions, preparing them for future professional collaborations.
Participating lecturers will benefit from the US partner's many years of experience in the area of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). They will take part in individual training courses, facilitated by the SUNY COIL Center, in order to develop well-structured syllabi and be able to overcome intercultural differences in a virtual teaching environment.
