TEACHING ACROSS BORDERS
Expert Talk Series on International Collaborative Teaching and Learning
“Teaching Across Borders” is an ongoing series of expert lectures that explores the changing conditions of teaching and learning in an increasingly interconnected academic environment. The series brings together diverse scholarly and professional perspectives to examine how educational practice can respond to global interconnections, institutional changes, technological developments, and growing demands for greater inclusion and participation.
The series aims to encourage reflection on the principles, structures, and practices that shape education in various contexts. Each presentation offers a unique perspective while also contributing to a broader, evolving discussion about the future of internationally oriented teaching and learning.
Virtual Exchange in Teacher Education: From Online Collaboration to Professional Learning Networks
How can Virtual Exchange enrich teacher education and support future and practising teachers in developing the skills they need for increasingly digital, international, and diverse educational contexts?
In this Expert Talk, Robert O’Dowd from the Universidad de León will share insights from his extensive work on Virtual Exchange, teacher education, and international online collaboration. Drawing on research and project experience, including the European VALIANT project, the talk will explore how structured online collaboration can connect student teachers, in-service teachers, and teacher educators across institutions and countries.
Robert O’Dowd | Universidad de León
Full Professor of English as a Foreign Language and Applied Linguistics. His research focuses on Virtual Exchange, online intercultural collaboration, foreign language education, and the internationalisation of higher education. Through his publications and European project work, he has contributed significantly to the development and integration of Virtual Exchange as a pedagogical approach in university education and teacher training.
The session will address the potential of Virtual Exchange to foster intercultural learning, digital collaboration, reflective practice, and professional development. It will also consider practical and pedagogical questions around designing, facilitating, and integrating Virtual Exchange into teacher education programmes.
The talk is intended for teacher educators, researchers, programme coordinators, and all those interested in innovative approaches to internationalisation, professional learning, and digitally supported teacher education.
Beyond Connection: Critical Virtual Exchange and Critical Digital Literacy
Virtual exchange and COIL enable students to collaborate across geographic, linguistic, and cultural boundaries. However, international networking does not automatically lead to equal participation. Digital access, language requirements, institutional frameworks, and different forms of knowledge production influence who can participate and whose perspectives are made visible.
As part of the “Teaching across Borders” Expert Talk Series, Mirjam Hauck turns her attention to Critical Virtual Exchange. This approach adds a critical perspective to Virtual Exchange: How can digital exchange formats be designed to be inclusive, socially just, and reflective? What inequalities can arise from technologies, platforms, languages, or assigned tasks?
A particular focus is on Critical Digital Literacy. This involves not only the competent use of digital tools but also the ability to critically examine digital communication and representation practices. The talk explores theoretical and practical perspectives for the further development of COIL and Virtual Exchange formats.
Mirjam Hauck, Open University, UK
Mirjam Hauck is a professor of Critical Digital Pedagogies at the Open University in the United Kingdom. Her research focuses on Virtual Exchange, Critical Digital Literacy, inclusion, and social justice in digital educational spaces. Her work has significantly shaped the development of Critical Virtual Exchange.
The lecture is aimed at experienced and interested higher education faculty members from all fields and disciplines.
Inclusive Internationalization: Approaches to Promoting Intercultural Learning and the Development of Future Skills
Join us for an expert talk on Inclusive Internationalization and the role of international collaboration in preparing students for an interconnected future. The session explores how teaching and learning can move beyond mobility-focused models toward inclusive Internationalization at Home, ensuring that all students develop essential future skills such as intercultural competence, interdisciplinary thinking, and responsible decision-making. Special attention will be given to Virtual Exchange and COIL as accessible formats for collaborative learning across borders, with practical pathways for instructors, faculties, and institutional leaders to lower barriers, manage effort, and create meaningful opportunities for global learning.
Eva Haug | Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS)
- Educational Advisor for Curriculum Internationalisation and COIL/VE and Senior Lecturer in Intercultural Communication at AUAS
- Research Fellow at the University of the Free State in South Africa
- Member of the EAIE Internationalisation at Home Expert Community
- Specialised in professional development for Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC) and international online collaboration