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ATLANTA — Andrew Young School of Policy Studies faculty Glenwood Ross and Cyntoria Johnson have led study abroad programs for years. This spring, however, not one student left their seat as they were led to better understand economics and criminal justice through the lens of their counterparts in Giza, Egypt, and Cali, Colombia.
Ross, an economist, and Johnson, a lawyer turned criminal justice practitioner, used virtual exchanges to introduce their students and those abroad to the variety of global outlooks on their subject matter without stepping on a plane. The results were rewarding on both ends of these digital networks. Ross and Johnson are clinical associate professors in the Andrew Young School.
“A virtual exchange is a high-impact practice, like study abroad, service learning and hands-on labs, that facilitates meaningful interactions between faculty and students, students and students, students and global peers,” Johnson said. “Georgia State has encouraged us to use high-impact pedagogy to broaden our students’ horizons and help develop their cross-cultural competencies and professional skills in collaboration and communication.”
Ross joined forces with Professor Hassan Aly of Nile University in Egypt to develop a common virtual exchange module for their respective undergraduate classes. Ross’ class, The Economics of Cities (ECON4300), and Aly’s class, Economic Development, had a total of 47 students, 35 from GSU and 12 from Nile University. They divided the students into seven mixed teams, with each team consisting of five GSU students and one to two Nile University students.
Each group addressed weekly topics from both a U.S. and Egyptian perspective. Week 1 questions focused on the “Misery Index,” Week 2 questions focused on exchange rates and trade, and Week 3 dealt with poverty. In addition to the team assignments, each student was required to participate in a weekly discussion board on that week’s topic using Google Groups.
The virtual exchange offered GSU students a unique avenue for academic growth alongside invaluable cross-cultural exposure. A prime example was their introductory Zoom meeting, which took place during Ramadan.
"Honoring religious practices required us to meet after sundown in Giza, which meant 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time in Atlanta,” Ross said. “For our students, many of whom were unfamiliar with Ramadan, this presented a distinct chance to gain firsthand insight into its cultural practices and observances, an opportunity they might otherwise have missed."
Ross led one of three virtual exchange programs held this spring by the J. Mack Robinson College of Business’ Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Social Impact grant and funded by the J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative, administered by the Aspen Institute and supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program will be funded again in 2025.
Johnson taught her virtual exchange course with English as a Second Language (ESL) Professor Luis Carlos Montalvo Vidal, whom she met while he was working as an interpreter during her Fulbright program in Cali. For their Rap on Trial course, the 26 students were asked to annotate and translate a rap verse for their global peers and discuss how hip-hop as a global art form is used to champion social justice issues, resist oppression and shape cultural identity.
“When it comes to speaking another language, we criticize others, but how do we sound to them?” Johnson asked. “The exchange allowed the ESL students at varying levels of proficiency to collaborate and ‘up’ their language skills while allowing our students to learn intercultural competencies and digital literacy as well as appreciation for diverse perspectives.”
Both domestic and global students who take a virtual exchange course earn a digital badge, according to Johnson. If it’s a 3000- or 4000-level course, they qualify for global scholar distinction at graduation at no additional application or cost. All students receive course credit.
Students also seem to enjoy this style of virtual learning. During the debriefing Johnson held for her final synchronous class, several agreed.
“We ended with going around the room, and students offered one-word reflections before ending the session,” Johnson said. “The comments they made about their overall learning experience were that it was ‘cool, different, interesting, muy muy interesante, sensational, memorable, all right, unique, would recommend to a friend, entertaining, fun and innovative.’"
“The key is to develop collaborative assignments that encourage students to learn new skills they can showcase when they’re out in the job market,” she said. “They make themselves more competitive in the global marketplace. We’re trying to get them ready for that.”
More students will have the opportunity to enjoy this experience next spring. Johnson recently learned that she’s been awarded a virtual exchange grant from Georgia State’s Office of International Initiatives/Atlanta Global Studies Center to continue her program.
Renewed funding for both of these virtual exchange programs shows continued interest in exploring the benefits of intercultural exchange at the Andrew Young School. Both faculty and students look forward to similar virtual exchanges in the future.