The University of Texas at Dallas

Center for Teaching and Learning

UT Dallas Virtual Exchange Newsletter

October 2024 - Issue 8

By the Numbers

Virtual Exchanges/ COILS implemented since 2020

UT Dallas partner Institutions located in 181 Countries

2361

UT Dallas and International students engaged

Are you interested in incorporating a VE/COIL into your Spring 2025 course? Fill out this form, and we will reach out to you soon with more information

VE/COIL Faculty Showcase Slated for December 5

Each semester, the UT Dallas Center for Teaching and Learning hosts a VE/Faculty Showcase to highlight innovative collaborations between our faculty and students. The Fall 2024 showcase will take place in Teams from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 5. click here to RSVP.

This semester's showcase will feature two new collaborations. One project, led by Dr. Jeff Price, connected UT Dallas students with peers from Universidad Anáhuac Puebla in Mexico to create virtual reality replicas of iconic historical sites in Puebla. Another project, directed by Dr. Muhammad T. Rahman, has students partnering with the National Polytechnic School of Algiers to use remote sensing and GIS technology to analyze the effects of climate change on Algerian cities.

Whether you're familiar with VE/COIL or new to the concept, this showcase will provide insight into how these collaborations work and the real-world impact they have on student learning. Here are more details on the featured projects.

Professor Jeff Price

Bass School of Arts, Humanities and Technology

Partner: Universidad Anáhuac Puebla

In an innovative cross-border collaboration, students from Universidad Anáhuac Puebla in Mexico and UT Dallas teamed up to bring three iconic historical sites in Puebla to life through virtual reality. Guided by Professor Price, associate professor of game design and virtual reality, UT Dallas graduate students enrolled in an Interactive Environments course worked alongside English language students in Mexico to create digital twins of the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the world’s largest pyramid by volume. Students also recreated the historic Palafoxiana Library, the oldest and most revered library in the Americas. Lastly, they transformed the vibrant Callejón de los Sapos (Alley of the Frogs), known for its colorful facades, antique shops, and lively market atmosphere. Each site was turned into an awe-inspiring immersive environment, blending history and cutting-edge technology in the metaverse, with a final presentation to showcase their collaborative work.

Muhammad T. Rahman

School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

GISC 4384 – Health and Environmental GIS: A Global Perspective

National Polytechnic School of Algiers, Algeria

Picture of Rahman and also university logo

Students in Dr. Rahman’s Health and Environmental GIS: A Global Perspective class at UT Dallas are collaborating with students from the National Polytechnic School of Algiers, which is located in a region that recorded the hottest day on the planet in 2024. Together, they are using remote sensing and GIS techniques to assess land use and land cover changes, as well as urban land surface temperature conditions, in various Algerian cities. By analyzing land use changes over five-year periods and surface temperature fluctuations using data from NASA’s Earth Explorer, the teams will explore the impacts of climate change on urban environments. The project will culminate in a joint presentation on GIS Day titled “Land Use and Land Cover Changes and their Impacts on the Land Surface Temperature in Algerian Cities” where students will showcase their findings and demonstrate how GIS and remote sensing technology can be applied to real-world environmental challenges.

Digital Badge Approved for VE/COIL

Upon successfully completing a VE/COIL project, UT Dallas students will now receive a digital badge as a form of micro credentialing recognition. Students can add the VE/COIL digital badges to their LinkedIn profiles or resumes, providing a verifiable record of their participation in this global experience. Potential employers can click on the badge to learn more about the project and the skills students developed during the COIL, making it a valuable addition to their professional portfolio.

VE/COIL Handbook

The new VE/COIL Handbook is now available to help UT Dallas faculty create and enhance their own Virtual Exchange or Collaborative Online International Learning projects. This guide includes step-by-step advice on forming partnerships, designing collaborative activities, facilitating intercultural communication, and assessing student learning. It also offers examples and best practices from successful projects dating back to 2020. If you're interested in incorporating this pedagogy into your course, be sure to fill out the VE/COIL interest form.

Faculty Traveling to the Land Down Under

Dr. Emily Choi, Associate Professor of Instruction, Organizations, Strategy and International Management in JSOM, will travel to Melbourne, Australia, in November to take part in Deakin University’s COIL Workshop. She will be co-presenting with her COIL partner Wade Halvorson, Theme Director for Entrepreneurship & SMEs at Deakin.

The workshop, facilitated by Dr. Carol Cirulli Lanham, associate director the UT Dallas Center for Teaching and Learning, will bring together participants from around the world to share experiences and strategies for successful Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects.

Choi and Halvorson’s previous collaboration connected UT Dallas students studying Innovation and Creativity with Deakin students in the Entrepreneurship Experience unit. Over four weeks, the students worked across a 16-hour time difference to focus on innovative technology while learning to build international teams. The project not only enhanced academic skills but also fostered personal connections, which contributed to its success.

At the upcoming workshop organized as part of Lanham’s Fulbright Specialist appointment at Deakin, Choi and Halvorson will discuss lessons from their experience and highlight how virtual collaboration can prepare students for global teamwork.

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