THE CHALLENGE OF VIRTUAL MOBILITY: PEDAGOGICAL MODELS AND GOOD PRACTICES

Virtual mobility is rooted in the idea to enable students to exchange and collaborate with teachers and fellow students from others countries by the means of the latest information and communication technologies (ICT). As a result of the advancements in distance teaching and eLearning, the concept of virtual mobility is increasingly receiving attention in the literature. Non-traditional students regularly found in distance education can especially benefit form virtual mobility as they are normally omitted from regular exchange programs. Virtual mobility offers them the opportunity to gain international and intercultural experiences with fellow students from abroad. Despite the promising potential, hitherto there is a lack of empirical data identifying key success factors for courses using virtual mobility. In particular there is a dearth of literature about appropriate pedagogical models and learning methods.

With our presentation, we want to stimulate the debate about the different notions of virtual mobility. Findings from the evaluation of an online course are envisioned to contribute to the identification of suitable pedagogical models and good practices.

The online course “Energy and Energy Efficiency: Technology and Policy” brings together students from two Master programmes in Finland and Germany. Intended learning outcomes of the online course are that students:
• Are able to take an interdisciplinary approach to the topic
• Demonstrate knowledge and competences to operationalise the concept of energy efficiency and energy policy
• Are able to apply the knowledge and competences to a concrete case study
• Increase their level of the English language in an environmental sciences context
• Are able to work together in international teams
• Are able to assess scientific quality based on objective criteria.

For the instructional design of the course, we applied the ADDIE model. The ADDIE model follows a stepwise approach encompassing; Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Against the background of our Analysis, seamless learning, problem-based learning and peer-assessment were identified as promising learning methods for the Design and Development of the course. During the Implementation these learning methods should encourage collaboration and spur student engagement, which, according to the literature, is a key variable to stimulate learning success. Our overall Evaluation of the online course and virtual mobility is based on the achievement of the learning outcomes, the students experience with the different learning methods and their personal assessment of virtual mobility. We used a mixed-methods approach for the evaluation, complementing a quantitative survey with semi-structured interviews with the students.

Our results demonstrate that the students achieved the learning outcomes and showed a high level of learning satisfaction. They in particular valued the idea to virtually meet and collaborate with fellow students from abroad. Likewise, the results point to the importance of customized teaching methods to encourage the students' engagement and collaboration during the period of virtual mobility. Thorough and theoretical reflected learning settings and learning methods can thus stimulate the development of professional and intercultural competences in online course with virtual mobility.