Leveraging virtual exchange (VE)
Outcomes of an international science teaching and learning experience between preservice teachers and K-12 students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/cw5y4318Keywords:
project-based learning, teacher preparation, virtual exchange, STEMAbstract
This qualitative research explores an innovative instructional approach in STEM teacher preparation that situates virtual exchange (VE) and project-based learning (PBL) within an international, synchronous, middle school teaching context. The results of this study suggest that VE provides a unique opportunity to enhance teacher preparation by exposing preservice teachers (PSTs) to an instructional method that allows for authentic virtual teaching practices, fosters intercultural competence, facilitates the development of STEM pedagogical content knowledge, provides scaffolded support for multiple language learners (MLLs), and cultivates impactful global classroom interactions.
References
Allen, S. (2022). How are teacher prep programs adapting to virtual learning. Government Technology. https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/how-are-teacher-prep-programs-adapting-to-virtual-learning#:~:text =Now%2C%20teacher%20preparation%20programs%20in,students%20 who%20are%20dealing%20with
Alrajeh, T. S.. (2021). Project-based learning to enhance pre-service teachers'
teaching skills in science education. Universal Journal of Educational
Research, 9(2), 271-279.
Brengard, A. (2018, April 25). Using the need to know list as a planning &
assessment tool. PBLWorks. https://www.pblworks.org/blog/using-need-know-list-planning-assessment-tool
Chitanana, L. (2012). A constructivist approach to the design and delivery of an
online professional development course: A case of the iEarn online
course. International Journal of Instruction, 5(1), 23-48.
Cifuentes, L., & Shih, Y. C. D. (2001). Teaching and learning online: A DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08886504.2001.10782327
collaborative between U.S. and Taiwanese students. Journal of Research
on Computing in Education, 33(4), 456-474.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Copen, B. (2002). Evaluation report: Program impact on teachers and students
who attended the 9th Annual International iEARN Conference in
Moscow, Russia 2002. https://www.iearn.org/about/research-evaluation
Dooly, M. (2020). Virtual exchange in teacher education: Is there an impact in
teacher practice? In M. Hauck & A. Müller-Hartmann (Eds), Virtual exchange and 21st century teacher education: short papers from the 2019 EVALUATE conference (pp. 101-113). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.46.1136 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.46.1136
Dooly, M. A., & O'Dowd, R. (Eds.). (2018). In this together: Teachers'
experiences with transnational, telecollaborative language learning projects (Vol. #6). Peter Lang International Academic Publishers.
Doscher, S. (2023). Professional development for COIL virtual exchange: What DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003447832-17
should it entail? In J. Rubin& S. Guth (Eds.), The guide to COIL virtual exchange : implementing, growing, and sustaining collaborative online international learning (pp. 244-274). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Educator Preparation Curriculum, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 228.57 (2024).
Francom, G. M., Lee, S. J., & Pinkney, H. (2021). Technologies, challenges and
needs of K-12 teachers in the transition to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. TechTrends, 65(4), 589-601. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00625-5
Gibson, K. L., Rimmington, G. M., & Landwehr-Brown, M. (2008). Developing
global awareness and responsible world citizenship with global
learning. Roeper Review, 30(1), 11-23.
Gibson, K. L., Vialle, W., & Rimmington, G. M. (2003). Gaining multiple
perspectives on gifted education through global learning reflection. The Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, 12(2), 34-40.
Gibson, K., Watters, J. J., Alagic, M., Rogers, G., & Haack, C. (2003). Global
learning technology: Developing pre-service elementary teachers’ reflective practice through cross-cultural exchanges. In EdMedia+ Innovate Learning (pp. 2364-2367). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Gleason, B., & Jaramillo Cherrez, N. (2021). Design thinking approach to global
collaboration and empowered learning: Virtual exchange as innovation in a teacher education course. TechTrends, 65(3), 348-358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00573-6
Goodell, J. E., & Koç, S. (Eds.). (2020). Preparing STEM teachers: The UTeach
replication model. IAP.
Graziano, K. J., & Bryans-Bongey, S. (2018). Surveying the national landscape
of online teacher training in K–12 teacher preparation programs. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(4), 259-277.
Hilliker, S. M., & Yol, Ö. (2022). Virtual exchange in teacher education: focus
on L2 writing. ELT Journal, 76(1), 11-19.
Hira, A., & Anderson, E. (2021). Motivating online learning through project-
based learning during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. IAFOR Journal of Education, 9(2), 93-110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2020.000110.1
Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687
analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288.
iEARN. (2024). About. iEARN. https://iearn.org/about
Ingrisch-Rupp, C., & Symeonidis, V. (2025). The Multifaceted Field of Virtual
Exchanges in Teacher Education: A Literature Review. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 15(1), 59-82.
Kingston, S. (2018). Project based learning and student achievement: What does
the research tell us? PBL Evidence Matters, 1(1), 1-11.
Krajcik, J., & Blumenfeld, P. (2005). Project-based learning. In R. K. Sawyer DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511816833.020
(Ed.) The Cambridge handbook of learning sciences (pp. 317-333).
Cambridge University Press.
Krajcik, J., Schneider, B., Miller, E. A., Chen, I. C., Bradford, L., Baker, Q.,
Bartz, K., Miller, C., Li, T., Codere, S., & Peek-Brown, D. (2023). Assessing the effect of project-based learning on science learning in elementary schools. American Educational Research
Journal, 60(1), 70-102.
Larmer, J. (Ed.). (2021). Project based learning handbook for middle and high
school. PBLWorks.
Lee, J. S., & Galindo, E. (2021). Examining project-based learning successes and
challenges of mathematics preservice teachers in a teacher residency
program: Learning by doing. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 15(1).
Leech, N. L., Gullett, S., Howland Cummings, M., & Haug, C. (2020).
Challenges of remote teaching for K-12 teachers during COVID-
19. Journal of Educational Leadership in Action, 7(1), 1.
Lenkaitis, C. A., Hilliker, S. M., & Roumeliotis, K. (2020). Teacher candidate
reflection and development through virtual exchange. IAFOR Journal of Education, 8(2), 125-139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.2.07
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guda, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0147-1767(85)90062-8
Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. A. (2013). Flattening classrooms, engaging minds:
Move to global collaboration one step at a time. Allyn & Bacon.
Lock, J. V., & Redmond, P. (2006). International online collaboration: Modeling
online learning and teaching. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2(4), 233-247.
Lowell, B. R., & McNeill, K. L. (2020). Using the student hat to push on
multiple goals in teacher professional learning. In M. Gresalfi & I. S. Horn (Eds.), The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020, Vol. 4 (pp. 2241-2244). International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Miller, E. A., Kelly, S. C., & Krajcik, J. (2021). 4 strategies to make virtual PBL
work. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-strategies-make-virtual-pbl-work/
Moore-Adams, B. L., Jones, W. M., & Cohen, J. (2016). Learning to teach
online: A systematic review of the literature on K-12 teacher preparation for teaching online. Distance education, 37(3), 333-348. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2016.1232158
Neal, G., Mullins, T., Reynolds, A., & Angle, M. (2013). Global collaboration in
teacher education: A case study. Creative Education, 4(9), 533-539.
O’Dowd, R. (2018). From telecollaboration to virtual exchange: state-of-the-art DOI: https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2018.jve.1
and the role of UNICollaboration in moving forward. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 1, 1-23.
O’Dowd, R. (2021). Virtual exchange: moving forward into the next decade. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1902201
Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(3), 209–224.
PBLWorks. (n.d.). What is PBL? Retrieved July 16, 2025, from
https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl
Rubin, J., & Guth, S. (Eds.). (2023). The guide to COIL virtual exchange:
implementing, growing, and sustaining collaborative online international learning. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Spencer, J. (2024, July 16). Sprints, mini-projects, and project-based learning.
John Spencer. https://spencereducation.com/sprints-mini-projects-and-project-based-learning/#:~:text=Mini%2Dprojects%20are%20shorter% 20projects,content%20through%20an%20authentic%20project.
Terada, Y. (2021, February 21). New research makes a powerful case for PBL.
Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-research-makes-powerful-case-pbl/
Union, C. D. (2011). The use of Web 2.0 technology to help students in high
school overcome ethnocentrism: A cross-cultural case study (Publication No. 3449815) [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Wurdinger, S. D. (2005). Using experiential learning in the classroom: Practical DOI: https://doi.org/10.5771/9781461655398
ideas for all educators. Scarecrow Education.
Xu, L., Hinds, A., Rakisheva, A., El Souefi, N., & Witt, A. (2025). Beyond
borders: Virtual Global Engagement in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 165, 1-10.
Yang, J., Kinshuk, Yu, H., Chen, S. J., & Huang, R. (2014). Strategies for
smooth and effective cross-cultural online collaborative learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(3), 208-221.
York, M. K., & Hite, R. (2021). Preservice science and math teachers' intent to
use classroom-based global collaboration (CBGC) in their future classrooms. Teacher Education Quarterly, 48(2), 45-68.
York, M. K., Hite, R., & Donaldson, K. (2019). Lessons learned from going
global: Infusing classroom-based global collaboration (CBGC) into
STEM pre-service teacher preparation. Innovations in Science Teacher Education, 4(4).
Call for Special Issue Proposals 
