Virtual Exchange and Blended Mobility
The Virtual Exchange is an innovative and accessible international experience that does not involve physical mobility, but leverages the support given by technologies and the use of a lingua franca as a means of communication.
It consists of a training activity, organized in synergy with international universities, in which frontal/traditional teaching plays a marginal role, in favor of a collaborative experience focused on the student and group work, with the aim of creating a common project and/or discussing interdisciplinary issues, according to a challenge-based approach.
The groups, made up of students from different institutions, meet on remote collaboration platforms independently or with the support of facilitators, whose role is to encourage the active participation of all members of the group, fostering the creation of a positive and collaborative environment of confrontation.
The Virtual Exchange therefore differs profoundly from virtual mobility, which instead consists of following lessons carried out remotely (in synchronous or asynchronous mode) by professors of the destination university who will also provide the training credits at the end of the course.
Blended mobility programmes consist of international educational activities that combine virtual collaboration and short physical mobility, offering "challenge-based" activities. The main objective is to promote the development of transversal and intercultural skills, relational skills, collaboration and teamwork.
The duration depends on the specific course and ranges from a few weeks to a full semester.
All students of the University of Padova who meet the entry requirements set out in the specific call can participate in the project.
In general, you need to:
- Have access to a computer with an internet connection
- mastery of the vehicular language (usually English)
- Want to get out of your comfort zone
It is therefore not necessary to have the physical, temporal and/or economic possibility to move to another university.
Virtual Exchange is an experience that allows participants to:
- develop and strengthen transversal skills, which are increasingly in demand in the world of work (ability to work in a group and with people from different cultural backgrounds, communication skills in a foreign language, learning different communication styles and ability to adapt one's communication to the specific interlocutor and cultural context)
- develop and strengthen one's global identity , learning to understand diversity as a value
- deepen interdisciplinary issues, which would otherwise not be addressed during the traditional course of study
- develop digital skills, especially those related to remote interaction and teamwork on sharing platforms
- prepare for physical mobility, helping to avoid cultural shocks and improve integration in the host country
- Make new friends
- Get out of your comfort zone
There are several forms of recognition of participation in Virtual Exchange projects.
If the course is included in the degree courses of the University of Padova, the credits are provided as:
- Free credits (with grade/eligibility), in-plan or off-plan
- restricted credits, if included in the course of the reference lecturer staff
- traineeship
If the course is included in the degree courses of the foreign university, the credits can be recognized according to the methods of recognition of credits earned abroad.
If the course is not included in the degree courses, students may be issued an Open Badge.
We always invite you to inquire in advance about any limitations and rules for your course of study. In case of doubt, contact the Director of your course of study or his delegate for confirmation.
The Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) are a new funding scheme of the Erasmus+ Programme. They consist of international educational activities that combine virtual collaboration and short physical mobility, offering "challenge-based" activities. Blended intensive programmes must award at least 3 ECTS credits to students.
NICE is a virtual exchange syllabus addressed to all students of the University of Padova. It is divided into 7 teaching modules with the aim of promoting the development of transversal and in particular entrepreneurial and intercultural skills, relationship and collaboration skills, teamwork skills, problem-solving approaches, with the aim of promoting professional growth and entry into the world of work.
Students will work both individually and in interdisciplinary and multicultural groups with the aim of solving an operational question (Global Challenge).
CVEinAI is a virtual exchange syllabus addressed to all students of the University of Padova. It is organized on 5 modules of synchronous and asynchronous activities, with the aim of promoting intercultural dialogue and a critical approach on the topic of artificial intelligence.
Students will work both individually and in interdisciplinary and multicultural groups with the aim of solving an operational question, together with colleagues from other universities participating in the syllabus.
CliVEx is a virtual exchange syllabus addressed to all students of the University of Padova. It is organized over 10 weeks of synchronous and asynchronous activities, with the aim of promoting intercultural dialogue on the theme of climate change.
Students will work both individually and in interdisciplinary and multicultural groups with the aim of solving an operational question (Climate Action Project), together with colleagues from other universities participating in the syllabus.
Projects and Mobility Office
Lungargine del Piovego 1, 35131 Padova
Email: virtual.exchange@unipd.it
