The Office of International Affairs (OIA) has launched the Global Teaching and Learning Initiative, a suite of virtual programming that inspire cross-cultural engagement inside and outside the classroom. In partnership with international liaisons within the colleges, OIA has been involved in developing the following experiences and opportunities.

• The College of Engineering in partnership with Tsukuba University are participating in a Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Transformational Lab. The three-month learning laboratory will help faculty adapt an education or exchange program to a virtual mode of delivery
• The College of Engineering is in the process of converting various courses with international themes into COIL opportunities for students
• Virtual semester and summer internships have been secured with global businesses and organizations through the Fisher College of Business 
• The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and the Department of French and Italian have partnered with Cindy Jiang, OIA’s senior research associate, to assess student intercultural awareness gains from cross-cultural conversations online with students in Turkey and Italy. Melinda McClimans, assistant director of the Middle East Studies Center, is leading the online conversation learning efforts. They are currently conducting a study on student learning outcomes in Turkish courses. See more about their work at Global Learning EPortfolio.
• A virtual exchange study group is forming and an inventory of online international collaborations at Ohio State is being collected. Please share your online cross-cultural learning efforts.
• Buckeyes Abroadcasts is a podcast hosted by education abroad specialists that discuss programs, resident directors, ways to stay globally engaged while remaining in the United States and the education abroad basics including program type, how to apply for a program, grants and scholarships and more. Listen on Soundcloud and iTunes
• Buckeye Bridge is a virtual series produced by education abroad specialists that allow students to explore international cultures from their own homes. Sessions include applying for a passport, how studying abroad positively impacts careers, international cuisine, sports and much more. Check the events calendar for more information coming soon
• Area Studies Centers are supporting and developing academic events including virtual workshops, seminars, coffee hours and teacher training opportunities
• To support a wide variety of recently developed virtual experiences through its Global Online Learning Initiative, the Office of International Affairs will host a webinar series, Global Education through a Virtual Lens, to share insight into the value of online collaborations for students and faculty.

Representatives from OIA are available for consultation and to provide support for adding a virtual international dimension to a course or extra-curriculum student activities. The OIA network can assist faculty in identifying overseas contacts to explore collaborative virtual opportunities and has the resources to moderate project-based learning experiences and cross-cultural engagement for students studying on campus or abroad.

For more information, please contact abroad@osu.edu or share your activities to the virtual international exchange database.