Cultural Immersion in Freshman Courses Using Virtual Exchange: Empowering Students Through Local and Global Engagement

This mixed-methods research study focuses on the efficacy of virtual exchange (VE) in promoting authentic cross-cultural immersion, critical awareness of social issues, and collective engagement in local and global communities among undergraduate students. The partner institutions in this VE project were a large public US university and a small private university in Hong Kong. Discussions focused on access and opportunity issues in the US and Hong Kong for various communities, leading to a deeper analysis of the distribution of power and privilege in both countries. I analyzed the impact of VE on the US students (n = 45) through pre- and post-test surveys using the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS), which measures cross-cultural competence and thematic analysis of student artifacts. VE students’ competence significantly increased from pre-test to post-test on the ISS, while the students in a similar course without VE (n = 28) showed no change. Analysis of student artifacts revealed a shift in global awareness, an appreciation of authentic insights about another the culture, a critical understanding of social structures, and a need for collaboration concerning global issues among youth. Overall, VE offered powerful and enriching experiences for students by integrating international immersion into college education courses.