Tales of Two Cities Retold through Virtual Travels with Languages 

Description

Training students with globalized perspectives is among key objectives of tertiary education in the contemporary era. However, opportunities of global exchange and travel that institutions and students could afford are greatly limited by financial and social conditions. Moreover, outbreak of COVID-19 prompts educators and practitioners to rethink traditional means to teaching humanities and social sciences, facing the need of personalization and interactivity by the millennial generation. This project proposes an innovative and structured approach to increasing language and culture exchange between two international cities: Hong Kong and Turin. We will engage students in virtual international experience via Zoom and other social media platforms such as Instagram, which offer multimedia channels and streaming functions suitable for pedagogical use. Assignments and activities fostering collaborative learning will be incorporated into GE and major courses involving language-related and linguistic subjects. Students will pair up with peers from University of Turin in virtual travels in their cities to learn from each other while completing course works. Our approach will set up a safe and interactive environment for guided exposure to and exchange of linguistic and cultural diversities, facilitating students to accomplish learning outcomes. The joyful and intellectual experience will hone students’ awareness and pride as local residents and global citizens. Their learning outcomes in format of photos, vlogs, or journals and so on, will provide valuable empirical materials for curriculum development and inspiration for research projects as well. Last but not least, our teaching methods incorporating mobile communication affords a safe and structured context for gaining global experience, and contributes to effective cross-institutional collaboration aiming at enhancing globalization among the millennial generation.