On this episode of Leading Lines, producer and colleague Stacey Johnson brings us an interview about virtual exchanges, connecting students across cultures through technology. Stacey and our Vanderbilt colleague Chalene Helmuth, principal senior lecturer in Spanish, speak with two guests with extensive experience with virtual exchanges. Brianna Janssen Sánchez is assistant professor of practice in languages, cultures, and international studies, and coordinator of teacher education, at Southern Illinois University, and Nancy Ruther is principal and founder of Gazelle International, a non-profit that partners with higher education institutions to produce globally capable graduates. Nancy’s work at Gazelle follows almost 30 years as associate director of the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University.
In the interview, Stacey and Chalene talk to our guests about different models of virtual exchanges, the kinds of support and scaffolding to support virtual exchanges, and the impact virtual exchanges can have on both students and teachers.
Links
• Brianna Janssen Sánchez’s faculty page
• Nancy Ruther @ Gazelle International
• “Assessing language learning in virtual exchange: Suggestions from the field of language assessment,” Lee & Sauro (2021)