Fieldwork abroad was one of the projects of ENVOIE (University of Groningen, Netherlands)
Summary
– Main objectives of the Virtual Exchange
Students from DePaul University (Chicago, Ill., USA) and University of Groningen (NL) have different roles in the VE. For Groningen students it is part of their obligatory fieldwork abroad, which they do in Chicago 3 months after the VE.
Main objective of the Virtual Exchange for both groups of students is to increase their awareness of the importance of integrating local knowledge in research. This works through feedback that the Groningen students receive from DePaul students to improve their research proposals, including reciprocal discussions on this feedback. Implicitly, intercultural communication is practised and experienced by all students.
– Targeted learning outcomes
1) to make students aware of cultural differences (between comparable social groups from different places; students in Groningen respectively Chicago);
2) improve their research proposals.
3) to stimulate longer lasting contacts between the UG and DePaul students, as the UG students would visit Chicago 3 months after the collaboration
– Global task description
UG students prepare for a research project by having 2 video-conferences with students from DePaul University, who function as local consultants. DePaul students read and reflect on these proposals, discuss potential improvements, and link the Groningen proposals to the theoretical discussions in their own geography classes.
Partners
| Partner / department | Course | Language of instruction | Number of students |
| DePaul University, Chicago, Ill. United States College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences |
GEO103 urban geography and GEO299 Knowledge, Place and Power | English | 35 |
| University of Groningen, Netherlands Faculty of Spatial Sciences |
Fieldwork abroad | English | 35 |
Start and end date
January 2018 – April 2018 (repeated each year)
Duration
3 months
Discipline
Sociology and cultural studies
Integration and assessment
Students from both sides write a short reflection report, based on a supplied template, about the intercultural communication experienced. Groningen students reflect in their research proposals on how the VE improved their projects. DePaul students reflect on how the VE experiences link up with the theoretical discussions on American urban geographies in their regular classes. These reflections are assessed with rubrics.
Technology tools used
– Learning environment
Learning environment: Groningen: Blackboard; DePaul: D2L Daylight (Brightspace).
– Collaboration tools
Blackboard Collaborate
– Reflection tool
Template