VM curriculum designing
Training material development on VM curriculum designing was lead by VMU and KUL with the involvement of other partners. E-learning centres' staff or other staff members from consortium institutions worked collaboratively online to develop training material with practical assignments and templates, as well as video or audio explanations on how to design VM curriculum and what are peculiarities in such process.
1.1. Virtual mobility implementation scenarios
Virtual mobility (VM) is rather a new phenomenon and has been influenced by the development of technology enhanced learning very much. “Virtual mobility” concept consists of the word “virtual” that is referred to “technology enhanced” and the word “mobility” that means movement. Although from the first sight it might not be seen as related with education, but as the purpose of physical mobility can be academic experience, the same relations can be drawn here with VM.
Quite a series of projects have been already dedicated to create practices of VM. Having researched this phenomenon in theory and practice, European Commission has suggested the following definition of VM:
“a form of formal higher education, research and communication, based on a cooperation of at least 2 higher education institutions (HEI), which includes significant virtual component through an ICT supported learning environment and virtual social communication, and has appropriate design to include collaboration between people from different backgrounds and/or cultures working and studying together, having, as its main purpose the enhancement of social communication, mutual understanding of people and the exchange of knowledge and skills, similar as in case of cooperation within the framework of physical mobility”
According to the European Commission, full academic recognition is given to the students for studies and courses based on agreements for the evaluation, validation and recognition of acquired competences via VM. In this context, cooperation agreements are key to ensuring sustainable mobility schemes.
Quality in VM is ensured by the institutions taking part in developing and organizing the VM process. Institutions are responsible for the support units that coordinate and organize VM. All participants should be informed about the support system available, including academic, technological and cultural support. When administrative issues arise, they are usually solved at the institutional level. However, peer support can also be an effective way to find a solution.
Teachers participating in VM are responsible for the quality assurance of the academic process and curriculum. Students are mostly responsible for peer support and feedback for the institution(s) involved in VM exchange. Engaged students can make radical changes and improvements to a given curriculum, while, on the contrary, the best curriculum and VM organization can fail if students participation is very low or there is no international collaboration.