Virtual Exchange in Higher Education: Emerging Discussions and Recommended Practices

Authors

  • Luciana Cabrini Simoes Calvo

    Department of Modern Languages, State University of Maringá, Maringá 87020-900, Brazil
  • Angela Alonso

    Department of Modern Philology, University of León, 24071 León, Spain
  • Robert O'Dowd

    Department of Modern Philology, University of León, 24071 León, Spain
  • Kyria Rebeca Finardi

    Department of Languages, Culture and Education, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória 29075-910, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jiep.v9i2.13299
Received: 13 March 2026 | Revised: 10 June 2026 | Accepted: 29 June 2026 | Published Online: 10 July 2026

Abstract

As a powerful catalyst to internationalize higher education institutions, advancing strategies of internationalization at home (IaH) and internationalization of the curriculum (IoC), virtual exchange (VE) has played a significant role in the development of participants’ intercultural, linguistic, digital and transversal skills as well as in Global Citizenship Education. Although it has been integrated into many undergraduate and graduate programs across the globe, its successful implementation requires strategic planning and informed pedagogical considerations. Drawing on recent scholarship as well as on our own research and accumulated practice in VE, this paper revises current and emergent discussions offering recommendations for its implementation in different fields of knowledge. The discussion afforded in the paper considers the following aspects of VE: i) preparing students for intercultural encounters; ii) language use and communication in multilingual, lingua-franca, and translanguaging environments; iii) task design and assessment aligned with collaborative and action-oriented pedagogies; iv) digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital/AI literacy; v) challenges and critical considerations for equity, inclusion and Global South participation. By addressing those issues and providing pedagogical insights and strategies, the paper contributes to the ongoing discussion of how VE can support the internationalization of higher education in a more informed, engaged and critical way.

Keywords:

Virtual Exchange; Internationalization; Higher Education; Recommended Practices

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How to Cite

Calvo, L. C. S., Alonso, A., O’Dowd, R., & Finardi, K. R. (2026). Virtual Exchange in Higher Education: Emerging Discussions and Recommended Practices. Journal of International Education and Practice, 9(2), 16–32. https://doi.org/10.30564/jiep.v9i2.13299

Issue

Vol. 9 , Iss. 2 (December 2026)

Article Type

REVIEW

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Copyright © 2026 Luciana Cabrini Simoes Calvo, Angela Alonso, Robert O'Dowd, Kyria Rebeca Finardi

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.