Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on global travel, WVU faculty members are continuing efforts to expand curriculum and learning opportunities abroad with the support of Virtual Exchange Faculty grants from the Office of Global Affairs.
Grants are awarded to projects that demonstrate a commitment to WVU's mission to internationalize curriculum and develop strong relationships with partner institutions abroad.
Ludwig Schaupp, professor in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, is collaborating with Münster University of Applied Sciences and Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Germany, as well as Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia for his classes in managerial accounting and global consulting. Schaupp’s students are engaged in team-building exercises focused on communication skills and problem-solving. These students began with a virtual introduction to Colombian students to better understand communication channels and are collaborating on their work with GEA Consulting, a Fortune 50 firm in Germany.
Scott Barnicle, a teaching associate in the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, is partnering with Halmstad University in Sweden for his Psychological Perspectives of Sport undergraduate course. WVU students collaborate with their Swedish counterparts on comparative analysis of sport and exercise psychology. The course also integrates intercultural communication and collaboration through group projects and presentations.
A.J. Aluri, associate professor in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, will use his award for his undergraduate courses in tourism management and hospitality social. Aluri is collaborating with Hong Kong Baptist University and two academic programs in Dubai, Hotel and Tourism Management International and Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.
Susan Lantz and Paula Fitzgerald from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics are working together on their partnership with the Royal University for Women in Bahrain for their course, Appalachia and the Arabian Gulf: Engaging with Women, Business, and Entrepreneurship Around the Globe. Lantz and Fitzgerald are organizing three virtual study abroad sessions that are open to 25 WVU students and 25 Royal University for Women in Bahrain students and focus on studying issues tied to women in business and entrepreneurship through the lenses of culture and gender.
Read more about each recipient’s virtual exchange.
All four grant recipients will present their virtual exchanges as part of the Office of Global Affairs’ International Education Week (Nov. 16-20). The week also includes an all-day virtual Education Abroad Fair Nov. 18.
Find a full schedule of events for the International Education Week and Education Abroad Fair.
Nine additional grants are available for the Spring 2021 semester with the help of the Health Sciences Center Global Engagement Office, who will match four of the awards for a total of $500 each. The deadline for applications is Dec. 18 and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all funds are awarded.
Find more information on the Spring 2021 Virtual Exchange Faculty grants and the link to apply.