Cross-University Networking through Virtual Exchange

Perspectives for Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Teacher Education

Abstract

We explore the potential of virtual exchange for teacher education with the help of an interdisciplinary project. It combines the collaboration of several universities with practice-oriented teaching elements. The article first summarizes the results of recent empirical research on Virtual Exchange and its influence on competence development. We then explain the required infrastructural and pedagogical foundations for a successful exchange project in teacher education. Finally, we outline an exemplary project for mathematics in order to discuss which of its features could be transferred to other university projects. These include giving suitable theoretical input before the exchange as well as the usage of synchronous and asynchronous forms of collaboration. The article aims to initiate further discussions on the potential of digitally enhanced forms of collaboration in teacher education – in and outside of the often exclusively focused foreign language teaching context.