Virtual Tabadul: Creating Language-Learning Community Through Virtual Reality

Abstract

This article presents on a multi-institution project that explains the development of Virtual Tabadul, which is an exchange program in virtual reality for English and Arabic foreign language and culture learning and community building amongst 1,200 US and the Middle East, and North Africa (MENA) college-aged youth. The program involves faculty, staff, and students at four institutions: Florida International University (U.S.), University of Michigan-Dearborn (U.S.), Oum El-Bouaghi University (Algeria), and Ibn Tofail University (Morocco). The project has been developed with generous funding from the Stevens Initiative and is the very first virtual exchange program for Arabic and English foreign language learning in virtual reality.

Enhancing EFL Teaching Skills: An Auto-Ethnographic Online Professional Development Journey

“…Furthermore, technology facilitates tailored learning and presents prospects for genuine language practice and cultural immersion (Jung, 2022;Rashid et al, 2018). By utilizing virtual reality experiences, online language exchanges, and digital resources, students can actively participate in authentic language usage and interact with native speakers of the target language residing in various regions across the globe (Baralt et al, 2022). The above exposure augments their linguistic proficiency and deepens their comprehension of diverse cultures, equipping them with the necessary skills to engage in global communication within an ever more interconnected global landscape.…”

Virtual International Exchange: Access, Outcomes, and Programmatic Concerns

“…A final component of these definition is an emphasis on the inclusion of participants from at least two geographic or cultural contexts. As Baralt et al (2022) emphasize: "[Virtual exchange] entails the use of technology to bridge students across cultural and geographic boundaries from different contexts" (p. xx).…”

“…These two studies, Weaver et al and Fernández Gutiérrez et al, provide insight into the experts who guide virtual exchange programming. Finally, Baralt et al (2022) describe the creation of a virtual exchange program for foreign language learning with a focus on the integration of multiple technological resources, sequencing of program content, collaboration and dynamics among various project partners, and challenges encountered during the project's development and implementation. The authors contribute this piece with the hope that a detailed understanding of their process of program creation is helpful to other seeking to develop scalable virtual exchange programs.…”

“…The ways in which educators implement programs may have important consequences to who accesses virtual exchange and, ultimately, how comfortable they feel in those experiences. Articles like Giralt et al (2022) and Baralt et al (2022), which outline specific approaches to virtual exchange program design, provide insight into programmatic approaches and components that can be further explored for their contribution to the gains in student outcomes observed in Lee et al (2022) and Devereux and Glenn (2022).…”