• Undergraduate
• Graduate

Texas International Education Consortium’s Community Climate Connect prepares select faculty, along with virtual exchange facilitators in Iraq, in the areas of climate change, environmental sustainability, urban sustainability, and geography to design and implement virtual exchange programs for their students. Facilitators explore resources and strategies to incorporate cross-cultural communication, cultural and global competencies, and language-learning goals into their programs. After participating in a virtual exchange firsthand, facilitators incorporate their climate solution-themed, project-based exchanges in the following semesters for their students. Through these exchanges, students develop professional skills, global digital literacy, cultural appreciation and understanding, and intercultural collaboration and communication.

Activities

This virtual exchange includes two components. First, facilitators will learn to design and develop virtual exchange programs and best practices for delivering these programs to students. The training includes activities such as program mapping, planning and design, technology integration, and critical thinking skills. Second, they will then conduct these exchange programs with their students from Iraq and Texas, U.S., who will complete a climate solution themed project-based exchange to develop their professional skills and simultaneously fulfill course objectives. Examples of these activities include diving into complex climate and environmental topics, conducting climate research, and proposing innovative solutions, among many other possibilities.

Program Details