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2. Goals and learning outcomes in a VE

This section highlights the importance of goal setting and defining clear learning outcomes for your collaborative project. While it shall remind you of some of the basic steps and considerations that are involved in designing a course (cf. Toohey 1999), it also discusses the importance of graduate attributes and global competence development in VE design.

2.1 Identifying purpose and goals

One of the initial steps in planning a VE pertains to the importance of identifying clear goals and a well-defined purpose for the exchange, which is crucial to the success of the initiative. This step will help everyone involved guide the design and implementation of the VE because the expectations and objectives are clear from the start.

Depending on the partnership and the disciplines involved in the potential VE, the goals may vary, and partners need to engage in a negotiation process to agree on shared goals that reflect the needs of each institution (see also the three types of collaboration mentioned above). During the process, partners should consider the following guiding questions:

1. What are the objectives of the respective courses that the VE is going to be part of and how does the VE help reach these objectives?
2. What is the benefit of VE as a learning experience vs. any other method used throughout the semester?

Lecturers need to reflect on their individual course learning outcomes and discuss how the VE can serve as a vehicle to either reach these outcomes or to otherwise contribute to the skills or knowledge development of the course. For example, consider a master’s course in a Business School focusing on Consumption and Production. While the content of the course might focus on production theory, market dynamics, and resource allocation, skills development necessary to apply the content usually plays a crucial role as well. Such skills include analytical and critical thinking or problem-solving skills. In this case, the VE should be designed to incorporate activities that engage students with diverse perspectives, collaboratively addressing real-world issues. Successful planning therefore requires partners to identify the specific skills that their VE will cultivate in students (e.g., collaborative strategic planning skills, collaborative decision-making skills, or negotiating skills).

The second question takes into consideration the benefits of your particular VE setup. The opportunities you offer your students include the development of a global mindset within a specific context and engagement with peers from different cultural backgrounds. This exposure is likely to prepare them for future professional environments where international collaboration might be commonplace. In the example from above, students will learn first-hand from their international peers, which will probably affect their understanding of market dynamics through a different lens.

Furthermore, the partners involved in the VE need to recognize and articulate what each institution brings to the table in terms of expertise, resources, and commitment. Therefore, they need to be aware of the unique skills and knowledge that students should develop through the VE and also how these align with the broader goals of both institutions. Only if the purpose and goals of the VE are clearly identified and written down will the partners be able to create a meaningful exchange.

2. Activity

Create a list of at least five skills that you believe are essential for students to develop through a VE. Explain how VE can facilitate their developments.

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      1. Communicative skills can be developed through VE. For their collaborative projects, students have to engage in discussions and negotiations, which helps improve verbal and written communication skills. Because they work with new people from various backgrounds, students will be able to develop an understanding of different communication styles and how culture shapes them. 
      2. Digital literacy is inevitably a skill that is enhanced through VE. Even a technically modest VE will require students to use a variety of digital tools to communicate and collaborate with their peers, thus improving their digital literacy. Furthermore, in a multicultural or multinational context, students might have the opportunity to learn about new tools and their use. 
      3. Negotiation skills can be enhanced through the collaborative nature of VE projects. Having to work with new peers from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and maybe working in a language that is not everyone’s or nobody’s first language, students will have to negotiate throughout the VE. Negotiation includes decisions about the means of communication within a group, the assignment of different roles within a group project, or choices regarding the content of the group project. 
      4. Adaptability and flexibility skills can be developed in a VE. Because students need to navigate numerous cultural norms, time zones, digital tools and ways of communication, their adaptability and flexibility skills will be tested and enhanced.
      5. The development of empathy skills can be very effective within VE due to their immersive, intercultural activities. Discussions and collaboration with diverse peers allows students to exchange personal viewpoints and expertise, establishing emotional connections.

A note on goal setting

Keep in mind to differentiate between short-term and long-term goals when planning your VE, which shall help ensure a comprehensive approach to the learning experience that goes beyond the VE.

Short-term goals are immediate objectives that can be achieved during the exchange. Building on the example course above, short-term goals could include enhancing cultural awareness, developing collaborative skills, and applying theoretical knowledge. Enhancing cultural awareness might be achieved through the engagement in discussions and activities that expose the students to perspectives on consumption and production specific to the countries and cultures of their international partners, which shall foster an understanding of how cultural context influences business decisions. Collaborative skills can be achieved through group projects that encourage students to practice teamwork and communication skills in a multicultural (and multilingual) setting while learning to navigate different working styles and approaches to project work. Such projects could include case studies that allows them to use theoretical knowledge by applying concepts learned in class to real-world scenarios, such as analyzing sustainability practices of companies in the countries represented by the peers in the VE.

Turning to long-term goals, they should extend beyond the immediate outcomes of the VE. They should include competences and skills that impact students’ academic and professional futures. Within the context of the example above, they could include global competence development and professional network building. Global competence is an umbrella term for numerous skills, but in a business context, they should allow for a deeper understanding of global markets and the complexities involved in international business. Furthermore, a VE will connect students with peers and professionals from partner institutions (and maybe beyond), which may lead to future collaborations or opportunities on the global job market.

3. Activity

In the following exercise, match the examples to short-term and long-term goals.

Expanding on the notion of global competence, note that skills development can also consider social and personal development skills which can be enhanced through VE. In fact, these goals should be considered in more detail when agreeing on the VE’s learning outcomes (more on that later). At this planning stage, it shall suffice to discuss skills such as empathy, self-reflection, and building confidence and how they might play a role in your respective student body. Empathy, along with a greater appreciation for diversity, might be developed by engaging with peers from various backgrounds. Self-reflecting one’s own values, beliefs, and assumptions, may be part of various activities throughout the VE, fostering personal growth and a more nuanced worldview. Actively collaborating with peers promotes public speaking and presentation skills, which might boost students’ confidence in expressing ideas and opinions.

In summary, identifying clear goals a well-defined purpose is a critical first step in planning a successful VE. Partners can establish shared objectives that align with the specific needs of their courses. This important step not only clarifies the immediate outcomes of the VE, but also sets the stage for long-term outcomes that contribute to students’ global competence and professional networks. 

Building on the purpose on goals, the next step requires you to delve deeper into the learning outcomes associated with these goals. Understanding how to effectively integrate and assess these outcomes within your VE will ensure that the VE fosters the development of students and enriches their overall course experience.

2.2 Learning outcomes and VE

Learning outcomes are essential components of any course or project. They clearly state what students are expected to know, understand, and be able to do by the end of the learning experience. In planning any class, project or educational activity, learning outcomes and overarching goals need to be aligned in order to ensure that whatever is being planned serves as a meaningful and integrated part of the course curriculum. Thus, when planning your VE, defining the learning outcomes helps reinforce the knowledge and skills that you want students to acquire within the VE. At the same time, discussing and agreeing on these outcomes with your partner will facilitate the other steps involved in the planning of the VE.

While most educators are familiar with planning and articulating learning outcomes, the following considerations shall help guide you and your partners in this process (also consider Deardorff 2024, p. 288).

What to consider when planning and articulating learning outcomes?
    • Be clear and specific. It is crucial that learning outcomes are clearly defined and specific, leaving as little room as possible for misinterpretation. They shall guide you in the planning of your activities and help students understand what is expected of them. For example, instead of writing “students will apply production theory in a case study”, a more specific outcomes might be “students will analyze the production function of a specific company in order to identify how changes in different inputs affect output”.    
    • Be relevant. Learning outcomes should directly support the goals of the course or the VE. They should be relevant, so that you can create a cohesive VE that fits well into the rest of your course’s curriculum.
    • Use measurable criteria. Effective learning outcomes should be able to be assessed through measurable criteria. While these criteria do not need to be included in the actual outcomes, it is important that planners think about what students need to demonstrate and fulfill in order to meet these learning outcomes.

Consider the following two learning outcomes.

        1. Students will understand production theory.
        2. Students will analyze the production function of a specific company to identify how changes in labor and capital inputs affect overall output and efficiency.

The first example is a badly written learning outcome. It is very vaguely written because it does not specify how understanding will be measured or demonstrated. The second example, on the other hand, can be considered a well-written learning outcome as it is clear and specific, thus, leaving little, if at all, room for misinterpretation.

4. Activity

Consider the following learning outcomes and discuss what makes them more or less suitable. When you turn the cards, you will find explanations for why they serve as good or less suitable examples.

good examples:

less suitable examples:

A note on learning and transfer

An important aspect to keep in mind when planning learning outcomes is the concept of knowledge transfer, that is, the ability of students to apply knowledge and skills learned in one context or classroom to new situations, ideally beyond the classroom. Within VE, you should therefore consider learning outcomes that not only focus on the immediate VE project but also encourage students to transfer the experience to other scenarios both on campus and beyond (cf. also long-term goals). This can be supported by incorporating active and experiential learning approaches (such as project-based or task-based learning), inquiry- and research-based learning, or other approaches that incorporate authentic and real-world tasks mimicking professional challenges and thus allowing students to apply their learning in numerous diverse contexts. For example, students might be tasked with developing a marketing strategy for a company that their peers are partnering with. In the business school example from above, students might learn about sustainable practices, while their collaborative projects require them to transfer their knowledge through a real-world challenge such as developing a sustainability strategy for one of the partner universities’ local partner companies.

5. Activity

Which statement best descsribes the concept of knowledge transfer?

A note on learning outcomes and content

Throughout your planning process, remember to distinguish between learning outcomes and content. While content refers to the subject matter and topics covered in your course (including, e.g., all theories you plan on teaching or specific reading materials you will be using), learning outcomes focus on what students will achieve as a result engaging with these materials and the content. As previously stated, the learning outcomes are directly related to the goals, whereas the content is so-called textbook knowledge. Consider the following statement:

I want my students to understand the Cobb-Douglas production function.

This statement is not a goal or learning outcome but knowledge. Therefore, it gives you information about the content of one of your lectures or sessions rather than about what you want your students to do with it. We need to remember to ask ourselves what we want our students to do with such content. Now consider:

I want my students to leave this VE / class able to know when and when not to apply the Cobb-Douglas production function. Students should be able to concretely address real-world situations and help companies determine efficient input combinations, while also taking into consideration an inconstant elasticity of substitution between labor and capital.

This statement includes the ability to transfer knowledge acquired in the course, and, for the most part, that’s what we want our students to achieve. By clearly and specifically formulating learning outcomes, we are able to enhance students’ awareness of the bigger picture.
Another example to highlight the difference is the following:

Students will understand sustainability practices by learning about environmental regulations and case studies of sustainable companies.
vs.
Students will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of different sustainability strategies and propose innovative solutions for real-world challenges.

The distinction between these two statements, again, will help students understand the big picture while also help you design assessments and activities that are aligned with the desired outcomes rather than just thinking about the content you want to cover.

6. Activity

a) Read the following statements and decide if they represent content or learning outcome.

b) For each content statement, write a clear and specific learning outcome that focuses on what students will be able to do with the knowledge they acquire.

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a) Students will be able to explain how changes in supply and demand affect market prices. 

c) Students will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Keynesian and classical economic theories pertaining to specific economic issues.  

e) Students will be able to evaluate case studies for the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in non-profit organizations.

2.3 The role of graduate attributes and global competence development

“There is […] evidence across the publications that VE enables the development of a wide range of transversal or ‘soft skills’ which are considered very relevant for the modern workplace”, (O’Dowd 2022, p. 108), including the ability to listen actively, critical thinking, digi­tal competences, teamwork and collaborative problem-solving. Since VEs can be cross-disciplinary learning experiences, your VE might also focus on (non-disciplinary) skills and competence development over (disciplinary) content. These skills will directly inform your learning outcomes, and you and your partners should discuss the graduate attributes and global competencies that are important to your specific student body during the VE planning process.

 

Graduate attributes can be understood as “[…] the qualities, skills and understandings a university community agrees its students should develop during their time with the institution. These attributes include, but go beyond, the disciplinary expertise or technical knowledge that has traditionally formed the core of most university courses. They are qualities that also prepare graduates as agents of social good in an unknown future” (Boud & Solomon, 2006, p. 212).

Global competence, on the other hand, is an umbrella term that encompasses numerous international, intercultural, and global citizenship skills (Leask, 2009, p. 209), that is, a set of competences contributing to the “development of the whole person in the context of their professional, personal, and social lives and ‘the common good” (Leask, 2015, p. 55). These competences cross cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions, thus, containing knowledge components such as understanding and recognizing global issues, as well as skills that enable us to engage with individuals from various backgrounds (e.g., empathy and effective communication skills) and reflective skills that allow us to reflect our own values and biases in relation to others.

For a more detailed discussion and a list of graduate attributes and global competence skills, see Leask (2009) and Studer, Bürki & McGury (2024), which could help you and your partners develop an overview of the skills you would like to your students to practice and improve through your VE. Note that the point here is not to differentiate between graduate attributes and global competences. If your university has a specified list of graduate attributes, you might want to take a close look at them and decide to include them in your VE planning. Usually, graduate attributes are kept a little more broad in the sense that they focus on certain qualities and skills that equip an individual student for professional success in various disciplines. Global competence skills, on the other hand, are usually more specific and tailored to fit a globalized context.

7. Activity

Choose two skills (attributes or global competence) that you believe students in a VE will develop. For each, write a clear and specific learning outcome that reflects what you would want students to achieve through the VE.

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Disclaimer: As noted above, graduate attributes and global competences cannot necessarily be distinguished clearly. Some overlap is to be expected. 

Graduate attribute effective communication. Learning outcome: Students will be able to clearly convey ideas in a group discussion on XYZ. 

Graduate attribute critical thinking. Learning outcome: Students will be able to decide on the most effective sustainability strategy based on data analysis and evaluation, taking into consideration numerous arguments and perspectives. 

Global competence intercultural communication. Learning outcome: Students will demonstrate effective intercultural communication skills by actively listening to their peers, and by adapting their communication styles to cater to different perspectives. 

Global Competence Global awareness. Learning outcome: Students will be able to analyze the impact of sustainable production practices in their partner countries and compare the findings across different regions.

2.4 Learning outcomes and assessment

While most educators who are planning a VE might not think of assessment as a crucial component in the planning process, it should be stressed that defining success for a VE includes establishing qualitative and quantitative measures in order to ensure that learning outcomes are met. It is up to you to decide if you want to include low-stakes or high-stakes assignments in your VE; however, you will need to discuss with your partners what measurable criteria you will use to determine that a learning outcome is achieved.

For instance, you can assess the success of an activity (or the VE) through students’ ability to articulate their learning experiences, or you can include quantitative measures such as participation or completion rates.

Assuming that the learning outcomes of your VE emphasize graduate attributes and global competence development, discuss with your partners the numerous assessment tools you might want to include in your VE. For example, you can include pre- and post-exchange questionnaires eliciting students’ expectations and perceived learning, reflective written assignments to document students’ thoughts or learning processes, or peer assessments to enhance collaborative learning. Clear rubrics for assessing specific outcomes can also help ensure consistency and transparency in evaluation.

For a more detailed discussion on how to assess such intercultural learning outcomes, see Deardorff (2022). For the purpose of this module, consider the following checklist

Learning outcomes and assessment – Checklist (abbreviated from Deardorff, 2022, p. 295):
            1. Have goals and related learning outcomes been clearly articulated? Has intercultural learning been explicitly addressed in the course goals and learning outcomes?
            2. What evidence needs to be collected to indicate that these learning outcomes have been achieved to some degree?
            3. How will this evidence be collected (through what assignments, assessment tools, etc.)?
            4. Are the assignments and assessments tailored to meet students where they are in their intercultural journeys?
            5. Does the outcomes assessment reflect an understanding of learning as multidimensional, integrated, holistic, and revealed in performance over time?

Furthermore, you and your partners should discuss what feedback mechanisms you would like to implement throughout the VE. If the length of the collaboration allows for it, you could include feedback loops to ensure continuous improvement of the VE by gathering information about the effectiveness of certain activities. (For more information, see Evaluation)

8. Activity

Read the following collaborative project description and think about the various learning outcomes and content that the VE should include. 

After having been introduced to various sustainability strategies, you and your peers introduced a local company from each of your regions. Pick one company and develop a realistic sustainability strategy for them.

Learning outcomes could be: 

  1. Sustainability knowledge: Students know and will be able to identify key sustainability strategies relevant to their local contexts and those of their partners. 
  2. Collaborative work: Students will develop a realistic sustainability strategy for a chosen company in a collaborative group project, demonstrating effective teamwork. 
  3. Critical thinking: Students will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a company’s current production practices and incorporate them in their proposed strategy. 

Content could be: 

  1. Sustainability concepts: Students will learn about fundamental sustainability concepts, strategies, and best practices in production and consumption. 
  2. Regional challenges: Students will analyze specific sustainability challenges in local companies, considering regional-specific factors. 
  3. Students will learn to develop a sustainability strategy.

2.5 Summary

This chapter focused on the significance of setting a purpose and clear goals along with defining specific learning outcomes as a first step of planning a VE. Faculty members are encouraged to establish shared goals that reflect the needs of all institutions involved. The key questions above shall help you clarify your course objectives and understand the benefits that the VE you are planning can offer as a learning experience within your course. In doing so, you are encouraged to consider both short-term and long-term goals that you are pursuing with and beyond the VE as well as the role of graduate attributes and global competence development, informing your definition of learning outcomes and their assessment. By prioritizing these elements, you can ensure that the VE you are planning is not only meaningful and enriching but also effectively enhances your students’ overall educational experience beyond the VE.

All illustrations on this page by @storyset (https://www.freepik.com/author/stories)

This work © 2025 by Sandra McGury is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0