“Fostering Interdisciplinary Intercultural Citizenship with Virtual Reality in a World Language Virtual Exchange Project” – that was the title of Prof. Wagner’s presentation at the 22nd Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Research conference in Japan.

More information about her research is summarized below:

Overview of the Study
The United Nations has issued an urgent call for global action to address contemporary challenges, leading to the creation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Education, particularly language education, plays a pivotal role in nurturing active citizenship and fostering intercultural dialogue to tackle complex issues like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UN, 2015) . Virtual Reality (VR) has been increasingly utilized in interdisciplinary foreign language teaching, offering unique affordances such as embodiment, presence, and empathy (Tiboni-Craft & Yu, 2023; Shin, 2017; Gerry et al., 2022).

This qualitative study, conducted as an action research project, applied the framework of Intercultural Citizenship (Byram, 2008) to an international collaboration between students of German in the USA and Germany, focusing on SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12, and 13 related to environmental sustainability. Eight students from the US and seven from Germany, aged mostly between 18 and 23, participated in the project over six weeks during the fall semester of 2022. Working in international dyads and triads, participants engaged in activities aimed at addressing environmental challenges while fostering intercultural understanding.

Data collection included pre- and post-project questionnaires, weekly journals, and project presentations and essays. Results indicated that VR-enhanced virtual exchanges facilitated linguistic skill development  and intercultural competence among students, fostering attitudes of openness, curiosity, and tolerance. Students demonstrated skills in interpretation, discovery, interaction, and critical cultural awareness, essential for addressing global challenges collaboratively.

Regarding the perception of VR’s usefulness and impact, participants reported a positive experience, highlighting the relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere of virtual spaces. Furthermore, the project’s outcomes suggest a shift in students’ understanding of language education, emphasizing the practical application of language skills in addressing real-world issues. This highlights the potential of VR-enhanced language education in promoting active citizenship and fostering global collaboration towards sustainable development.

As the German Studies program is integrating more digital humanities (DH) and AI technology in teaching and research stay tuned for more updates!