Co-creation, Co-learning and Co-teaching Are Key - Developing Intercultural, Collaborative, and Digital Competences Through Virtual Exchange

Collaboration is Key. Co-creation, co-learning and co-teaching are essential in acquiring collaboration skills and problem-solving competences for research and education. An educational framework that enables students and educators to collaboratively work together in international and intercultural teams is Virtual Exchange (VE). This article provides an overview of the possibilities VE offers to acquire intercultural, collaborative, and digital competences. The development of these skills will be analyzed and critically examined based on selected learning scenarios from DAAD-funded VE projects. The article concludes with an outline of the lessons learned regarding skill development and a discussion of VE's impact on Higher Education Institutions' internationalization, digitalization, and sustainability strategies.