Educational Effectiveness of a 5-Country Virtual Exchange Program for Internationalization in Occupational Therapy...

Area of Science:

• Global Health Education
• Virtual Exchange Programs
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Global health care education requires international orientation for diverse patient care and collaboration.
• Virtual international exchange programs offer a novel approach to global education in the post-pandemic era.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a virtual international exchange program.
• To evaluate the impact on academic/professional learning and international orientation.
• To gather student perspectives from five participating countries.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental, before-and-after design with mixed methods.
• A 5-day interactive virtual program for occupational therapy students.
• Data collected via questionnaires and qualitative analysis of international orientation.

Main Results:

• Student expectations regarding expertise, learning, and interaction were met.
• Program evaluation scores ranged from 3.8 to 4.9 (scale 1-5).
• Participants reported a clearer international perspective and satisfaction with cross-cultural understanding.

Conclusions:

• Virtual exchange programs can foster problem-solving skills and diverse group interactions.
• These programs provide valuable opportunities for cultivating global competencies in health professions students.