A Tele-Collaborative Exchange Between University Courses in Early Childhood Education in Costa Rica and the United States
Abstract: Tele-collaborative exchanges between university students in different countries are ripe for application to the area of early childhood education (ECE), and fit well with trends toward internationalization in ECE. We describe the design and evaluation of a pilot exchange that took place in Fall, 2019 between graduate students in a university course on ECE in Costa Rica (with 27 students) and a related course in the USA (with 16 students). Students were divided into 8 groups, each assigned a different topic. After asynchronous text-based discussions (using Google Classroom), they worked together via web videoconference (using Zoom) to prepare electronic presentations, which were then shared with the other students. The project was evaluated using data sources including a survey, focus groups, interviews with students, students’ electronic slides and online postings, and reflections of participating faculty members. We discuss the project and plans for revising it in light of the evaluation.