Global Virtual Courses (GVC)
Global collaboration of higher education institutions to address current issues and promote innovation in education.
SIGMA partners are Higher Education (HE) institutions that position themselves as being:
1. Global or international collaboration among students and instructors: every SIGMA course includes close cooperation among instructors from different universities as well as students enrolled at the participating partner institutions. Since students do not travel but instead cooperate online in virtual teams, it is an “internationalization at home” approach, also known as “carbon-neutral international collaboration”. This cross-cultural cooperation allows students and instructors to benefit from the diversity of disciplinary backgrounds and experience of the people involved.
2. A minimum of five SIGMA network partners are included, at least one of whom is from outside Europe.
3. Although the course aims for diversity, it is level-exclusive, i.e. offered either for students on the BA or for students on the MA level.
4. Teaching format:
a. Synchronous (live) online start and closure of the course.
b. Online self-directed learning modules: video-inputs, readings, exercises.
c. Cross-institutional project work.
d. Reflective exercise: Students do a reflective exercise about their work in the virtual teams as a final assignment.
e. A broad and multidisciplinary topic that addresses a specific societal challenge.
