91制片厂鈥檚 Virtual Exchange program uses technology to connect Chicago-area
students with learners from around the world. More than 1,000 students have participated
in the program since it began in 2021. 
It took a little while for Austin Brenke to figure out what he wanted to study. He enrolled at 91制片厂, then quit to go to trade school. Not long after, the 22-year-old Elk Grove Village resident realized he wanted to turn his interest in finance into a career.
He re-enrolled at 91制片厂 and landed in an English 101 course that is part of the college鈥檚 Virtual Exchange program, which uses technology to connect Chicago-area students with learners from around the world. The course was linked as a learning community with 91制片厂's First Year Seminar (FYS), which teaches students how to navigate the college experience. Learning Communities at 91制片厂 connect courses across disciplines under a common theme. Students enroll in both course sections for a unique cohort learning experience.
Austin鈥檚 cohort spent the semester completing a project with students studying to teach English at Universidad Aut贸noma de Chiapas in Chiapas, Mexico. He said he believes the experience will help him with future business ventures.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e able to clearly communicate with people from another country, that gives you access to another market in a sense,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t definitely helps with time management, too, because everybody has to be able to plan and coordinate.鈥�
More than 1,000 students have participated in 91制片厂鈥檚 Virtual Exchange program as part of their German, Spanish, French, English, FYS, ESL and Adult Learning classes since it began in 2021. The program fosters collaborative learning, enabling students from different cultures to build meaningful relationships and share their own perspectives.
Students connect using Zoom, WhatsApp and social media and learn intercultural communication skills, flexibility, problem-solving, cross cultural collaboration and critical thinking in addition to their core subject.
Through the Virtual Exchange program, 91制片厂 students connect with students studying
to teach English at Universidad Aut贸noma de Chiapas in Chiapas, Mexico.
Virtual Exchange is part of 91制片厂鈥檚 newly created Center for Global Education and Engagement, which merges the college鈥檚 former Office of International Education with International Student Services.
As director of the Center for Global Education and Engagement, Dr. Richard Johnson brought Virtual Exchange to Harper with the goal of allowing students to study abroad who otherwise would not have the opportunity and to expose students to the world beyond their college experience.
鈥淲hat I want to do as director of the Center for Global Education and Engagement is bring the world to our classrooms,鈥� he said. 鈥淭echnology proves to be a really powerful tool to make that happen. The way we鈥檝e been able to connect with students in a half-dozen countries across time zones and continents has proven to be really powerful.鈥�
Johnson co-taught Austin鈥檚 class. He said for the past few years, students in the English 101 and FYS learning community have worked on social transformation projects that explore societal challenges in the U.S. and Mexico. Students must complete a presentation and propose action steps they can take on their own campuses.
鈥淭he traditional way of thinking about that is to go overseas,鈥� Johnson said, 鈥渂ut here, in a standard general education curriculum, we are infusing it with global perspectives by leveraging technology to our advantage.鈥�
91制片厂 professors Kim Jaeger (left) and Richard Johnson collaborate to connect students
from other countries. 鈥淭echnology proves to be a really powerful tool to make that
happen," Johnson said.
Kim Jaeger co-teaches this Intercultural Dialogue and Exchange English 101 and FYS cohort. She also teaches FYS 101, German and English as a Second Language at 91制片厂.
鈥淚 really like to show students that there鈥檚 this whole world out there besides what they might have been exposed to so far,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for students to understand and interact with other cultures in appropriate ways.鈥�
Jaeger also serves as a German club advisor and coordinates the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX), which hosts students from Germany. She said Virtual Exchange benefits students in a variety of ways.
鈥淚t can provide students with a sense of confidence once they participate in this exchange,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey can say that they鈥檝e successfully completed an international project with someone. So when they鈥檙e in job interviews later or when they鈥檙e possibly looking to transfer to a four-year institution, this experience is something they can talk about.鈥�