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Abstract

In an increasingly globalized world, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education cannot limit itself to the competent use of grammatical rules, phonology, and lexical accuracy, but it must offer students the opportunity for real encounters that aid their development of intercultural communicative competences, social awareness, and global citizenship—connecting the Global-North and the Global-South. This paper provides a qualitative study for the achievement of this result through the incorporation of a virtual exchange curriculum in the EFL higher education curriculum. The research was conducted at Universidad de Las Americas in Quito, Ecuador, in partnership with Columbia University in New York City. 26 Ecuadorian students, ages 19 to 25, were examined to determine their development.  Continue Reading →