SXP Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Activities

Chinese students watch the introduction video of Singapore students

Singapore student co-host introduces her school

Students exchange opinions with their local perspectives

Students exchange opinions with their local perspectives

Interaction between teachers and students in different schools

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_exchange

In 2019, a virtual Student Exchange Platform (SXP) was developed in Singapore by St. Uriel Education to facilitate international virtual exchanges by students. The raison d’etre for the SXP was to develop students’ global competencies in addition to improving their scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading set by the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment.

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the SXP was well received by schools in China, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand. These virtual exchanges on the SXP allow students to participate in activities through workshops that involve virtual school visits, asynchronous and synchronous lessons on Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM lessons carried out through Educational technology such as Robotics, VR, 3D printing), virtual competitions, culinary and baking skills, language games etc. The activities on SXP allows students to break through cultural, language and attitude barriers apart from helping them to improve academic performances.

Education and Tourism converges on the SXP, as it incorporates features that allow teachers, tour guides (acting as facilitators and translators) and students to interact, co-create and collaborate on exchange activities. Virtual Exchanges take place within SXP’s Spaces (Communities of Learning, as part of the pedagogy). The SXP allows parents and other stakeholders of OST (Overseas Student Tourism) to be involved as well – for instance attractions in Singapore’s Sentosa that creates more excitement in the virtual environment, or cooking studios that allow overseas students to see how local delicacies can be made with 3D food printing.

Participants of each virtual exchange programme can share a calendar of activities, chat with each other, share/like comments on pictures and documents, have video calls (1-1 or 1-many), assign/share tasks to students/teachers/tour guides etc. The SXP allows participants to feedback, track and resolve issues with the exchange program (for quality assurance to students/teachers/parents). By making virtual exchange activities visible, and hence actionable, it will demonstrate value to all stakeholders.

Students experience synchronous and asynchronous learning activities on the SXP

Chinese college teachers and students wave hello to Singapore friends

China-Singapore Friendship

On May 21st 2021, the “China-Singapore Online International Student Exchange” was jointly organized by St. Uriel Education and Hailiang Education Group. In this live online exchange, nearly 80 teachers and students from Hailiang foreign language school in Zhejiang and Singapore’s ITE (Institute of Technical Education) gathered on the SXP to have a unique remote dialogue in English.

The students first showed their school to the friends on the other end of the screen, introduced the situation of study and life, and expressed their opinions and asked each other the characteristics and advantages of China and Singapore in terms of economy, culture, tourism, education, etc. They conducted in-depth discussions respectively, thinking rationally and dialectically about the similarities and differences between the two countries.

After several weeks of careful planning and preparation, the students were eager to try this international exchange opportunity. Under the active mobilization of the hosts of the teachers and students from China and Singapore, everyone was not cautious or embarrassed at all even across the screen. They actively participated and spoke in fluent English, and the audience burst into relaxed and happy laughter from time to time.

Teachers and students from both sides had a key discussion on the measures taken by China and Singapore to prevent and control the Covid-19, and respectively described the changes brought by the pandemic to their lives, their experience of studying at home etc., and reminded each other to ventilate frequently, wash hands frequently, and pay attention to safety and health.

Some Singapore teachers and students who participated in the exchange

When discussing the issue of “Which word would you use to describe your country?”, many Chinese college students chose the word “united” unanimously, expressing their deep appreciation for China’s efforts to combat the pandemic. Proud to be united and highly appreciated by teachers and students in Singapore.

Due to the pandemic in Singapore, ITE teachers and students have to isolate themselves at home, connect online, participate in activities alone, and even wear masks. Chinese college students feel the same enthusiasm for international exchanges from their friends thousands of miles away, and they are also encouraged. At the end of the event, teachers and students of Chinese foreign language schools sent their best wishes in English to Singapore teachers and students: “The pandemic will eventually pass, please pay more attention to your health, and welcome to China in the future”!

An international exchange platform that does not close

Although the online live event has come to an end, the international exchange of students from the two countries is still going on. On the SXP, students log in to their “personal space” one after another, and put the bits and pieces of life and learning specially established for the international exchange of the two schools. Photos, video recordings (Vlog), posts, forwarding, voting… In this all-English space, students recorded and shared their day at school, selfies, favorite foods, idol information, Hometown scenery, interesting subject topics, etc., and comment and thumbs-up the content.

Rich content shared by Chinese and Singapore teachers and students

In just a few days, more than 70 pieces of information were posted on the small forum, and the number of interactions exceeded 400 times. At the exchange event, teachers and students from China and Singapore also asked each other about the content of interest.

Students such as Nurin and Amirah from ITE in Singapore shared their favorite picnic spots, favorite K-pop music groups and local specialties, which aroused strong interest among Chinese college students. Chinese students such as Spry and Yunqing shared short video taken by themselves. They introduced the beautiful scenery of Hailiang campuses, interesting things about experimental courses, etc.

At present, SXP has been used by many schools in China, Singapore, Japan and other countries. This novel form of student interaction is considered to be a very potential way of future inter-school international online communication and is widely recognized.

Ye Ziyi, head of the International Region of Educational Research in China for Haiiang, said, “SXP not only provides a convenient, safe, diversified but systematic virtual space for students to interact online, but also imitates social interaction. The form of posting in the media makes full use of the hobbies and interests of today’s teenagers to enhance students’ interactive participation and learning satisfaction. This allows international exchanges and language learning to be better integrated into the lives of students.”

SXP online communication platform

Online student exchanges will become the norm

With the normalization of the pandemic, online communication has also become an important form of international communication and research in the near future.

“Due to the pandemic, students cannot go abroad, so they are looking forward to and attaching great importance to this rare online communication opportunity. They have made full preparations for each question, and actively participated in the interaction of the forum. I believe that they have learned from this experience, I myself have learned a lot at the same time,” said Bao Jie, head of the English teaching and research group at the International School of the School of Foreign Languages ​​in Hailiang.

The methods and contents of online international exchange are rich and diverse, and combine the advantageous resources of various parties to create online international research activities with good effect and good experience for students.

In this China-Singapore exchange, Hailiang invited its partner, Singapore’s outstanding education company, St. Uriel Education, to introduce the current “latest and hottest” online research topics in Singapore. VR virtual reality, drones, robot programming, 3D printing and other high-quality “STREAM” (science, technology, robotics, engineering, art, mathematics) courses and activities and it has opened the eyes of the students.

In his speech at the event, the principal of Hailiang’s International Foreign Language Schools in said that he was very happy that the teachers and students of both sides had enhanced the understanding between China and New Zealand and strengthened the friendship between China and New Zealand through this exchange. “STREAM” and other high-quality content organically combine online learning with offline practice, helping students to further broaden their horizons and improve their abilities.

This innovative international live broadcast has attracted the attention of many media such as Singapore and Thailand.