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“Cultural Kaleidoscope: Virtual exchange events spin a colorful mosaic of traditions, customs, and perspectives from diverse corners of the world.”
 

Recently, the Virtual Communication Centre for Continuing Education of the College of International Education hosted a number of productive online exchange events. With the assistance of these activities, students had access to a safe and enjoyable online learning environment where they could engage and work together with Canadian institutions in-depth.

The School of Communication instructor Ms. Yuen Wai Yee, Anna designed one of the courses, Communication Strategies for Globalization. This course introduced concepts and theories related to global communication and globalization, analyzed global strategies in the media and communication industry, and explored their impact on politics, culture, and society. Aiming to broaden students' international perspectives. As part of the course, students were required to design a series of activities to reshape the city image of Hong Kong and attract Canadian tourists to visit.

These activities serve to facilitate communication between students from CIE and Sheridan College in Canada through various means, such as video conferences. In order to learn more about Canadian students' perceptions of Hong Kong, their knowledge of and perspectives on urban planning in Hong Kong, as well as the factors they priorities, our students conducted interviews with them throughout the exchange activities as a resource for their schoolwork and used details from their exchanges in their presentations.

Through these events, students were able to deepen their knowledge while also engaging with peers from other cultural backgrounds, which enhanced their awareness of and respect for all cultures.

With fun tasks as icebreakers for participants using Zoom, to build their confidence and lowering their anxiety while talking with foreigners, professors and students interacted and got acquainted at once. An extensive understanding of one other's cultures and beliefs were discovered through the student-produced short clips, such as Canadian students' familiarity with Hong Kong and their expectations of visiting. This opportunity for cultural interaction was highly valuable.

The utilization of videos for online conversations, according to one of our students, Ha Men Yung, Emily, was the part she found most fascinating. They created connections with classmates they had never met before while being in separate places and being able to "see" each other.

Student Lau Shing Ho, Mathew mentioned that chatting with Canadians from quite various backgrounds enabled him enrich his angles. To properly plan Hong Kong tourist tasks, he understood about the issues associated with promoting the reputation of the city and gathered authentic opinions.

Ms. Yuen Wai Yee, Anna noted that the student possessed significant knowledge and expertise regarding virtual exchanges. She had done virtual exchanges two times before, coordinating events that required constant correspondence with universities in other countries via emails as well as virtual meetings. The International Islamic University in Malaysia and Georgia State University in the United States were the partners in previous exchange programs.

Even though Ms. Yuen Wai Yee, Anna has extensive expertise in planning virtual exchange events, she responded candidly when asked what the challenging part of the process was, "It's very difficult to attract students due to the time difference." Since the majority of the partners were from Western nations, there were instances when both sides were communicating while experiencing opposite day-night cycles. Local students found it hard to take part in virtual exchanges during their leisure time, since they were anxious to speak with foreign students at night. Local students were already adept at using a variety of internet platforms to interact and learn from others under the pandemic conditions, though. A lot of students found the exchange experience to be worthwhile and pleasurable, considering it as a unique chance to interact with people from other countries and pupils who are not often available to them in their everyday life.

At the very least, she predicts that virtual communication will become a novel and common teaching approach globally. It is an intriguing method to provide students a global perspective while providing them the tools needed to become self-assured and culturally competent persons. Knowledge can be gained with a wider perspective through intercultural contacts. Using the exchange activity with Sheridan College as an illustration, a commonality was found: city branding enables students to gain a deeper comprehending of the topic from a global standpoint. Ms. Yuen Wai Yee, Anna therefore exhorts everyone to utilize virtual contact as a new educational strategy. Virtual communication is an educational approach that enriches teaching and learning experiences.

The College of International Education at Hong Kong Baptist University is committed to building ties with external educational institutions, advancing the globalization of higher education, and giving students richer learning opportunities and exchange opportunities. It encourages communication and cooperation among academics. The successful planning of this event not only demonstrates the strength and inventiveness of the Virtual Communication Centre at the College of Continuing Education, but also conveys students a once-in-a-lifetime chance to engage in in-depth discussions with universities that are recognized around the world.

In conclusion, the university's dedication to and efforts towards international education are reflected in the great appreciation this exchange program has earned from academics and students. The university is dedicated to fortifying links with foreign academic institutions, encouraging the globalization of higher education, and giving students broader learning chances and exchange possibilities.