Patrice Prusko is an Instructional Designer at Cornell University. She works on the MOOCs, SPOCs and Innovative Projects team providing design, development, production and support for digital initiatives. Patrice holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MBA from Union College and a PhD in Education from UAlbany. Her doctoral research was on women, self-efficacy and mathematics.

Lorette Pellettiere Calix is an instructor and director of SUNY/Empire State College Programs in Latin America. She was principal investigator for the 2012 Tier 2 IIT grant for the project “Virtual Study Abroad” Using Meeting and Mobile Tools to Promote Student Engagement & International Interaction.  She has made numerous presentations on her experiences with the blended learning programs in Latin America.  She has published two articles related to the IITG project. She is now collaborating on a 2014 IITG Tier III project to provide orientation to international students interested in studying online and she is an OPEN SUNY Research Fellow.
 

In this presentation, Patrice & Lorette discuss how international course collaborations contribute to internationalization of the curriculum and are valuable and engaging experiences for the students. Researchers share best practices for adding this type of exercise in courses. Lessons learned are helpful to any instructor connecting groups of students in different locations and/or incorporating virtual meeting tools.