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Article

The Impact of Virtual Exchange on College Students in the US and China

by
Hongmei Zhang
1,*,
Jian Wu
2,
Yanju Li
1,
Chad Marchong
1,
David Cotter
1,
Xianli Zhou
2 and
Xinhe Huang
2
1
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
2
Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(5), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14050281
Submission received: 19 February 2025 / Revised: 16 April 2025 / Accepted: 25 April 2025 / Published: 30 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global and Virtual Sociological Teaching—Challenges & Opportunities)
Browse Figure
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
Virtual Exchange (VE) has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional physical exchange, experiencing exponential growth in recent years to enhance students’ learning outcomes. However, the ways in which VE can effectively and mutually benefit diverse student populations remain unclear. This study introduces a specifically designed VE project utilizing the “Zoom-Sandwiched Cross-Chapter Concept Map” model and investigates its impact on college students enrolled in an introductory-level course in the US and China. The ten-week VE project incorporated both academic and cultural components. While our previous publication focused on the academic component and its benefits on student academic performance, this article emphasizes the cultural component and the integrated nature of the project. Our results demonstrated the effectiveness of this project in promoting students’ career readiness competencies, particularly teamwork and communication skills. Additionally, our comparative data highlighted how this project significantly improved the behavioral dimension of Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) and influenced career & self-development for Chinese students while fostered leadership skills among US students. The VE project presented in this article provides valuable guidance for integrating VE into curricula across various disciplines, helping to shape future VE initiatives globally.

1. Introduction

Virtual Exchange (VE) is an educational program powered by technology that enables students and faculty from various countries to connect and engage in global learning virtually. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for global competence, and VE emerged as a crucial tool, allowing continued access to international education amid the crisis (Stevens Initiative 2020; Vásquez 2022). With the pandemic’s onset, VE saw increased popularity as a compelling alternative to physical exchanges (Stevens Initiative 2023; Zak 2021), bolstered by the rapid expansion of new technological platforms.
Unlike traditional study abroad programs, which are often limited to a select group of students and tend to be socially exclusive, Virtual Exchange VE opens up global learning opportunities to a broader and more diverse student population, including those who have historically been underrepresented. While study abroad programs offer notable benefits, they have only reached less than two percent of over 21 million U.S. college students, with minority students particularly underrepresented—often due to financial constraints, personal responsibilities, or educational experiences (e.g., Lörz et al. 2016; Luo and Jamieson-Drake 2015; Trends in U.S. Study Abroad 2020). According to Anna Zak, marginalized groups include students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, those with disabilities, dependents, undocumented status, or employment obligations (Stevens Initiative 2023; Zak 2021). Study abroad may also be influenced by political relations and logistical considerations (Li 2013). VE, however, stands as a cost-effective thus more accessible approach to global education (Liu et al. 2022).
Additionally, in contrast to traditional study abroad programs, which immerse students in a single culture and often prioritize enhancing the international experience for just one group, VE fosters equitable cultural exchange and offers mutual benefits to all participating institutions by involving both their faculty and students. Students from all partner universities in a VE program interact and collaborate on shared projects through a common platform, ensuring that participants from each institution have access to an international educational experience. According to data from “2023 Stevens Initiative Report”, a mutual interest in cultural exchange is key to fostering a strong partnership. As a result, VE not only enhances the potential for international collaboration between universities but also supports the sustainability of collaboration. Although there is a growing body of research attempting to examining the effects on student learning outcomes (e.g., Bassani and Buchem 2019; Stevens Initiative 2023; O’Dowd 2020, 2021), few preliminary studies have compared the impact on students from all participating countries, including the US and China (Li 2013). The 2020 Stevens Initiative Report states, “To be effective, virtual exchange programs need to be engaging and mutually beneficial for participants on all sides” (Stevens Initiative 2020). Therefore, it is crucial to understand how VE affects the learning outcomes of different student populations and identify the factors that may contribute to any disparities.
In this study, we are interested in exploring the impact of VE on college students’ learning outcomes in the US and China, including their career-readiness competencies and Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC). VE fosters social interactions across cultural boundaries, shaping individuals’ perceptions of themselves, others, and their role in society. By engaging with peers from diverse backgrounds, students gain a broader understanding of global issues. As such, we are also interested in how students’ interactions in virtual spaces can affect their future plans and overall confidence in navigating a globalized world.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Career-Readiness Competencies

Higher education institutions have been criticized for failing to adequately prepare students with the skills required for a career (Aryanti and Adhariani 2020; Azih and Ejeka 2015; Confederation of British Industry CBI 2011; Prinsley and Baranyai 2015). As a result, there has been a growing emphasis on developing career-relevant skills or competencies, and integrating career-readiness competencies into higher education curricula has been one of the focuses (Inganah et al. 2023; Nodine 2016; Tubaundule et al. 2024). Numerous studies have aimed to conceptualize career-readiness competencies, identify effective methods to enhance students’ career-readiness competencies, and develop approaches to assess them (Prikshat et al. 2019; Rachmawati et al. 2024). The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) defines career readiness as “a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management” (https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/; accessed on 20 August 2021) and outlines eight core competencies that have been widely adopted by higher education institutions across various disciplines (D’Accordo 2024; Goodarzi 2023; Newell and Ulrich 2022; Zhang et al. 2024). O’Dowd and Lewis (2016), in discussing the importance of incorporating VE in university education, highlighted its potential to foster a range of valuable workplace skills. Therefore, it is crucial to explore how VE contributes to the development of students’ career-readiness competencies, especially in an era shaped by advanced technology and unprecedented globalization.

2.2. Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC)

As an essential student learning outcome for a twenty-first-century education, Intercultural Competence (or Intercultural Communication Competence, ICC) particularly attracts attention in a culturally diverse society (Griffith et al. 2016; Commander et al. 2022; Stevens Initiative 2023). There is a wide array of terms used for ICC, including Intercultural Competence, Global Competence, Intercultural Sensitivity, Cross-Cultural Awareness (Fantini and Tirmizi 2006). The definition of ICC in current literature also seems ambiguous. Therefore, instead of defining ICC, it has been viewed as a model with multiple dimensions. This multidimensional nature, along with the discrepancies in proposed dimensions, further complicates its conceptualization (Deardorff 2006; Griffith et al. 2016). For instance, dimensions included in one model may be excluded in another. Byram’s (1997) model, one of the earlier frameworks, consists of five dimensions: attitudes, knowledge, skills of interpreting and relating, skills of discovery and interaction, and critical cultural awareness. Barrett’s (2013) model added values, understandings, and behavior, in addition to attitudes, knowledge, and skills mentioned in Byram’s model. Deardorff’s (2006) model, which emphasizes three core dimensions, knowledge, skills, and attitudes, is more widely applied, particularly in higher education contexts. Thus, there is increasing consensus that ICC is one’s ability to accomplish communication goals (effectiveness) and to behave in a manner that is socially expected and accepted (appropriateness) based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes (Arasaratnam 2009; Deardorff 2004; Portalla and Chen 2010).
This aligns with earlier work that emphasizes three dimensions of ICC, namely cognitive, affective, and behavioral (Chen and Starosta 1996; Cui and Van Den Berg 1991; Sercu 2004). According to the effective interculturalist model, cognitive refers to intercultural awareness (of self and others) that is demonstrated by the effective interculturalist in intercultural interaction (Chen and Starosta 1996). It includes knowledge of other cultures (Cui and Van Den Berg 1991). Research has also shown that high cognitive complexity leads to effective communication by differentiating personal constructs (Adams-Webber 2001; Kline et al. 1990). Thus, cognitive is an important dimension of the ICC and it relates to “one’s ability to employ differentiated constructs in intercultural contexts” (Arasaratnam 2009). The affective dimension emphasizes intercultural sensitivity, and “the effective interculturalist is said to have a positive self-concept, to be open-minded, non-judgmental and relaxed in social interaction” (Sercu 2004). The affective dimension of the ICC is defined as “one’s ability to emotionally connect with someone from a different culture” (Arasaratnam 2009). The behavioral dimension of ICC refers to intercultural adroitness (Sercu 2004), and it is “one’s ability to engage in behaviors” in intercultural contexts (Arasaratnam 2009). This involves whether the individual can intentionally seek to interact with others from different cultures or change their behaviors to adapt. Three dimensions of ICC are closely related to each other and may overlap. For example, the cognitive level influences the affective and behavioral levels (Chen 1996), while the affective has a major overlap with the behavioral level (Redmond 1985). Arasaratnam and Doerfel (2005) reviewed different theoretical approaches of intercultural communication competence and stated that “Cognitive, behavioral, and affective components of communication competence are recurring themes in intercultural communication research” (p. 142). Therefore, we aim to investigate how VE affects career-readiness competencies, ICC and its three dimensions of different student populations.
To summarize, this research aims to explore the impact of VE on college students’ learning outcomes in the US and China. Specifically, we (1) assessed and compared how VE influences college students’ ICC in an introductory level course across the two countries; (2) explored and compared its effect on students’ confidence level, career readiness competencies, and future plans in both countries; and (3) evaluated the overall effectiveness of the specifically designed VE project, providing insight into how VE can be integrated into curricula across various disciplines.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Context

In Fall 2021, we implemented VE as a mandatory element of the introductory-level course: Principles of Biology I (BIOL 2107). We selected BIOL 2107 because it has an identical syllabus with the same learning contents and objectives at both participating institutions: Georgia State University (GSU) in the United States and Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in China. There is a long-term collaborative program between the two universities that serves as a platform for this research. At both institutions, BIOL 2107 is a foundational course for biology majors, covering molecular and cellular biology.
After excluding withdrawn students, there were 71 students enrolled in the course at the US university and 66 students at the Chinese university. The US students were primarily freshmen and sophomores, while all Chinese students were freshmen. Approximately 75% of the US participants were female, whereas the proportion was 50% among Chinese students. Students enrolled in BIOL 2107 from both universities were randomly grouped, with each group consisting of four students from the US and three or four students from China collaborating to complete a VE project together.

3.2. Program Design

The design of VE varies significantly across different disciplines. In our research, we have developed a new model called the “Zoom-Sandwiched Cross-Chapter Concept Map” (ZS-CC-concept map) for VE projects that can be implemented across various disciplines. Unlike standalone international initiatives, which are often separate from regular courses, VE projects are typically integrated into the curriculum. Therefore, we developed this model to enhance student learning of course content while fostering social interaction and cultural exchange. By combining an academic component with a cultural exchange component, the ZS-CC-concept map model aims to enrich students’ educational experiences and broaden their global perspectives.
The ZS-CC-concept map model incorporates two concept map assignments that are “sandwiched” between three synchronous Zoom meetings (Figure 1). On the one hand, Zoom meetings were integrated into this model to promote student academic performance in completing CC-concept maps, as supported by our previously published data (Zhang et al. 2023). On the other hand, with the implementation of VE in BIOL 2107, student groups assigned to the ZS-CC-concept map assignments included participants from the US and China, thereby allowing for a cultural exchange component to be added to the Zoom meetings. Taken together, students not only discussed the concept maps, but also engaged in social interactions and shared cultural information during Zoom meetings.
During a 10-week overlapping academic period between the two universities, spanning from week 4 to week 13 according to the US calendar, students from two universities collaborated on the VE project. They had 10–12 days to complete two concept map assignments in weeks 6–7 and weeks 10–11, respectively. Three synchronous Zoom meetings were scheduled in weeks 4, 9, and 13. Prior to the first Zoom meeting, students received a preparatory lesson designed to equip them with strategies for effective intercultural interactions. Additionally, cultural exchange topics were provided for students to discuss during each Zoom meeting, facilitating cross-cultural dialogue and engagement as outlined in the Zoom meeting handouts below. While the handouts also include guidance related to the concept map assignment, that content is not included here, as this article focuses specifically on the cultural component. Students have been informed that these topics are intended to serve as icebreakers to foster deeper and more meaningful conversations. Students are encouraged to elaborate on these topics and engage with each other in creative ways.
Zoom Meeting 1: “Let’s Meet and Get Connected”.
The first meeting was designed to launch the VE project by facilitating students’ introductions. Participants were invited to share information about themselves, their international experiences, and popular social media platforms in their countries. They were also encouraged to connect with their group members through one of the platforms discussed. This task-oriented introduction not only facilitated communication during the meeting but also aimed to foster lasting friendships beyond the virtual classroom.
Zoom Meeting 2: “Let’s Share and Celebrate”.
The focus of this meeting was to share and celebrate festivals, with the timing just before Halloween. US students were encouraged to dress in costumes and share their Halloween, as well as other upcoming festivals. Chinese students were invited to showcase their customs for the Chinese Spring Festival, including practices like paper cutting and the tradition of giving red packets (red envelopes).
Zoom Meeting 3: “Let’s Eat and Plan”.
In the final meeting, students were invited to discuss their future plans before saying their goodbyes. They were encouraged to bring and share their favorite foods, as food plays a key role in cultural traditions. Sharing a meal together helped create a relaxed atmosphere for their final conversation, offering a meaningful and memorable conclusion to their VE experience.
The Zoom meeting handout also clarifies that students are required to record a few minutes of their meetings (or more, if they choose) to introduce their group members or share highlights of their discussion with the rest of the class. Group leaders, selected during the meetings, are responsible for submitting these video recordings to a designated platform so that other students can access and view them at any time. While students are encouraged to meet as often as they wish using any synchronous or asynchronous social media platforms, the three synchronous Zoom meetings are mandatory to promote meaningful intercultural interaction.
It is important to note that the effectiveness of the topics and activities designed for these Zoom meetings is supported by existing literature, including “creating mixed groups of 3–5 members”, “to stimulate active participation”, “designating student’s roles (e.g., leader)”, “Students should be provided with a lesson on intercultural awareness”, etc. (Fukkink et al. 2024, p. 766). We incorporate these activities into the specific designed ZS-CC-concept map model to promote student interaction with international partners and foster an academically driven cultural exchange, strengthening students’ ICC and other career-readiness skills while ensuring robust academic performance.

3.3. Evaluation

In this study, we developed pre- and post-surveys to assess the effectiveness of the VE project from multiple perspectives, as mentioned earlier. Before administering the pre-survey via Qualtrics at the beginning of the VE, each participant received a consent form. This form included a detailed description of the study and a consent question. Selecting “Yes” for the consent question indicated the participant’s agreement to volunteer for this research.
The pre-survey comprises 10 questions to evaluate students’ ICC, which is recognized as an essential student learning outcome in 21st-century education and attracts attention in a culturally diverse society (Griffith et al. 2016). The ICC instrument used in this research was developed by Lily A. Arasaratnam based on a three-dimensional model: affective, behavioral, and cognitive (Arasaratnam 2006, 2009). The final ICC instrument contains 10 items, and its reliability and construct validity have been verified (Arasaratnam 2009; Griffith et al. 2016). Table 1 displays the items representing each dimension of the instrument (four items for affective, three for behavioral, and three for cognitive). These items are structured using a 5-point Likert-type scale, where 1 indicates “strongly disagree” and 5 indicates “strongly agree”.
The post-survey consists of the same 10 ICC questions delivered via Qualtrics at the end of the VE. In addition to these ICC questions, additional inquiries were included in the post-survey to investigate VE’s influence on students’ career-readiness competencies, confidence levels, and perceptions toward the VE project (Table 2). The entire procedures were reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB Number: H22069).
Out of 71 US students enrolled in the course, 48 participants completed both surveys, resulting in a response rate of about 68%. For Chinese students, out of 66 enrolled, 61 participants completed both surveys, indicating a response rate of approximately 92%.

4. Results

4.1. Impact of VE on Student’s ICC

Before conducting quantitative data analyses on ICC questions, five items (2, 3, 5, 8, 9) were re-coded since they were negatively phrased. To investigate how students’ ICC varied before and after participating in the VE, dependent T-tests were carried out using pre- and post-survey data in SPSS version 28. Our results, displayed in Table 3, showed no statistically significant difference in the three dimensions of ICC between the pre- and post-surveys for US students, that is, the VE did not significantly affect US students’ ICC. However, for Chinese students, the VE statistically significantly improved their “Behavior” dimension (p < 0.001), indicating increased proactive engagement in seeking opportunities to interact with people from different cultures and forming friendships with them. This finding was consistent with student perception results that more Chinese students gained confidence interacting with culturally different individuals through the VE participation.
In this VE project, instructors did not participate in synchronous Zoom meetings to guide students’ interaction and cultural exchange. This absence of instructor involvement may have been a key factor in the limited progress observed in the affective and cognitive dimensions of ICC for both US and Chinese students; this is addressed further in the Section 5.

4.2. Impact of VE on Students’ Confidence, Career-Readiness Competencies, and Future Plan

The results of the student self-reported data in Table 4 showed that only 18% of GSU students and 25% of SWJTU students had any international study experience; however, most students from both universities have interacted with people from different cultures (94% GSU students and 89% SWJTU students), suggesting that the participants from the US and China had similar international experience (Q1 and Q2).
However, our findings revealed notable differences in the confidence level and the change in the confidence level of the two student populations when interacting with culturally different people. Initially, a larger proportion of Chinese students (around 60%) reported “not confident at all” or “slightly confident”, compared to only 20% of US students at the beginning of the VE project. This disparity in confidence levels may be attributed to the fact that US students are native speakers with “a deep-seated sense of cultural superiority” (Deardorff 2009, p. 146) and may explain why it was easier for US students to develop leadership skills during the VE. Surprisingly, after the VE, only 4.9% of Chinese students felt “not confident at all” or “slightly confident”, while 10% of US students reported the same. This suggests that VE significantly increased the confidence levels of all students involved, with a particularly pronounced impact on Chinese students (Q3 and Q4).
We are also interested in investigating the impact of the VE on promoting students’ career-readiness competencies. According to student self-reports analyzed using NVivo, approximately 84% of respondents indicated that the VE project improved their competencies from “A moderate amount” to “a great deal”. An open-ended question was asked to identify specific National Association of Colleges and Employers NACE (2021) career-readiness competencies that were improved through participation in the VE. Over 97% of students affirmed improvements, with approximately half highlighting enhancements in teamwork and communication. The percentage was similar for both universities.
Meanwhile, distinct impacts of VE were discovered between the two universities involved in the study. Specifically, VE had a more pronounced influence on Chinese students’ career development perspectives, with over 30% indicating that VE impacted their views on career and self-development. In contrast, only 2% (1 student) from the US reported a similar change in this perspective. Conversely, a higher percentage of US students (approximately 28%) believed that VE enhanced their leadership skills compared to Chinese students, where about 6% expressed a similar sentiment regarding leadership skill development. When we asked students, “To what extent does the VE experience influence your future study plan”, we found that 54% of GSU students and 98% of SWJTU students responded with “A moderate amount” to “A great deal”, suggesting VE has a more significant influence on Chinese students’ future plans (Q5–Q7).

4.3. The Effectiveness of Zoom Meetings and the Overall VE Design Evaluation

In our previous publication, we assessed the effectiveness of the concept map component within the “ZS-CC-concept map” model as a regular academic project. This article emphasizes the central role that Zoom meetings play in this model. These Zoom meetings are scheduled to cover topics that not only prepare students for concept maps but also foster cross-cultural dialogue and engagement. The effectiveness of the concept map on students’ academic performance has been previously assessed and published. This article highlights the pivotal role that Zoom meetings play in promoting students’ social interaction and cultural exchange within the virtual global space, emphasizing the integrated nature of the model as a VE project. Our results revealed that a significant majority, 88% of students, recognized the pivotal role of Zoom meetings in preparing their concept maps. Moreover, approximately 92% of students reported that the meetings were beneficial in facilitating cultural exchange (Q8).
Further inquiry into how students allocated their time during Zoom meetings revealed insightful patterns. Initially, more than 85% of students allocated most of their initial meeting time to sharing culture exchange, with fewer engaging in discussions about the concept map. In the second Zoom meeting, about half of the students dedicated most of their time to culture exchange, while the other half focused on discussing the concept map. In the final meeting, only 17% of students concentrated on the concept map, suggesting a shift towards emphasizing cultural exchange. These findings indicate a dynamic interplay between the focus on the cultural and academic components throughout the VE project, demonstrating how Zoom meetings serve as a vital platform for both collaborative learning and cross-cultural interaction (Q9–Q11).
This study also assessed overall satisfaction with the VE integrated into the BIOL 2107 course. Among US students, responses varied: 20% were neutral, 60% expressed moderate to extreme satisfaction, and 20% indicated dissatisfaction. For Chinese students, 16% were neutral, with a substantial majority (82%) reporting satisfaction (only one student expressed slight dissatisfaction). When asked about the continuation of the VE project in future classes, 70% of US students recommended its continuation, and an overwhelming majority of Chinese students (95%) expressed a desire for the VE project to continue (Q12 and Q13).

5. Discussion

Given the high costs, considerable time commitment, and other constraints, study abroad can only serve as an optional component in higher education (e.g., Li 2013; Lörz et al. 2016). In contrast, VE has the potential to be more widely integrated into curricula, as it is accessible to a larger number of students. Moreover, while VE is not intended to replace physical study abroad, it can serve as valuable preparation for future physical mobility or be integrated alongside it (O’Dowd and Lewis 2016). The critical role of VE in reforming global education has been highly recognized, especially after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Various strategies have been employed to greatly expand VE projects significantly in colleges and universities (Garcés and O’Dowd 2021; Zhao et al. 2023). However, the design of VE varies dramatically across disciplines as it continues to grow rapidly as an educational practice. Therefore, our goal is to develop an effective VE project that integrates both academic and cultural components, making it applicable not only to Biology but also to other fields. This article focuses on the cultural component in particular, while also highlighting its role within the broader context of the entire project.
Concept maps incorporated into the VE project are well-established tools for enhancing academic performance and fostering skill development in students (Stewart 2012). Given their positive impact on student engagement and interaction when used as group assignments, an increasing number of educators and researchers are incorporating concept maps into online courses (Alt and Naamati-Schneider 2021; Baitz 2009). From this perspective, concept maps also serve as excellent collaborative projects within virtual exchange settings. Another key reason to integrate concept maps into VE projects is their inherent flexibility; students from diverse academic backgrounds can create maps based on discipline-specific concepts, allowing for adaptation of our VE model across different disciplines. In our research, we further optimized the concept map based on Novak’s work by developing a “cross-chapter” concept map to deepen students’ understanding across multiple chapters. Additionally, Zoom meetings are scheduled before and after each concept map assignment in our VE project to maximize the effectiveness of concept map—first to prepare students for the task, and later to guide reflective discussion. As a structured, course-related academic component of the VE project, this cross-chapter concept map sandwiched between Zoom meetings effectively promotes deep learning by helping students synthesize concepts across multiple chapters (Zhang et al. 2023).
In addition to enhancing the effectiveness of concept map assignments, mandatory synchronous Zoom meetings are primarily implemented to promote cross-cultural exchange among students. On the one hand, the Zoom activities are grounded in research and can be widely applied across various disciplines. On the other hand, the rationale behind the selected topics and activities has been clearly outlined, allowing for adaptation based on contextual differences when necessary. Furthermore, the handouts used during Zoom meetings include icebreaker topics while also encouraging students to expand on these themes and interact creatively with one another. This adds an extra layer of flexibility and engagement to the meetings.
Taken together, here are several key highlights of our VE project: (1) as a course-related academic component of the VE project, the cross-chapter concept map construction promotes deep learning by helping students synthesize concepts from multiple chapters; (2) Zoom meetings, organized in a double-decker sandwich format, reinforce course-related knowledge through the cross-chapter concept map, further strengthening the academic component of the VE; (3) The integration of cultural topics into Zoom meetings bridges the academic and cultural aspects of the project, ensuring that VE aligns with regular coursework; (4) This model offers a flexible and scalable VE framework that can be widely adopted across disciplines, as both its academic and cultural components are well-documented, optimized, and adaptable; and (5) The alternating focus on academic and cultural elements during Zoom meetings fosters an academically-driven cultural exchange, strengthening students’ ICC and other career-readiness skills while ensuring robust academic performance.
Our previous publication demonstrated the effectiveness of this project in enhancing students’ academic learning. In the current article, we show that this VE project improved social and behavioral interactions among students worldwide, boosted their confidence in intercultural communication, and influenced their future planning. Additionally, student feedback revealed that the majority of participants (72%), whether from the US or China, expressed satisfaction with the project. The overall effectiveness of the project is further underscored by the high percentage (over 83%) of respondents from both universities who recommended that the professor continue integrating VE into future classes.
While this VE project benefits students from diverse cultural backgrounds, differences were observed when comparing the two groups. Specifically, the dependent t-tests conducted in this study revealed a significant impact of VE on the “behavioral” dimension for Chinese students, while no significant influence was found in any dimension of ICC for GSU students. This suggests that Chinese students became more proactive in seeking opportunities to interact with people from other cultures and form friendships. This finding was further supported by student feedback. For example, compared to US students, a higher percentage of Chinese students reported increased confidence in interacting with culturally diverse individuals after participating in the VE program. Moreover, a greater proportion of Chinese students (95%) recommended that the professor continue incorporating the VE program into future classes, compared to 70% of US students. These findings may help explain the observed differences in ICC between US and Chinese students.
The student perception results showed that the VE experience led to more significant changes in Chinese students’ career development and future plans. For instance, over 30% of Chinese students reported that VE influenced their career and self-development, compared to just 2% of US students. While nearly all Chinese students acknowledged that VE had a ‘moderate’ or ‘great’ impact on their future plans, only about half of the US students reported similar outcomes. In contrast to Chinese students, US students appeared more confident at the start of the VE program, likely due to their status as native speakers and a ‘deeply seated sense of cultural superiority’ (Deardorff 2009). This initial confidence may have contributed to the development of their leadership skills throughout the program. Additionally, our data revealed that twice as many US students reported becoming more inclusive as a result of the VE experience.
As a safer, less expensive, and more accessible learning tool in global education, VE has the potential to grow exponentially in current society to promote students’ learning outcomes. However, most prior research has focused on studying the impact of VE on students’ skills, such as teamwork and communication, that students develop through collaboration. Scant research has been performed to explore how the VE experience could mutually yet differently benefit each party. Our research has introduced a broader definition of “mutual benefits”: the benefits VE brings do not have to be the same for all parties, and it could be the progress each party makes based on their own cultural backgrounds. In our study, students in China are more likely to open their views of the world and change their career paths. They also became more confident in a globalized environment after participating in the VE. In contrast, the US students, who have a well-documented reputation for a lack of interest in the rest of the world, became more inclusive.
While interesting results have been discovered by this research, we were indeed surprised that the VE program does not significantly increase the overall ICC for both the US and Chinese students. One of the possible reasons is that the participants may have assessed their ICC relatively higher in the pre-survey than what they might objectively have. The Evidence-Validated Online Learning through Virtual Exchange (EVOLVE Project Team 2020) project in 2020 also stated that the lack of “conclusive evidence of progress in relation to the items measured” might be “partly explained by the fact that students’ pre-test scores of these items were already quite high” (EVOLVE Project Team 2020). No significant progress on ICC, especially the cognitive and affective dimensions of ICC, may also be related to the design of the VE project. The primary goal of students’ interaction in this VE program was to complete concept maps; thus, students mainly focused on working and communicating with each other to complete the task, which explains why they made progress on the behavioral dimension. Students have also been encouraged to discuss the different cultures in addition to the concept map construction during Zoom meetings, and the results showed that most students believed that Zoom meetings helped them exchange cultures. Nevertheless, there is no facilitation from instructors to promote student interaction and culture exchange, which may account for the lack of progress on the cognitive and affective dimensions for both the US and Chinese students. Therefore, we strongly recommend direct faculty intervention in the VE project with the hope of helping students increase their awareness of self and others (cognitive) and be interculturally sensitive (affective). Faculty intervention becomes particularly crucial when students in the VE program lack the opportunity for full cultural immersion, as is typical in traditional study abroad programs. Previous research also stated that instructor involvement is recommended for intercultural learning (Helm and Guth 2012).
The VE project in our research serves as a compelling and adaptable framework for VE design, applicable across disciplines such as Biology and beyond. A well-established framework with great flexibility is impermeable given that most VE initiatives in higher education remain peripheral, often reliant on the passion and commitment of individual instructors rather than being supported by institutional policy (O’Dowd and Lewis 2016). While the design of each component of the project is well supported by literature, our research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the overall project in promoting student academic learning (Zhang et al. 2023) as well as enhancing social and cultural perspectives. Educators can readily implement this model in their courses. We also encourage educators to draw inspiration from our approach and integrate their own course-specific assignments or cultural exchange topics into this structured format. For short-term VE, the double-decker sandwich model could be simplified to a regular sandwich model with one academic assignment sandwiched between two Zoom meetings.
While this study is limited by its use of a convenience sample from a single course, future research will seek to gather more data from various disciplines worldwide to validate and expand the applicability of our findings. Moreover, this study focused solely on quantitative analysis. In future research, we plan to incorporate open-ended questions in the survey or collect students’ reflective data to conduct qualitative analysis, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of the impact of VE.

6. Conclusions

This study presents a specially designed VE project utilizing the “ZS-CC-concept map” model and examines its impact on college students in the US and China. By integrating an academic component with a cultural exchange component, this VE project aims to foster an academically driven cultural exchange, strengthening students’ ICC and other career-readiness skills while ensuring robust academic performance. As each component of the project is grounded in existing literature and has been further optimized, this project offers a compelling and adaptable framework for VE design that can be applied across disciplines by instructors with varying levels of experience, offering meaningful insights for VE design and implementation.
This article focuses particularly on the cultural component, while also highlighting its role within the broader context of the entire project. The data presented in this article demonstrate the effectiveness of a specifically designed VE project from a social and cultural perspective, such as the enhancement of teamwork and communication skills among students from both countries. This project has also been shown to be mutually beneficial for students from distinct cultural backgrounds when viewed through a comparative lens. For instance, an increase in the behavioral dimension of ICC and shifts in career and self-development were observed among Chinese students, while the cultivation of leadership skills was revealed among U.S. students. These benefits may reflect their unique cultural backgrounds and highlight the specific needs for them to become global citizens. Therefore, this research provides valuable insights into designing effective collaborative projects in virtual learning environments worldwide. Additionally, the broad applicability of both the academic and cultural components allows the sandwich structure of this VE project to be adapted across various disciplines, with modifications tailored to the characteristics and needs of specific fields or cultural contexts. While offering additional possibilities, this article also brought up challenges in current digital learning, such as the lack of faculty involvement. Future studies will explore whether direct faculty participation can enhance cultural exchange and further enrich students’ ICC across additional dimensions.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, H.Z., J.W. and Y.L.; methodology, H.Z., J.W., Y.L. and C.M.; software, Y.L. and D.C.; validation, H.Z., J.W., C.M., X.Z. and X.H.; formal analysis, Y.L., C.M. and D.C.; investigation, H.Z., J.W. and X.H.; resources, X.Z.; data curation, Y.L., C.M. and D.C.; writing—original draft preparation, H.Z., J.W., Y.L. and C.M.; writing—review and editing, H.Z., J.W., Y.L., C.M., D.C., X.Z. and X.H.; supervision, H.Z. and X.Z.; project administration, H.Z., J.W., X.Z. and X.H.; funding acquisition, H.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the Office of International Initiatives at Georgia State University and Atlanta Global Studies Center. And the APC was funded by Southwest Jiaotong University.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of Georgia State University (protocol code H22069 and date of approval 18 August 2021).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Data is unavailable due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our appreciation for the support from Southwest Jiaotong University through Southwest Jiaotong University Undergraduate Education Research and Reform Major Project (No. 20220113). We acknowledge Dan Lai for her contribution to this article.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Socsci 14 00281 g001
Figure 1. VE project based on the “Zoom-Sandwiched Cross-Chapter Concept Map” model incorporates academic and cultural components.
Figure 1. VE project based on the “Zoom-Sandwiched Cross-Chapter Concept Map” model incorporates academic and cultural components.
Socsci 14 00281 g001
Table 1. Three dimensions of ICC and items for each dimension.
Table 1. Three dimensions of ICC and items for each dimension.
ICC DimensionsICC ItemsICC Questions
Affective1I feel that people from other cultures have many valuable things to teach me.
2I feel more comfortable with people from my own culture than with people from other cultures.
3I usually feel closer to people who are from my own culture because I can relate to them better.
4I feel more comfortable with people who are open to people from other cultures than people who are not.
Behavioral5Most of my close friends are from other cultures.
6Most of my friends are from my own culture.
7I usually look for opportunities to interact with people from other cultures.
Cognitive8I often find it difficult to differentiate between similar cultures (Ex: Asians, Europeans, Africans, etc.)
9I find it easier to categorize people based on their cultural identity than their personality.
10I often notice similarities in personality between people who belong to completely different cultures.
Table 2. Post-survey questions.
Table 2. Post-survey questions.
Questions No.Questions
1Before taking the BIOL 2107 course, did you have any international study experience (e.g., participating in study abroad program)?
2Before taking the BIOL 2107 course, did you have any experience with interacting with people from different cultures?
3What was your confidence level when interacting with culturally different people before this VE experience?
4What is your confidence level when interacting with culturally different people after this VE experience?
5To what extent did the VE improve your overall career-readiness competencies?
(https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/; accessed on 20 August 2021)?
6Did the VE impact any of your specific career-readiness competencies? Please comment on which ones and how (https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/; accessed on 20 August 2021; also see the NACE document uploaded)
7To what extent does the VE experience influence your future study plan.
8Overall, to what extent do you think the Zoom meetings helped you exchange culture with your partners?
9What have you discussed most during the 1st Zoom meetings (spend most time on)?
10What do you discuss most during the 2nd Zoom meetings?
11What do you discuss most during the 3rd Zoom meetings?
12Overall, to what extent are you satisfied with the incorporation of the VE program in the BIOL 2107 course?
13Would you recommend the professor continue incorporating the VE program in future classes?
Table 3. The change in students’ ICC through participation in VE.
Table 3. The change in students’ ICC through participation in VE.
DimensionUS (n = 48)Chinese (n = 61)
Pre-Survey
M (SD)		Post-Survey
M (SD)		p ValuePre-Survey
M (SD)		Post-Survey
M (SD)		p Value
Affect3.75 (0.53)3.66 (0.54)0.243.56 (0.53)3.48 (0.62)0.35
Behavior3.69 (0.79)3.60 (0.85)0.242.56 (0.74)2.94 (0.66)<0.001
Cognition4.01 (0.56)3.91 (0.58)0.333.87 (0.63)3.83 (0.77)0.72
Overall3.81 (0.44)3.72 (0.50)0.093.35 (0.48)3.42 (0.54)0.33
Table 4. Descriptive statistics of post-survey.
Table 4. Descriptive statistics of post-survey.
Question No.ScaleGSU Students
Sample Size n (Percentage)
Total n = 50		SWJTU Students
Sample Size n (Percentage)
Total n = 61
Q1Yes 9 (18.0%) 15 (24.6%)
No 41 (82.0%)46 (75.4%)
Q2Yes 47 (94.0%)54 (88.5%)
No 3 (6.0%)7 (11.5%)
Q3Not confident at all 3 (6.0%)7 (11.5%)
Slightly confident 7 (14.0%)29 (47.5%)
Moderately confident 29 (58.0%)17 (27.9%)
Very confident 7 (14.0%)5 (8.2%)
Extremely confident 4 (8.0%)3 (4.9%)
Q4Not confident at all 2 (4.0%)0 (0%)
Slightly confident 3 (6.0%)3 (4.9%)
Moderately confident 14 (28.0%)32 (52.5%)
Very confident 19 (38.0%)21 (34.4%)
Extremely confident 11 (22.0%)5 (8.2%)
Q5None at all 3 (6.0%)0 (0%)
A little 13 (26.0%)2 (3.3%)
A moderate amount 18 (36.0%)26 (42.6%)
A lot 11 (22.0%)27 (44.3%)
A great deal 5 (10.0%)6 (9.8%)
Q7None at all 8 (16.0%)1 (1.6%)
A little 15 (30.0%)0 (0%)
A moderate amount 15 (30.0%)26 (42.6%)
A lot 7 (14.0%)26 (42.6%)
A great deal 5 (10.0%)8 (13.1%)
Q8None at all 2 (4.0%)0 (0%)
A little 7 (14.0%)0 (0%)
A moderate amount 19 (38.0%)10 (16.4%)
A lot 15 (30.0%)37 (60.7%)
A great deal 7 (14.0%)14 (23.0%)
Q9Introduction 35 (70.0%)45 (73.8%)
Social media 6 (12.0%)8 (13.1%)
Concept map project 8 (16.0%)8 (13.1%)
I did not attend 1 (2.0%)0 (0%)
Q10Career-readiness competencies0 (0%)3 (4.9%)
Festivals 27 (54.0%)32 (52.5%)
Concept map project 22 (44.0%)26 (42.6%)
I did not attend 1 (2.0%) 0 (0%)
Q11Future plan 20 (40.0%)31 (50.8%)
Food 20 (40.0%)20 (32.8%)
Concept map project 9 (18.0%)10 (16.4%)
I did not attend 1 (2.0%)0 (0%)
Q12Extremely dissatisfied 4 (8.0%)0 (0%)
Somewhat dissatisfied 6 (12.0%)1 (1.6%)
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 10 (20.0%)10 (16.4%)
Somewhat satisfied 22 (44.0%)29 (47.5%)
Extremely satisfied 8 (16.0%)21 (34.4%)
Q13Yes35 (70.0%)58 (95.1%)
No15 (30.0%)3 (4.9%)
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Zhang, H.; Wu, J.; Li, Y.; Marchong, C.; Cotter, D.; Zhou, X.; Huang, X. The Impact of Virtual Exchange on College Students in the US and China. Soc. Sci. 2025, 14, 281. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14050281

AMA Style

Zhang H, Wu J, Li Y, Marchong C, Cotter D, Zhou X, Huang X. The Impact of Virtual Exchange on College Students in the US and China. Social Sciences. 2025; 14(5):281. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14050281

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Hongmei, Jian Wu, Yanju Li, Chad Marchong, David Cotter, Xianli Zhou, and Xinhe Huang. 2025. "The Impact of Virtual Exchange on College Students in the US and China" Social Sciences 14, no. 5: 281. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14050281

APA Style

Zhang, H., Wu, J., Li, Y., Marchong, C., Cotter, D., Zhou, X., & Huang, X. (2025). The Impact of Virtual Exchange on College Students in the US and China. Social Sciences, 14(5), 281. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14050281

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