Virtual International Learning Experience in Formal Higher Education – A Case Study from Jordan

Purpose – International experience is important to prepare university students for successful career in the globalized knowledge economy. However, learners in developing countries have limited access to international educational experiences due to travel costs and constrains, political instability that prohibit academic visits from foreign students and instructors, societal restrictions on certain groups like female students, or old educational systems that resist didactical and organizational changes. The emergence of Social Media enabled the development of interactive learnercentered virtual learning environments that enable collaborative knowledge building in online social communities.This empirical study aims to explore how to provide Jordanian university students with international academic experience during their regular study programs without travelling abroad. Virtual Collaborative Learning has been introduced and examined in this specific context due to its reported high potential for developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – Following an educational design based approach, a Virtual Collaborative Learning arrangement has been re-designed to involve Jordanian students in a formal masters’ course with German students at the Technische Universität Dresden. Factors that affect participated Jordanian students’ perception of this experience have been examined using deep interviews and qualitative content analyses methods. Originality/value – The value of this study lays in the innovative approach to provide Jordanian university students with international learning experience by integrating them in a virtual community with peers from Germany using Social Media application. Practical implications – This study delivers empirical evidence on the potential of welldesigned Virtual Collaborative Learning arrangements to provide students with enjoyable, high-impact, immersive international learning experience at their home university. This helps universities, especially in Arab and developing countries, to grant their students a new learning experience using affordable easy-to-use Social Media solutions