AI, virtual reality give students a taste of study abroad experiences
In an innovative food science course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, students wandered through street markets in Veracruz, Mexico, and Taipei, Taiwan; and toured a coffee plantation and artisanal chocolate factory in a mountain village — all without leaving the Illinois campus.
By leveraging 360-degree video and virtual reality technologies along with collaborative projects by peers at partnering universities, the course immerses students in intercultural learning similar to what they might experience through study abroad. Using an approach known as collaborative online international learning, or COIL, the course creates global classrooms that allow faculty members to share teaching responsibilities, while their students work together — synchronously and asynchronously — on learning projects.
Toni Gist, a clinical professor of food science and human nutrition at Illinois, has co-taught the course in different semesters with José Antonio Palma Jacinto, a professor of clinical chemistry, biochemistry and toxicology at Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico; and Yi-Chen Lo, a professor and the chair of the Institute of Food Science and Technology at National Taiwan University. Gist said each international partner offers a distinct type of global learning experience for the Illinois students.
Many students have personal circumstances that preclude travel and studying abroad, Gist said. However, AI and virtual reality technologies make global learning equitable and accessible for those who might not have the resources or the opportunities to experience it otherwise.