University of Pretoria (UP) students are grappling with the reality of becoming global citizens by way of a unique initiative called the Global Classroom, where they engage with their peers from around the world in a rich melting pot of cultures, languages, disciplines and viewpoints.

UP’s Global Online Teaching and Learning initiative consists of more than 35 online teaching and learning projects that cuts across disciplines, from architecture and occupational therapy to marketing management and political science.

The projects are spread across at least 30 countries, from Austria and Australia to Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, France, India, Kuwait, the UK and the US.

One such project is the Global Classroom for UP Political Sciences honours students, which has been running since 2018 and is a four-way collaboration among UP, the University of Akron in the US, Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado in Brazil and Le Mans University in France. Students are able to engage, share and collaborate online – not necessarily in the same language or from the same point of view.

“The project is a vista into other ways of thinking and other perspectives, not from lecturers but from their peers,” says Dr Heather Thuynsma, a lecturer in UP’s Department of Political Sciences, who started the Global Classroom project almost five years ago with fellow Political Sciences lecturer Roland Henwood.

The results of this kind of virtual cross-border interaction can be eye-opening.

Different viewpoints on everything from climate change to identity

South African Political Sciences students are often surprised to discover that while climate change might be low on their list of priorities, it is right at the top for students in France, Brazil and the US.

“Climate change is a big issue in these countries, but not really for South Africans,” Dr Thuynsma says.

Similarly, students from different countries attach completely different meanings to identity.

While identity and race tend to be seen as synonymous in South Africa, American students associate identity with patriotism; the French are seemingly “colour blind”; and Brazilians are Brazilians, first and foremost.

These different perspectives can lead to some heated debate, with some South African students taking offence at French students’ apparent lack of understanding of race-based identity, and American students objecting to the South African viewpoint.

Friendly and respectful pushback

“These are student-led sessions and the students push one another in a friendly and respectful way,” Dr Thuynsma says, adding that the ability to air differences openly and respectfully is a key skill for aspirant global citizens. “The Global Classroom is a great place to collaborate, learn global citizenship skills and interrogate what global citizenship really means.”

The ability to communicate despite language differences is another key attribute of the global citizen. Multilingualism is strongly at play in Dr Thuynsma’s Global Classroom, where students meet every Tuesday from February to May for discussion sessions that last for two and a half hours.

These online gatherings start with a student from each university giving a presentation on the latest news headlines in their country, followed by a guest lecture on a topic related to the overarching theme of global citizenship. The students then split up into groups, with all countries represented in each group, to work on a project.

“The students speak in whatever language is convenient for them, which, in this case, could be French, Portuguese and any of the 11 official South African languages,” Dr Thuynsma says. “It is important for people to hear what another language sounds like, otherwise you are just paying lip service to global citizenship.” The proviso is that the students must use English captions to explain their presentations.

Despite the challenges and differences of opinion – or perhaps because of them – the Global Classroom is never empty.

“The students love interacting,” says Dr Thuynsma, whose project won a UP Institutional Teaching and Learning Award in 2020.

International online collaboration is getting bigger and better

More and more opportunities for international online learning and teaching are becoming available to UP students and staff, according to Marena Lotriet, education consultant in UP’s Department of Education Innovation.

She says international collaboration on teaching and learning initiatives in various forms has been part of UP offerings for many years, but has become bigger and better coordinated since 2021, when UP became a partner university in Cooperative Online International Learning, initiated and supported by the State University of New York.

“This provided impetus for renewed interest and enthusiasm across the University, and led to the formation of a community of practice for academics involved in any form of global online teaching and learning,” Lotriet says.

“UP wants its students to become confident global citizens and that’s what this programme is all about. It is a different kind of student exchange that opens up access to the world – without requiring a huge budget.”