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Presentation

Using AI to Enable Intercultural Communication Through Virtual Exchange Projects for Pre-Service Teachers

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Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) has been promoted as a supplement or alternative to traditional study abroad programs. COIL can facilitate intercultural communication as well as enabling language exchange between multilingual language learners. In general COIL projects are set up pairing small groups or whole class exchanges. These projects work well with self-motivated students who are able to interact in English in real-time. Unfortunately, very few COIL projects are available for students without strong English language skills. This presentation will share data from a Virtual Exchange project between 16 pre-service kindergarten and elementary school teachers and eight in-service teachers from around the world. AI enabled students with lower English language skills to not only prepare for the exchange, but also to understand the exchange through transcriptions and automated summaries in real-time. The presentation will include a detailed explanation on how the project was set up and carried out using AI on Zoom. Ways in which this project attempted to overcome challenges often encountered by teachers conducting traditional COIL projects will also be shared with suggestions for improvement on future projects.