During the last two years, due to the spread of COVID 19, multiple sectors have been forced to move to virtual life, including the higher education sector. The regular offline academic exchange was difficult for most higher education institutions; therefore, the virtual exchange (VE) is the only way to maintain academic exchange. This paper represents the virtual exchange program that connects mechanical engineering students from Higher Institute of Technological Studies of Beja (ISET Beja), Tunisia, and mechanical and electrical engineering students from An-Najah National University (ANNU), Palestine, by working on a robotics-related project. This paper shows the importance of enhancing soft skills that prepare students to get engaged in the industry and marketplace. It also focuses on global/multi-cultural skills that prepare the students to integrate into an interconnected world. Results show that the students appreciate this collaboration and believe it fosters their communication and teamwork skills with the multidisciplinary team. Educators seek to expand the size of the virtual exchange program in the future by involving more students and establishing other partnerships. Keywords: Virtual exchange, Global/multi-cultural Fluency, Robotics.

Conference Title

First Conference of the Automation and Robotic NetworkTunisia , ARNT 2021

Conference Country

Tunisia

Conference Date

Oct. 29, 2021 - Oct. 31, 2021

Conference Sponsor

Hochschule Hof (, Hof University, Hof, Germany )

Additional Info

Conference Website