Conference Agenda

The Corona crisis forced people all over the world to stay away and posed new challenges to the education system and higher education institutions. These are required to encourage new and creative thinking and make learning accessible in the online space. Quickly and suddenly, a transition to distance learning in a synchronous and asynchronous online environment was required while meeting the academic, social and emotional needs of the learners. This reality might accompany us in the future academic years.

Among the scientific community in the world there is an agreement that the integration of social emotional teaching (= SEL) may have a positive effect on academic, emotional and behavioral abilities in the learning space such as: self-awareness, self-control, responsible decision-making, teamwork, conflict management, communication and relationship management (Jones and Bouffard, 2012).

Also, SEL has close connection with being a responsible citizen in a democratic country based on values ​​of equality, human dignity and social justice. It also contributes to the cultivation of intercultural competence, empathy, community involvement and the ability to deal with situations of ambiguity and uncertainty (Jones & Kahn, 2017; Mahoney, Durlak & Weissberg, 2018).

To achieve this goal, five researchers, who taught in five different courses at a college of Education have developed a comprehensive curriculum on SEL.

The five courses taught by the researchers are

(1) language (B.Ed degree) - an annual seminar on discourse research;

(2) Bible (B.Ed degree) - Book of Isaiah;

(3) Language (B.Ed degree) - alternatives in language assessment;

(4) special education (master's degree) - annual seminar on multi-professional team work;

(5) Special Education (B.Ed Degree) - Annual seminar on promoting mental well-being and preventing suicide in the education system.

The researchers formulated together outlines for the various courses they were going to teach, integrating SEL skills in the various courses, creating a common professional language as part of establishing a culture that promotes SEL in the college, and research accompaniment of these actions. The planning of the courses was characterized by a flexible online learning environment that includes encouraging group interaction, openness to ideas of others, inclusion and many opportunities for collaborations.

This teaching framework allowed and encouraged the students to look inside and outside themselves and their colleagues. Studies and surveys (Johnson & Aragon, 2003; Becker et al., 2018; District RSN, 2016; Pane et al., 2015) prove that a flexible online learning environment that includes encouraging group interaction, peer assessment and feedback, helps strengthen the relationship between teachers and learners, between the learners and their colleagues, to improve the quality of learning and to provide an accurate response to the learners' needs.

The aim of this research was to examine how students experience distance learning in courses based on SEL principles in multicultural contexts.

Diversity, perceived as positive and harmless (Burner et al., 2018), is not a new phenomenon in education. Classrooms have always been quite diverse, and differences have been found among children within the same age group in readiness for learning, in their areas of interest, learning styles, experiences, background, and social status. Significant differences between children impact what they need to learn, the pace at which they need to know, the way they need to learn, and the support they need from teachers (Hjörne & Säljö, 2014). Studies have shown that classroom educators respond practically to differences and take a concrete pedagogical approach while addressing cultural minorities, adapting teaching methods, cognitive abilities, and language adjustment (Bruner & Biseth, 2016).

Distance learning: synchronous and asynchronous is one of the virtualization approaches that provides learners with an environment where basic needs are met through technology, and teachers are required to adopt new approaches and teaching methods (Burdina et al., 2019). It requires integrating technological tools, diversifying resources, and allowing a choice from a wide range of activities and flexibility in time, space, and pace (Johnson et al., 2015). In distance learning, teachers provide emotional support and security, maintain a routine, and have a sense of partnership. Creating remote interactions with students is much more challenging than classroom learning (Kundu & Bej, 2021). Moreover, teachers are required to provide opportunities for quality distance learning and to adapt the technology, pedagogy, and content to their students' needs—all planned while knowing that the ability to improvise and use body language is limited (Kundu & Bej, 2021).

Another challenge in distance learning is to leverage learning processes and create a personalized learning experience to provide children with learning tailored to their diverse needs and thus allow them to develop according to their pace, abilities, and preferences. Equally important in this type of teaching is children's autonomy and ability to choose, as both elements allow a sense of ownership of learning and better adaptation to areas of interest, increasing motivation. According to this approach, teaching is differential, refers to the learner's status, learning content, teaching methods, and the interaction between the individual and society, and allows each child to learn regardless of ability gaps (Lucas & Claxton, 2010).

In-class teachers perceive differential teaching as a very complex task, and some argue that in busy classrooms, this is an almost impossible task. Differential teaching in the 21st century should include knowledge of teaching and learning to respond to the learning needs of diverse students (Tomlinson, 2014). Previous research (Russo & Hopkins, 2019; Ridwan, Retnawati & Hadi, 2022) has found that teachers are not enthusiastic about giving different tasks to different students in the class because they need time and expertise in planning such tasks.

New teachers in their first-year teaching remotely are required to deal with knowledge and skills, while it is not sure that they have been systematically trained for this as part of the teaching training. In distance learning, the new teachers are required to show flexibility. The challenge is to plan teaching-learning moves that change according to the order of the hour, to the learners, to the resources available or not available in their home, to strengthen the interpersonal relationship with the students and their parents, and to adapt the teaching to the student's personal needs (Kwok, 2018)

The research questions are: (1) What are the first-year teachers' perceptions of diversity in distance learning classes? (2) What actions did the teachers take to address diversity in class in distance learning?

The importance of internationalisation in learning is well established, with increased value being placed on how college students are able to navigate the challenges associated with the development of intercultural competencies (Villar-Onrubia & Rajpal, 2016). As society becomes more global, questions have been raised about how postsecondary institutions integrate global thinking into student identity development to prepare students for their futures in a global society (Chickering & Braskamp, 2009). Traditionally, intercultural learning activities such as study abroad experiences have been identified as high-impact practices that support postsecondary student global and identity development (AAC&U, n.d.; Dresen et al., 2019). However, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted those traditional in-person learning experiences that foster cross-cultural exchanges (Fabuer, 2022). Additionally, graduate students often experience unique personal circumstances including full-time employment, family responsibilities, and finances that act as barriers for participating in traditional study abroad programmes (Nicklin et al., 2019). Taking these barriers into consideration, there are now increased investments in virtual exchange programs to create more inclusive educational opportunities for all university students, while simultaneously supporting their development of global and intercultural competencies.

While there is great benefit for graduate students to develop their intercultural competencies and engage in more equitable global learning opportunities, limited research currently exists on graduate students engaged in global online collaborations, as well as how this potentially impacts their identity development as students and professionals. Student development theory highlights how students grow holistically and with increased complexity during their time in tertiary education (Patton et al., 2016). Graduate students are often contending with the development of multiple identities, as their new identity as an academic researcher grows and intersects with other parts of their identity such as gender, sex, age, profession, and nationality (Nygaard & Savva, 2021). Therefore, the aim of our research sought to understand how participating in a global online learning exchange contributed to graduate student identity development and transformation.

This research was guided by Chickering's (1969) Seven Vectors of College Student Development. In his understanding of student development, he proposed that students experience and evolve by seven vectors - building competence, managing emotions, establishing autonomy, developing identity, assessing interpersonal relationships, and constructing purpose and integrity - that impact the psychological development of the student within the higher education environment. While the original theoretical framework was focused on the traditional student experience, subsequent research has expanded Chickering's theory, creating a more expansive understanding of the current student profile (McDowell & Higbee, 2014), as well as how it can apply in global learning opportunities (Kahn & Agnew, 2015). For this study, participation in virtual exchange experiences, including active collaboration with local and international peers, provides the opportunity to further develop oneself within the higher education setting. Specifically, use of virtual exchanges including engaging with new peer groups, participating in new interactions and developing relationships, and continuing towards an engaged and trustworthy understanding of the global landscape are compelling opportunities for one's postsecondary student development. McDowell and Higbee (2014) noted that "students sometimes have to reconsider how they perceive themselves and others as they engage in new relationships and gain new perspectives" (p. 229). Thus, as virtual exchanges emerge as a global learning tool, participating in virtual exchanges provide a unique opportunity for students to participate in academic experiences that lend to the development of their postsecondary student selves. Furthermore, unlike other student development theories, Chickering identifies that student development may not occur in a linear progression, rather students can develop within each vector at various times.

Thus the current study sought to understand: How does participating in a global online learning exchange contribute to graduate student identity development?