1. Constant updates on Professional Development Opportunities
2. Global Networking
Being a member offers many opportunities for collaboration on international projects and research.You will have the chance to connect with professionals from around the world who share a common interest in Virtual Exchange through our Partnering Fairs and Partnering Search Tool.
As of January 1st 2024 anybody who has an account on our website can view the information shared on the Tool but only members will be able to see and directly contact project implementers.
3. Updates on the latest research on VE
Members will receive emails and posts on the most updated research and findings on VE,including posts on the most recent articles published by the Journal of Virtual Exchange (JVE). By becoming a member, you will automatically be added to the UNICollaboration member email list, to be updated on the latest developments, trends, tools, and best practices in Virtual Exchange, including research papers, case studies, and teaching materials related to Virtual Exchange.
4. Access to Resources
Members will have unlimited access to the Moodle training courses they have attended, including the repository of resources available on them, and to the Virtual Exchange and Telecollaboration Bibliography in Zotero (which can be accessed by any UNICollaboration member by creating a Zotero account and requesting permission to join our library – for further details, please have a look here).
They will also have the opportunity to continue hosting the future editions of the VE courses – whose previous editions were already hosted by UNICollaboration on its Moodle platform – on the same UNICollaboration Moodle platform. Furthermore, members will have the opportunity to publish news and articles on their findings/initiatives for free on the UNICollaboration website.
5. Grant and Funding Opportunities
Members will be informed about potential grant opportunities or funding sources available to those engaged in virtual exchange initiatives, and will be offered guidance on how to secure funding for their own virtual exchange projects.
6. Community Engagement
The forums, discussion groups and networking events organised will foster a sense of community among members. Furthermore, the website will be a platform for sharing experiences, challenges, and success stories related to virtual exchange. Members will have the opportunity to be part of active interest groups like:
- The UNICollaboration Graduate Students SIG on VE, which is a fabulous networking tool for graduate students;
- The new UNICollaboration SIG on Teacher Training Development, created for the community of in-service teachers, on the occasion of the conference “exploring the impact of virtual exchange on teacher education” held in Leòn, Spain in February 2024 and co-organised by VALIANT and UNICollaboration.
Members will also benefit from UNICollaboration’s participation in local/regional/national events, which will be advertised among the member network
7. Discounts and Incentives
Discounts are provided for registration to the IVEC (International Virtual Exchange Consortium) conference (10% discount), registration as institutional member with COIL Connect (10% discount) institutions that have secured the services of UNICollaboration training/mentoring/facilitation initiatives for their own institution/network, and multiple registrations or group registrations from the same university. Further details on specific discounts on training/membership will be provided directly to the interested parties : info@unicollaboration.org .
A free membership lottery will take place on the occasion of events organised during annual gatherings such as the annual research conference (i.e. VALIANT/UNICollaboration in 2024): people will sign up as members and one of them will be drawn for a free membership at the end of the social event taking place during the conference.
In addition, members will have access to a series of initiatives and events for free, and which will be open to non-members for a fee. For institutional members, the major advantage consists in the fact that all the institution’s staff can participate in such events for free.
These events and initiatives include: an annual thematic workshop and additional fora based on needs and trends as they emerge. Partnering fairs will instead be open to both members and non members to ensure that participants can be in touch with and identify the widest possible range of new VE partners.
Open Badges will be issued to all members – differentiated according to the membership type – which can be displayed on their social media, and detailing the duration of the membership and its expiry.
Furthermore, recognition will be given to acknowledge the work and service of members or those active in VE, by awarding an Open Badge yearly to members identified by the Management Board.
More information
Membership fees vary depending on the type of membership as follows:
- Individual members: Euro 50
- Students’ members: Euro 25
- Institutional members: Euro 200
- Commercial members: Euro 250
Memberships last one solar year, beginning on January 1st and expiring on December 31st of each year.