Connecting classrooms

Описание: The Connecting Classrooms project was first launched in 2011 as an experimental initiative designed to enhance students’ linguistic proficiency and intercultural competence through direct peer-to-peer communication. During its pilot year, the project served as a trial run — an opportunity to refine logistics, assess learning outcomes, and identify best practices for authentic international collaboration. Yet very quickly, Dr. Alla Kourova recognized something profound: this project was exactly what her students needed. It brought the human dimension of language learning to life.

Since that time, Connecting Classrooms has become a permanent and integral component of Dr. Kourova’s Russian language curriculum at the University of Central Florida. Each year, students from UCF’s Intermediate Russian course are paired with students from Lyceum #7 in Novocherkassk, Russia. Working collaboratively in both Russian and English, students engage in carefully structured cultural and linguistic exchanges that extend far beyond classroom walls. Through this process, they learn not only grammar and vocabulary, but also the values, perspectives, and traditions that shape intercultural understanding.

Importantly, Connecting Classrooms has evolved into a recognized model of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) — a pedagogy that connects students and instructors across borders through shared virtual learning experiences. By integrating COIL principles, the project allows participants to engage in sustained intercultural dialogue, co-construct knowledge, and develop global awareness without leaving their home institutions.