Dr. Paola Cascinelli, director of Arcadia Italy, and Dr. Joanna Simos, lecturer in the Arcadia London Center, have contributed to “Global Classroom: Multicultural Approaches and Organizational Strategies in Teaching and Learning Business and Economics,” a new book that examines real-world case studies in business and economics education.

In the chapter “The Virtual Global Classroom,” Dr. Cascinelli discusses Virtual Global Classrooms (VGC) as a tool for internationalization. VGCs are online learning environments that connect groups of learners with partners from other cultural contexts or geographical locations over extended periods of real-time online intercultural interaction and collaboration using various digital tools and platforms. Dr. Cascinelli argues that VGCs have transformative potential throughout higher education.

“By transcending geographical boundaries, the VGC facilitates meaningful intercultural engagement and collaboration among students and educators worldwide,” Dr. Cascinelli said. “It offers a platform for inclusive learning experiences that integrate diverse perspectives and promote global citizenship.”

Dr. Simos examines the challenges and opportunities presented by students with varied educational backgrounds in the chapter “Varied Educational Backgrounds: Learner Aspirations, Active Instruction and Classroom Expectations.” She discusses different approaches to fostering constructive learning experiences through active instruction.

“The attempt to define and address varied educational backgrounds is fundamental in transforming inclusive education,” Dr. Simos shared. “In this way, striving for equity can drive instruction. But that is only as long as care is given to considering inclusion and recognizing each student group as a separate entity worthy of individual attention.”

Drs. Cascinelli and Simos were ecstatic to be given the chance to contribute to a book focusing on such an important topic.

“The editors of this anthology, Davide de Gennaro and Marco Marino, asked Dr. Simos and I to contribute based on the experiences we’ve developed through Arcadia Abroad,” Dr. Cascinelli explained. “We are extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity.”

“With significant structural changes currently taking place at education institutions on a global scale, reexamining how we approach instruction has become imperative,” Dr. Simos said. “It is an honour to be included in this valuable anthology which reveals the lesser researched yet prominent issues of today’s international instruction, and to join distinguished colleagues for the edition.”