Global Programs

Penn State Ag Sciences professor conducts virtual exchange with Latvian University

Noel Habashy during the CEEISA-ISA Joint International Conference in Croatia.  Credit: Noel Habashy. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Noel Habashy, assistant teaching professor of international agriculture and development at Penn State University Park, recently completed an Experiential Digital Global Engagement (EDGE) project with students from his course, INTAG 100N: Everyone Eats: Hunger, Food Security and Global Agriculture, and partners from Riga Stradiņš University, Latvia.

EDGE is a project-based international virtual exchange program adapted from the State University of New York’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program. Habashy has participated in integrating his classes with EDGE for more than three semesters and said he plans on continuing to do so in the future.  

“For many [students] this was their first time having meaningful interactions with somebody in a different part of the world.” Habashy said.  

Habashy has been involved in the EDGE program through collaborations with multiple universities, his most recent being with the Riga Stradiņš University in Latvia. Having contemplated the idea of participating in an EDGE program for some time, the opportunity presented itself in the form of a grant from the organization. As part of the grant, Habashy conducted a class partnership for one semester with his colleague at the partner university, Julija Sipicina-Buhgolca. After that, Habashy and Sipicina-Buhgolca conducted two more semesters independently. During the second, Sipicina-Buhgolca moved to Riga Stradiņš University in Latvia, where they continued the EDGE program.  

“Making [the opportunity to partner and work together with people in different regions of the world] more accessible has certainly been a very appealing characteristic of the program,” Habashy noted.  

Habashy and Sipicina-Buhgolca brought together the students from Penn State and Riga Stradiņš University in INTAG 100N. According to Habashy, the students were tasked with examining all the social, economic and ecological factors that influence food insecurity across the world. 

The Penn State students were frequently in communication with those in Latvia, using various channels.

“We had students meeting on Zoom and then they would choose a platform to continue communicating on. A lot of them chose WhatsApp. At one point we had a lot of students using Slack and we thought, you know, that would be a way for them to learn a new tool if they weren't familiar with it, but especially one that's very commonly used in sort of a corporate setting,” Habashy said.  

Students were assigned presentations, where they used tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint and discussed a given topic. One such assignment took place when the students comparatively analyzed North American and Eastern European perspectives on issues facing a specific agricultural product.  

“That could be things ranging from bread to t-shirts. We had a whole gauntlet of different products. What are the opportunities and challenges? And what does it look like in that cultural context?” Habashy said. Students were divided into 12 groups, discussing one agricultural product each. The groups — comprised of both Penn State and Riga Stradiņš University students — presented their findings in a virtual asynchronous meeting. 

“If [students] were really purposeful and trying to make efforts to communicate; putting themselves out there and being bolder, they certainly got more responses and people were more receptive in a lot of ways.” Habashy said. 

Upon completion of the EDGE program, Habashy presented his work and findings at the CEEISA-ISA Joint International Conference in Croatia from June 18 - 21, 2024. This was Habashy’s second time attending and presenting at this conference. “It's an extremely international conference. There was not one dominant nation represented amongst the participants.” Habashy recounted. The conference was largely focused on international relations; however, Habashy’s findings garnered a lot of interest from those who were interested in pedagogy. 

There was interest among people who are studying international relations and teaching classes on it but aren't able to provide as many opportunities for their students to have as many international interactions, said Habashy. 

The EDGE research toolkit, developed by Laura Cruz, was instrumental in developing the research study presented at the conference.

“The access to that sort of research toolkit helps make [research] more accessible to faculty members who maybe don't come from a background of educational research.” Habashy said.

After the initial EDGE partnership, the next step is to study and examine what the students have taken away from the process as well as the intricacies of student interaction. For Habashy, the toolkit was of great help in navigating all the different processes and pieces of the research process, he said.

The EDGE program and therefore the conference, contributed to Habashy’s personal and professional growth, he added.

“I would be delighted to continue different EDGE partnerships.” Habashy said, “Trying to find ways to provide more just good, rich international conversations for students: I'm always excited for those sorts of opportunities.” 

EDGE provides opportunities for global and intercultural engagement without the expensive costs of traveling. Virtual exchange can provide a new element to nearly any academic course. For information on how to start an EDGE collaboration, visit www.globalEDGEucation.psu.edu or email Tracy Coleman, EDGE program associate, at Tracy.Coleman@psu.edu for more information. Those who would like a presentation about EDGE for their group can email Alandra Kahl, professsor in charge of EDGE, at afk12@psu.edu.  

Last Updated February 5, 2025