- 1University of Helsinki, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Helsinki, Finland (alexander.mahura@helsinki.fi)
- 2Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Helsinki, Finland
- 3Odesa Mechnikov National University (ONU), Odesa, Ukraine
- *A full list of authors appears at the end of the abstract
The traditional model of in-person education is evolving, with distance learning becoming increasingly popular. Virtual Exchange (VE) enhances interest in distance education by adding interactive elements. The University of Helsinki (UHEL) coordinates two EU ERASMUS+ VE projects: “Climate University for Virtual Exchanges” (CLUVEX) and “Una Europa Virtual Exchanges for Sustainability” (UnaVEx), running from 2023 to 2026. These projects address climate change and sustainable development. Additionally, UHEL leads the ClimEd project, which offers online training on climate services, adaptation, and mitigation, incorporating VE elements.
CLUVEX and UnaVEx aim to engage up to 5,000 university students (BSc to PostDoc levels) in VEs over three years. CLUVEX integrates Climate University online courses, while UnaVEx builds on Una Europa Micro-Credential in Sustainability and the associated MOOCs. These projects, involving partners from Europe, Neighbourhood East, and Africa, are testing and refining VE as part of distance learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ClimEd successfully used VE for remote training with Ukrainian universities, focusing on advanced educational and communication technologies in climate services.
Students in CLUVEX and UnaVEx VEs collaborate in international groups to learn about climate change and sustainability. They earn ECTS credits and certificates like the Climate Messenger (CLUVEX) or Sustainability Advocate (UnaVEx). Similarly, ClimEd participants receive training certificates with ECTS credits. Feedback and motivation data are collected to improve the VE approach.
Since mid-2023, CLUVEX has developed resources like the Virtual Exchange Guidebook, Climate Literacy Guidebook, and Climate Messenger Code of Conduct, along with climate-related lectures and visualization tools. Six moderator training sessions in 2024 covered topics such as technical skills, MOOCs, soft skills, and CLUVEX handbooks. The first VE Week for students was held on October 14–18, 2024. UnaVEx began preparations in 2024, focusing on VE Week exercises. Moderator training started in late 2024, with the first VE Week scheduled for February and March 2025, featuring an “Introduction to Sustainability” exercise. ClimEd has successfully conducted five of seven planned trainings. The sixth, focusing on MOOC development, is scheduled for February 2025 in Estonia. The seventh, on using climatic information for climate-dependent industries, is planned for April 2025 in Spain.
Results from the initial VE Weeks of CLUVEX and UnaVEx will highlight how VEs enhance engagement in distance learning about climate issues. VEs foster skills like remote collaboration, technical proficiency, and teamwork. The ClimEd project’s completed VE-based trainings will also be summarized.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was supported by the EU funded Erasmus+ projects: via CLUVEX (No 101111959), via UnaVEx (No101139159), via ClimEd (No 619285-EPP-1-2020-1-FI-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP).
Olga Schevchenko, Sergiy Snizhko, Inna Khomenko, Natalia Kriuchkova, Natalia Bulat, Arsen Aproyan, Alexander Markarov, Karen Chazaryan, Yvonne Billimore, Eliisa Suvanto, Piritta Puhto, Alexander Baklanov, Roman Nuterman, Maher Sahyoun, Oleh Shablii, Sergiy Stepanenko, Anna-Stina Sinisalo, Melissa Plath, Francesco Maria Spampinato, Ana Beaven, Alessia Marchi, Francesca Primi, Katrien Pype, Julie Metta, Anneleen Cosemans, Allison Dunne, Jan Van Ongevalle, Laure Van Hoecke, Lee-Ann Modley, Isaac Rampedi, Anisa Khan, Solomon Derese, Justus Munyoki, Anne Kamau, Margaret Jesang Hutchinson, Raphael Tshimanga Muamba, Cush Ngonzo, Gode Bola, Lisette Bonso, Felly Ngandu, Emmanuel Tsadok Mihaha, Kalev Sepp, Volha Kaskevich, Veljo Kabin, Anton Shkaruba, Tetyana Kryvomaz, Jon Xavier Olano, Enric Aguilar, Anna Boqué, Manola Brunet, Gisella Cebrian, Iryna Bashmakova, Yuri Rashkevych, Marek Frankowicz, Inna Osadchuk, and Markku Kulmala
How to cite: Mahura, A., Lappalainen, H. K., Karhumaa, J., Riuttanen, L., Vauhkonen, A., Tyuryakov, S., and Ovcharuk, V. and the & Erasmus+ CLUVEX, UnaVEx and ClimEd projects teams: Virtual Exchanges and Climate Education as a Tool for European Partnership Development for SDGs, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15778, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15778, 2025.
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