The Concepts of Virtual Exchange and Study Exchange under investigation

Similarities and differences

Abstract

Tourism is recognized as an economic activity of great importance. Tourism segmentation involves one segment that has been gaining prominence, Student Exchange, which describes the tourist movement generated by educational programs in foreign countries. Another proposal that has been widely explored in teaching institutions is Virtual Exchange (VE). VEs have educational purposes and put students from different locations in contact without physical displacement. This study aims to investigate similarities and differences between the definitions of Student Exchange and Virtual Exchange. To do so, we investigated studies on the themes, which were accessed through scientific databases, in addition to physical and virtual libraries. We identified that, although there are divergences between the concepts, there are more convergences, such as the emphasis on learning, contact with new cultures, and personal and professional development and development of educational programs.