An Exploratory Case Study of 21st Century Skills Development Among Educators and Students Engaged in an Online Collaborative Educational and Cultural Exchange Program

This qualitative study was conducted to explore 21st century skills among educators and students engaged in an online collaborative educational and cultural exchange program between middle and high school students and teachers in Heavy Industries Taxila Education City (HITEC), Pakistan and Watauga county schools in western North Carolina. Educators identified common curriculum contents to develop semester long projects in which students were engaged in online collaborative learning experiences through cultural activities such as digital photo sharing and storytelling to improve their cultural competency and global awareness. The research study found that the engagement of students and teachers in the US-Pakistan Educational and Cultural Exchange Program resulted in the development of key 21st century skills among participants of the program. These skills include global awareness, cross-cultural competency, creativity, collaboration, communication, and social networking. The research findings are helpful for school administrators to make progress in international collaboration and implementation of 21st century skills. The outcomes of this research provide an opportunity to improve relationships between the two countries and to open new avenues for future joint ventures in addition to improving perceptions about each other.