Virtual bridges for Intercultural learning: The TEC Center Story

Intercultural competence—the ability to navigate cultural differences with understanding and respect—has become an essential skill in our interconnected world. This competence bridges gaps, fosters understanding, and creates meaningful connections across cultures. Technology has turned the world into one global village where in-person and online encounters with foreign cultures are the norm. However, these can be intimidating when one doesn't know how to navigate cultural differences. Technology serves as a powerful catalyst for developing this essential skill, particularly in today's increasingly multicultural educational landscapes, both on physical campuses and in online learning environments, preparing students for an interconnected future.

Cross-cultural differences can be acute in societies with a history of conflict such as Israel. Its main cultural groups are secular Jews, religious Jews and Muslim Arabs, co-living with other minorities from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This diversity is also reflected in how the state and society are organized. Israel’s education system is divided into sectors with schools that do not interact with one another. In this complex context—where historical and ongoing tensions create additional challenges—educators bear the critical responsibility of nurturing students' intercultural sensitivity, creating an urgent need for specialized training while technology-facilitated virtual spaces offer neutral ground for meaningful interaction across cultural boundaries. The TEC Center's work takes on renewed significance as it continues fostering dialogue in this challenging environment.

The TEC Center designs and implements simulations within virtual environments, utilizing advanced technologies to create immersive and interactive learning experiences. These simulations are applied in various educational settings to enhance intercultural communication, collaboration, and understanding. These carefully crafted simulations serve as transformative educational tools across various settings, specifically designed to enhance intercultural communication, foster collaboration, and deepen cross-cultural understanding.

Simulations in teacher education provide preservice teachers with practical, hands-on experience in a controlled, low-risk environment. Unlike traditional theoretical instruction, simulations allow repeated practice and experimentation, helping future educators develop essential teaching skills. These simulations range from simple text-based formats to immersive virtual reality environments (Gibson et al., 2007; Marburg et al., 2017).

Research suggests that incorporating simulations into teacher training programs enhances preparedness for real-world classroom challenges (Zibit & Gibson, 2005; Archambault et al., 2010; Badiee & Kaufman, 2014). By engaging in these controlled yet dynamic settings, preservice teachers gain valuable insights into classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies. Simulations also allow educators to role-play different scenarios, improving their ability to respond to diverse classroom situations effectively.

Furthermore, virtual simulations create an opportunity for preservice teachers to refine their teaching methods without the fear of making mistakes that could negatively impact actual students (Amichai-Hamburger et al., 2002). These safe-to-fail environments cultivate both confidence and competence, ensuring that future educators are better equipped to navigate the complexities of modern, culturally diverse classrooms. These environments foster confidence and competence, ensuring that future educators are better equipped to handle the complexities of modern teaching. As a result, simulations serve as an essential tool for enhancing teacher education worldwide.

AI is significantly transforming intercultural education by enhancing students' intercultural communication competence and promoting inclusive learning environments. The strategic integration of AI tools—including sophisticated chatbots, adaptive language learning applications, and culturally responsive digital assistants—facilitates highly personalized learning journeys and authentic cultural interactions, making education more accessible and effective for diverse learners. Additionally, AI-powered cultural simulations provide students with authentic global experiences, fostering deeper understanding and empathy in a rapidly globalizing world. These advancements not only improve communication across cultures but also contribute to a more inclusive and interconnected educational landscape.

The TEC center has received multiple recognitions including

• The Minister of Education Prize for a pedagogic initiative that brought about change in teacher education (2013),
• The Jerusalem Unity Prize in the presence of the President of the State (2018).
• Most recently one of our guests Dr. Shonfeld received the 2025 Outstanding Service to Digital Equity award at the SITE 2025 Conference in Orlando, Florida.

More at: https://mofet-web.macam.ac.il/tec/en/center/

About our guests

Prof. Miri Shonfeld is Vice President of the International Association of Intercultural Education, IAIE. She is the head of the Technology, Education, and Cultural Diversity (TEC) Center at MOFET Institute and the head of the thesis graduate program in Technology in Education at Kibbutzim College of Education in Tel-Aviv. Her research deals with intercultural education, online learning environments, collaborative work, virtual worlds, AI and faculty development.

Dr. Manal Yazbak  Abu Ahmad is a  Senior Lecturer, pedagogical supervisor, former Dean of Student Affairs, ex-department chair in the English Department at Sakhnin Teacher’s College, and a board member of the TEC Center. She has been coordinating TEC International Online Day for the last 6 years. Furthermore, she is an expert in using innovative digital tools in instruction and has been executing collaborative learning strategies in an online multicultural environment for more than 14 years. Her primary research areas are Intercultural Exchanges, Multicultural Education, Changing Attitudes, Intergroup Dialogues, and Online Collaborative Learning.

Dr. Wafa Zidan, Head of Digital Teaching and Learning Unit, at The Arab Academic College of Education in Israel-Haifa. She is a Lecturer in the field of ICT, computer science and research methodology, Internship workshop facilitator, a pedagogical trainer at the college, and online course developer.

Her research interests are, online teaching, implementing technology in education, developing, and implementing online courses, as well as the in the field of Internship and entry into teaching profession.