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Purpose: Professional Identity Formation is the dynamic evolution to "think, act and feel" to become part of a professional community. This document presents the development and the study that aimed to assess the usability of a m-Learning Identity App (MLIA) focused on the formation of professional identity among undergraduate medical students. Design/methodology/approach: MLIA development included four phases: Conceptual, prototype, pilot and implementation, before further deployment. The conceptual model was designed by eight faculty members from three Latin American universities. The prototype was developed and tested with stakeholders. The pilot was performed during 5 weeks before the implementation. Cross-sectional data collected during implementation from 138 medical students who completed a survey to assess the usability of MLIA are presented. During deployment, 977 posts were made on Professional Identity Formation, and examples of these posts are presented. Findings: The prototype and pilot phases demanded improvements. The survey explored (1) Familiarity, (2) Perceived ease of use, (3) Perceived usefulness for Professional Identity Formation, (4) Satisfaction, (5) Intention to reuse (6) Digital aesthetics and (7) Safety. Results from the usability assessment suggest that students perceived MLIA as a secure space with positive aesthetics and ease of use. Research limitations/implications: Important limitations of the present study include, firstly, that it does not provide information on the effectiveness of the MLIA in shaping professional identity in medical students, it focuses exclusively on its development (conceptual model, prototype, pilot and implementation) and usability. Secondly, the study design did not consider a control group and, therefore, does not provide information on how the App compares with other strategies addressing self-reflection and sharing of meaningful experiences related to professional identity. Originality/value: MLIA introduces a different approach to education, simulating a secure, easy-to-use, social media with a friendly interface in a safe environment to share academic and motivational moments, transitioning from being to becoming a professional.

The globally mobile reality of today's world has made the field of intercultural communication increasingly relevant as people more often find themselves in intercultural situations. As a result, language teachers must be more prepared to work in intercultural contexts, and to teach their own students how to communicate across differences in intercultural situations both physically and virtually. The present paper examines this special issue's topic of physical and virtual mobility and intercultural competence through the lens of teacher education. Using narrative inquiry, two teacher educators in very different geographic and socio-economic contexts (US and Colombia) explore their own attempts at developing intercultural communication in teacher learners through a WhatsApp pen pal exchange project in their intercultural communication classes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings reveal different ways in which virtual mobility and other affordances of WhatsApp can be harnessed to achieve various aims of intercultural education, but also how activities such as the pen pal exchange can be improved in order to align more with current theories of intercultural communication.

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The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has demanded the adoption of extraordinary measures of quarantine and social distancing, impacting educational institutions worldwide. Schools and campuses - which used to be spaces for social exchange - had to cease face-toface instruction and shift to remote learning with no prior planning or training, which posed several challenges to education systems around the globe. In Latin America - responsible, today, for over half of the planet's daily COVID-19-related deaths - this scenario is even more dramatic. The diverse socioeconomic levels of the student population is a major challenge for online teaching, as institutions cannot provide computer training, equipment and connectivity to all those in need. In spite of all challenges, universities which are part of AUSJAL (Association of Universities Entrusted to the Society of Jesus in Latin America) are making every effort to offer online classes during this pandemic, since education plays a pivotal role in these countries. This paper presents a selection of Design educational experiences conducted in AUSJAL universities during this pandemic. Design educators from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Nicaragua present educational methods and strategies for dealing with this critical situation. In conclusion, we discuss how their innovative and engaging teaching ideas are paving the way towards not simply a new, but a "better normal" in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]