COVID-19 and the policy shift to lockdowns had a considerable impact on global higher education. Campuses transitioned to virtual, online teaching, leveraging a host of learning technologies to deliver educational content. While many universities had existing infrastructure to shift to online content delivery, interactive, collaborative learning within this virtual teaching space was not as simple. Students were unable to travel for valuable exchange and field-based learning activities, including applied research and internship opportunities. This best practices article considers one attempt during COVID-19 lockdowns in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Ontario, Canada to co-create and deliver an innovative, cross-national virtual learning environment. The project that emerged from these unprecedented circumstances asked: how can students in different countries, on opposite sides of the globe, engage in virtual collaborations to develop practical insights into global, locally relevant public policy problems? The model leveraged existing academic staff, university resources, and existing relationships between researchers and community organizations to provide a successful model.