This article is about the college experience and the design and implementation for a first-time virtual classroom linking non-native speakers of French in the U.S. with native speakers of French in France. Virtual exchange programs have begun to appear over the past 25 years as technology has made such initiatives possible. The virtual classroom described here was designed to address second language skills and intercultural competencies including non-verbal communication skills, cultural knowledge, and to encourage personal engagement. This article offers an account of how such a course between two universities became a reality and reviews the methodological steps adopted and the challenges involved in creating the program. It also offers recommendations for future virtual classrooms involved in university-wide virtual exchange initiatives.