Schedule: 2009-09-10 (15:00 - 15:45)
Parallel Session 1 (Room A-30)

Title: Collaboration across local, national and international boundaries
Authors: Oranna Speicher, Sarah Wullink
Abstract: Collaboration across local, national and international boundaries!
The paper will discuss “The Cultural Exchange”, a pilot project involving specialist and non-specialist HE language students in the UK and their peers at partner universities in France and Germany. The rationale behind the project was to investigate whether the use of videoconferencing and webcams in the language classroom and outside the formal teaching context would facilitate authentic and meaningful spoken and written communication between language learners and native speakers of the target languages involved.
The exchange took place on three levels: weekly group video conferences, weekly individual webcam sessions and group and individual contact through WebCT.
The project focussed on three issues: firstly, it aimed to address our students’ perceived lack of contact with native speakers of the language they are studying. Secondly it was seen as an excellent opportunity for our students to get expert peer advice on their year abroad before they commence their studies or work placement in their chosen country. And finally, it gave the members of staff and students involved the opportunity to integrate a hitherto neglected type of technology into their teaching and learning.
The paper will also focus on the methodology used and discuss how the project was evaluated, in how far the learning outcomes of developing our students’ linguistic, cultural and technological skills were achieved as well as how the challenges that were encountered were dealt with.
The final part of the paper will discuss how understanding gained from the pilot project has successfully informed two further developments using the same technology with particular emphasis on the context of widening participation. The first one is e-mentoring, where MFL undergraduate students act as role-models and mentors for AS/A2 pupils by providing encouragement and motivation in order to promote the study of languages as a whole, and to enrich their cultural experience and provide speaking practice in particular. The Virtual Language Assistant, the second development to come out of the Cultural Exchange, involves undergraduate Erasmus students working through a weekly video-conferencing link with language teachers in schools that would otherwise not have the services of a foreign language assistant.
Keywords: Collaboration, video-conferencing, WebCT, widening participation

Main topic: Curriculum development for CALL.

Biodata: Oranna Speicher, German Tutor/E-Learning Development Officer, The Language Centre, School of Modern Languages and Cultures Sarah Wullink, Widening Participation Officer, school of Modern Languages and Cultures
Type of presentation Paper presentation

Paper category Reflective Practice

Target educational sector Higher education

Language of delivery English

EU-funded project No

Schedule:	2009-09-10 (15:00 - 15:45) Parallel Session 1 (Room A-30)
Title:	Collaboration across local, national and international boundaries
Authors:	Oranna Speicher, Sarah Wullink
Abstract:	Collaboration across local, national and international boundaries! The paper will discuss “The Cultural Exchange”, a pilot project involving specialist and non-specialist HE language students in the UK and their peers at partner universities in France and Germany. The rationale behind the project was to investigate whether the use of videoconferencing and webcams in the language classroom and outside the formal teaching context would facilitate authentic and meaningful spoken and written communication between language learners and native speakers of the target languages involved. The exchange took place on three levels: weekly group video conferences, weekly individual webcam sessions and group and individual contact through WebCT. The project focussed on three issues: firstly, it aimed to address our students’ perceived lack of contact with native speakers of the language they are studying. Secondly it was seen as an excellent opportunity for our students to get expert peer advice on their year abroad before they commence their studies or work placement in their chosen country. And finally, it gave the members of staff and students involved the opportunity to integrate a hitherto neglected type of technology into their teaching and learning. The paper will also focus on the methodology used and discuss how the project was evaluated, in how far the learning outcomes of developing our students’ linguistic, cultural and technological skills were achieved as well as how the challenges that were encountered were dealt with. The final part of the paper will discuss how understanding gained from the pilot project has successfully informed two further developments using the same technology with particular emphasis on the context of widening participation. The first one is e-mentoring, where MFL undergraduate students act as role-models and mentors for AS/A2 pupils by providing encouragement and motivation in order to promote the study of languages as a whole, and to enrich their cultural experience and provide speaking practice in particular. The Virtual Language Assistant, the second development to come out of the Cultural Exchange, involves undergraduate Erasmus students working through a weekly video-conferencing link with language teachers in schools that would otherwise not have the services of a foreign language assistant.
Keywords:	Collaboration, video-conferencing, WebCT, widening participation
Main topic:	Curriculum development for CALL.
Biodata:	Oranna Speicher, German Tutor/E-Learning Development Officer, The Language Centre, School of Modern Languages and Cultures Sarah Wullink, Widening Participation Officer, school of Modern Languages and Cultures
Type of presentation	Paper presentation
Paper category	Reflective Practice
Target educational sector	Higher education
Language of delivery	English
EU-funded project	No