By Marta Giralt.

Reading Time: ~10 mins.

Featured Image Source: Image by author.

 

In this post:

 

Introduction and Video

In this video, produced as part of the Sharing Open Education Practices Using Technology (SHOUT4HE) Erasmus+ project, I outline an experience of a Virtual Exchange practice, the primary aim of which is to develop the speaking skills of undergraduates enrolled in foreign language programmes, in this case, Spanish. Running over a six-week period, students interact in pairs via videoconferencing to carry out a series of tasks using either the foreign language or English as the lingua franca. Finally, students participate in an online session mediated by facilitators whose purpose is to increase their intercultural awareness in preparation for their study abroad experience.

Presentation slide consisting of the title of this blogpost and a colourful wikimedia commons image depicting an abstract concept of different brightly coloured people in motion.

Supported Tools at UL

A variety of tools and technology resources are referred to in the SHOUT4HE video library which are intended to place the focus on the pedagogical approach and the transferability of the educational practice to other contexts. This does not imply endorsement of tools used and UL staff who teach are encouraged to use supported tools when possible.

In Marta’s video the pedagogical experience is facilitated through conferencing and collaborative digital boards. Some of the supported tools in UL to facilitate this are linked here:

About the Author

Dr Marta Giralt has been a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Spanish at University of Limerick since 2015, after previously been in National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Her main interests (teaching and researching) are in the broad area of Applied Linguistics. Currently she is a national representative for the Cost Action EnetCollect (European Network for Combining Language Learning with Crowdsourcing Techniques) and member of the consortiums Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships DiceLang (Digital Citizenship Education and Foreign Language Learning) and FRAMES (Fostering resilience through Accredited Mobility for European Sustainable Higher Education innovation).

References/Further Reading

Vinagre, M., Wigham, C. R., & Giralt, M. (2020). E+VE-SFI: developing spoken interaction in a foreign language. In F. Helm & A. Beaven (Eds), Designing and implementing virtual exchange – a collection of case studies (pp. 105-115). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.45.1119