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Book part
Publication date: 26 November 2020

Vincent Chanethom

This study describes a telecollaborative project in an upper-level French language course at an American university from the students’ perspectives. The project involved…

Abstract

This study describes a telecollaborative project in an upper-level French language course at an American university from the students’ perspectives. The project involved synchronous computer-mediated communications via the online videoconference platform Skype between US-based French language learners and French native speakers in France. In order to increase the participants’ interest and engagement in the virtual exchanges, the telecollaboration employed critical approaches in the task design. In this telecollaboration, students were asked not only to take part in an intercultural exchange with their partners on potentially sensitive topics that included freedom (e.g., freedom of speech, religious liberty), globalization (e.g., child labor), and immigration (e.g., racism, xenophobia), but also to engage in a short debate on these topics. An online anonymous survey was used to solicit their reactions and attitudes toward this critical approach, as well as toward the technology-enhanced learning activity as a whole. The qualitative analysis of the students’ responses showed that the telecollaboration project was generally well received, despite the inclusion of sensitive topics. Most students indicated that they felt most challenged by and most apprehensive about the topic of immigration, which was attributed to the concurrent complex socio-political situation at the time they participated in the telecollaboration project. High levels of anxiety were also reported from the youngest participants, those who majored or minored in other disciplines than French, and non-degree students. This exploratory study calls for more data and an in-depth analysis of the student’s discourse, especially with respect to potential differences in pragmatic strategies used for addressing sensitive versus less sensitive topics in the target language during virtual exchanges with native speakers in that target language.

Details

Technology-enhanced Learning and Linguistic Diversity: Strategies and Approaches to Teaching Students in a 2nd or 3rd Language
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-128-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2015

Jayne M. Leh, Maike Grau and John A. Guiseppe

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online intercultural exchange (OIE) to mediate a cross-cultural project with pre-service teachers in two countries.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online intercultural exchange (OIE) to mediate a cross-cultural project with pre-service teachers in two countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a population of convenience, students from one American and one German university were assigned to mixed multi-cultural project groups and collaborated outside of class to address the importance of diversity in education; two weeks later, students met face-to-face as a large group and discussed their findings. All students completed pre- and post-surveys to assess cultural preconceptions, pedagogical beliefs regarding technology-mediated instruction and globalization.

Findings

Pre- and post-surveys and reflective essays indicated that OIE reduced concerns before meeting face-to-face and the process successfully facilitated a deeper understanding of cultural diversity in education.

Research limitations/implications

Generalizing results given the limited time frame of OIE and face-to-face interactions to other populations is cautioned. Future research should investigate extended interactions.

Originality/value

These results suggest the value of OIE with these pre-service teachers as an integrated method for teaching language and culture, broadening understanding of cultural diversity, and promoting familiarity in culturally diverse settings prior to an international field experience.

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2021

Luana Ferreira-Lopes, Iciar Elexpuru-Albizuri and María José Bezanilla

Allowing for interaction with foreign cultures without the need to travel, intercultural virtual collaboration represents a potential tool to develop business students’…

Abstract

Purpose

Allowing for interaction with foreign cultures without the need to travel, intercultural virtual collaboration represents a potential tool to develop business students’ intercultural competence. This study aims to explore students’ perceptions towards the implementation of a research-based task sequence in a project in which undergraduate Business students from Spain collaborated virtually with undergraduate business students from The Netherlands during a semester. More specifically, this paper investigates what intercultural competence indicators were mostly developed by the sequence implemented; how much each task from the sequence in question developed different intercultural competence indicators; and how much students enjoyed participating in each task.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected through after-task reflection questionnaires. A quantitative analysis of Likert-type questions was carried out and open-ended responses were used to illustrate findings.

Findings

Results reveal that the task sequence developed different dimensions of students’ intercultural competence and, particularly, fostered a positive attitude towards intercultural relationships, increased students’ cultural knowledge and awareness and equipped students with skills to work in diverse teams. It also showed that as complexity grew along the sequence, the average students’ perception of their intercultural competence development tended to decrease. The majority of students’ very much liked participating in the different tasks.

Originality/value

Designing telecollaborative projects can be very challenging and understanding the learning potential of different pedagogical strategies for virtual collaborative environments can help teachers to take better-informed decisions.

Details

Journal of International Education in Business, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-469X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 27 June 2023

Felipe F. Guimarães and Kyria Rebeca Finardi

This chapter discusses a paradigm shift in the internationalization of higher education (IHE) in relation to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, redirecting the focus from a…

Abstract

This chapter discusses a paradigm shift in the internationalization of higher education (IHE) in relation to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, redirecting the focus from a “competition” to a “cooperation” orientation in this process. The disruptions caused by the pandemic in physical academic mobility, often equated with IHE, enabled the switch to virtual mobility, including more academics and cooperation in the process of IHE. In order to illustrate and ground the discussion proposed here, this chapter describes a study carried out in a Brazilian public institution, using a mixed methods approach, combining bibliographic and document research techniques with the analysis of notes from staff meetings and class observations. The analysis of notes taken during classes and meetings held through virtual exchanges (VE) and/or a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project, carried out during the pandemic in the university analyzed, contrasted with the bibliographic/document analyses suggests a paradigm shift from academic mobility (for a few students only), with a “competition” orientation with partners mainly from the Global North, to a more inclusive and cooperative process, with different languages and more universities around the world. The authors conclude that virtual and alternative approaches such as VE/COIL can foster the development of more inclusive Internationalization at Home (IaH) processes, with a “cooperation” orientation.

Details

Internationalization and Imprints of the Pandemic on Higher Education Worldwide
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-560-6

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Nael H. Alami and Latifa K. Attieh

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has largely transformed the higher education ecosystem and shifted the modes of delivery around the world. The rapid shift from…

Abstract

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has largely transformed the higher education ecosystem and shifted the modes of delivery around the world. The rapid shift from traditional face-to-face teaching to online delivery was accompanied by a set of significant challenges. In Lebanon, the situation was exacerbated by a plethora of political, economic, and humanitarian crises. Even the most well-prepared Lebanese higher education institutions were facing an insurmountable challenge to maintain education quality under extremely strenuous circumstances and limited resources. The challenges included the absence of clear quality assurance mechanisms, problems associated with limited internet connectivity due to frequent electric power outages, the lack of teacher and student preparedness for online delivery, and the absence of online-ready curricula. Nevertheless, Lebanese universities were able to make the necessary adjustments for their students to complete their education using available resources and minimal training. The current chapter explores the challenges faced by private and public universities in Lebanon and the approaches utilized to overcome tremendous limitations. We discuss the lessons learned during the process of adopting online and hybrid classroom learning, and the opportunities for growth that were brought about by unforeseen circumstances. We also introduce the changes needed on the institutional, national, and regional levels to prepare for the post-pandemic era in higher education.

Details

Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the Middle East: Practices and Perspectives
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-556-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 December 2023

Baburhan Uzum, Bedrettin Yazan, Sedat Akayoglu and Ufuk Keles

This study aims to examine how teacher candidates (TCs) in Türkiye and the USA navigate their intercultural communication skills in a telecollaboration project.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how teacher candidates (TCs) in Türkiye and the USA navigate their intercultural communication skills in a telecollaboration project.

Design/methodology/approach

Forty-eight TCs participated (26 in Türkiye and 22 in the USA) in the study. TCs discussed critical issues in multicultural education on an online learning platform for six weeks. Their discussions were analyzed using content and discourse analysis.

Findings

The findings indicated that TCs approached the telecollaborative space as a translingual contact zone and positioned themselves and their interlocutors in the discourse by using the personal pronouns; I, we, you and they. When they positioned themselves using we (people in Türkiye/USA), they spoke on behalf of everyone included in the scope of we. Their interlocutors responded to these positionings either by accepting this positioning and responding with a parallel positioning or by engaging in translingual negotiation strategies to revise the scope of we and sharing some differences/nuances in beliefs and practices in their community.

Research limitations/implications

When TCs talk about their culture and community in a singular manner using we, they frame them as the same across every member in that community. When they ask questions to each other using you, the framing of the questions prime the respondents to sometimes relay their own specific experiences as the norm or consider experiences from different points of view through translingual negotiation strategies. A singular approach to culture(s) may affect the marginalized communities the most because they are lost in this representation, and their experiences and voices are not integrated in the narratives or integrated with stereotypical representation.

Practical implications

Teachers and teacher educators should first pay attention to their language choices, especially use of pronouns, which may communicate inclusion or exclusion in intercultural conversations. Next, they should prepare their students to adopt and practice language choices that communicate respect for cultural diversity and are inclusive of marginalized populations.

Social implications

Speakers’ pronoun use includes identity construction in discourse by drawing borders around and between communities and cultures with generalization and particularity, and by patrolling those borders to decide who is included and excluded. As a response, interlocutors use pronouns either to acknowledge those borders and respond with corresponding ones from their own context or negotiate alternative representations or further investigate for particularity or complexity. In short, pronouns could lead the direction of intercultural conversations toward criticality and complexity or otherwise, and might be reasons where there are breakdowns in communication or to fix those breakdowns.

Originality/value

This study shows that translingual negotiation strategies have explanatory power to examine how speakers from different language backgrounds negotiate second and third order positionings in the telecollaborative space.

Details

Journal for Multicultural Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-535X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 February 2020

Luana Ferreira-Lopes and Ingrid Van Rompay-Bartels

Universities have increasingly been adopting intercultural virtual collaboration (IVC) to connect and develop the intercultural competence of students from different locations…

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Abstract

Purpose

Universities have increasingly been adopting intercultural virtual collaboration (IVC) to connect and develop the intercultural competence of students from different locations. However, the design and implementation of IVC have proved to be challenging, and thus there is a need for sharing positive experiences. This paper explores students’ overall impressions toward their participation in an IVC project involving a Spanish and Dutch university and discusses the on-going improvement process inherent to such practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This article presents (a) the results obtained from a content analysis of students’ feedback collected through a satisfaction survey, and (b) the observations of participating teachers on the challenges encountered during the implementation of the intercultural virtual collaborative project.

Findings

The analysis shows the potential of IVC to develop different aspects of students’ intercultural competence, especially intercultural teamwork, awareness and skills. Students appreciated the experience of working in intercultural teams, “the real-life application” of the project and the opportunity to gain cultural knowledge. At the institutional level, the biggest challenge related to aligning participating institutions’ courses, schedules, and grading systems. At the classroom level, it is argued that interaction between students should happen gradually. The discussion also approaches how partnerships between universities and companies could contribute to making training in intercultural virtual collaboration more authentic.

Originality/value

Given its impact on the development of students’ intercultural competence, the intercultural virtual collaborative project has been recognized as a best-practice in both universities, being officially incorporated into the curriculum of the participating institutions and replicated to other subject areas.

Details

Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, vol. 34 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7282

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2016

Anne Uukkivi

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the personal factors for both the students and the lecturers that support intercultural communication in library and information science…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the personal factors for both the students and the lecturers that support intercultural communication in library and information science (LIS) e-learning. Research was conducted to explore the factors supporting intercultural communication in LIS e-learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Using case study, the opinion of students of two LIS curricula about the factors that support intercultural communication in e-learning has been determined. The data have been collected using e-interviews and document analysis. Document analysis and constant comparative analysis method were used for analysing collected data.

Findings

Intercultural communication in the e-learning of LIS curriculum was supported by pedagogical, personal, cultural and technological factors. In this paper, the personal factors are emphasised. These factors are the supporting characteristics of the students and lecturers, their motivation, similarities between co-students and the competence of the students.

Practical implications

Results of the research project are necessary to improve the curricula and to plan and conduct learning process. The results explain possibilities for supporting the students in international e-learning.

Originality/value

The results of the present study concerning the personal factors and their respective support differed – when compared to previous studies – in the following aspects: LIS students brought forward the characteristics that support intercultural communication in e-learning, were willing to gain extra knowledge and skills and considered information literacy and knowledge about written communication important but, at the same time, less-often mentioned the problems emerging from lags.

Details

Library Review, vol. 65 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2023

Lee McCallum

This paper aims to present a lesson that showcases how artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be chiefly used in L2 language classrooms to design culture-focussed…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a lesson that showcases how artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be chiefly used in L2 language classrooms to design culture-focussed telecollaboration tasks and aid their completion by students.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper begins by reviewing traditional approaches and guidance for developing telecollaboration tasks. It then models how tasks can be designed using the popular AI tool “Chat Generative Pre-training Transformer (ChatGPT)” and then simulates how tasks may be completed by learners using ChatGPT-generated information as a springboard for their own culturally appropriate outputs.

Findings

The simulated lesson illuminates the potential value of AI tools for teachers and students. However, it also highlights particular aspects of AI literacy that teachers and learners need to be aware of.

Practical implications

This paper has clear practical implications for teacher development by raising awareness of the importance of teachers upskilling in telecollaboration task design and in their understanding of how AI tools can collaborate with them in language classrooms.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the current body of literature on telecollaboration and more specifically adds weight to current discussions taking place around AI tools in language education. By the end of reading the paper, teachers will have a comprehensive grounding in how to use ChatGPT in their classrooms. In doing so, the author demystifies how teachers and students may start exploring these tools in ways that target developing intercultural communicative competence.

Details

Journal for Multicultural Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-535X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Dara Tafazoli

This research paper aimed to investigate the affordances of using virtual reality (VR) in teaching culture among in-service teachers of teaching Persian to speakers of other…

Abstract

Purpose

This research paper aimed to investigate the affordances of using virtual reality (VR) in teaching culture among in-service teachers of teaching Persian to speakers of other languages (TPSOL) in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative case study, conducted at two Iranian universities, used purposeful sampling to select 34 eligible in-service Persian teachers from a pool of 73. Data collection used an open-ended questionnaire and interviews.

Findings

Before the TPSOL in-service training workshop, teachers expressed their reservations regarding the use of VR to teach culture in TPSOL courses. The emerged themes were “skepticism toward effectiveness,” “practicality concerns,” “limited awareness of VR applications,” “technological apprehension” and “prevalence of traditional teaching paradigms.” During the post-workshop interview, it was discovered that the teachers’ perceptions of VR in teaching culture had undergone a positive shift. The workshop generated emergent themes that reflected positive perceptions and affordances for using VR to teach culture in TPSOL, including “enhanced cultural immersion,” “increased student engagement,” “simulation of authentic cultural experiences,” and “facilitation of interactive learning environments.”

Research limitations/implications

One primary limitation is the lack of prior experience with VR for teaching practices in real-world classrooms among the participants. While the study aimed to explore the potential of VR in enhancing pedagogical approaches, the absence of participants with prior exposure to VR in educational contexts may impact the generalizability of the findings to a broader population. Additionally, the study faced practical constraints, such as the unavailability of sufficient facilities in the workshop. As a result, the instructor had to project the VR cont7ent on a monitor, potentially diverging from the immersive nature of true VR experiences. These limitations offer opportunities for future research to refine methodologies and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the implications of integrating VR into teaching practices.

Originality/value

Extensive research has been conducted on the effectiveness of VR in language education. However, there is a significant gap in research on TPSOL, which is considered a less commonly taught language. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use of VR in the TPSOL through the lenses of in-service teachers. As part of a larger investigation, this qualitative inquiry focuses on the perceptions of in-service teachers about VR, with a particular emphasis on the cultural understanding of the Persian language.

Details

Journal for Multicultural Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-535X

Keywords

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