ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Overcoming Navigational Design in a VLE: Students as Agents of Change
Author: Sadoux, Marion
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Change Agents,Virtual Classrooms,Navigation (Information Systems),Computer System Design,Student Developed Materials,Second Language Programs,Learning Resources Centers,Blended Learning,Database Management Systems,Student Projects,Learning Modules,College Students,Foreign Countries

This paper focuses on the outcomes of a project funded by the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Office at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). Students were recruited to design a new navigational architecture for the Moodle pages of the Language Centre. They received some training on the key principles of distributive learning and worked with a small team of Language Centre Blended Learning coordinators in a series of rapid prototyping design workshops. The core focus of the project was on creating a suitable navigational architecture which would enable our predominantly Chinese students to engage confidently with our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) pages and to limit cultural cognitive dissonance as much as possible. The student designs were then vetted by the entire team of tutors and used as the basis for the development of a coherent blended learning plan. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
Opening-up Classroom Discourse to Promote and Enhance Active, Collaborative and Cognitively-Engaging Student Learning Experiences
Author: Hardman, Jan
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Learning Experience,Classroom Communication,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Transcripts (Written Records),Teacher Student Relationship,Cooperative Learning,Feedback (Response),Teaching Methods,Discourse Analysis,Educational Practices,Educational Strategies,Tutors

This paper places classroom discourse and interaction right at the heart of the teaching and learning process. It is built on the argument that high quality talk between the teacher and student(s) provides a fertile ground for an active, highly collaborative and cognitively stimulating learning process leading to improved learning outcomes. High quality classroom talk is characterised by the use of open and authentic questions and formative feedback whereby student contributions are probed and elaborated on. An example of this is illustrated in a detailed transcript analysis of an extract of classroom discourse derived from a university seminar. It is argued that there is a need to create dialogic space and open up classroom discourse to enhance students' active learning, particularly in language classrooms. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
We're All Language Teachers Now: Teaching Subject Discipline Content through the Medium of a Second Language
Author: Hughes, Neil
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Language of Instruction,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Course Content,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Foreign Countries,College Students,Educational Research,Futures (of Society),Academic Discourse,Writing Skills,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Global Approach

This paper looks at the teaching of subject discipline content through the medium of a second language. It begins by looking at the globalisation of discipline content teaching through second languages, whereby increasing numbers of academics and students are either teaching or learning in universities across the globe in a language other than their mother tongue. It then looks at the ways in which questions about the language of subject content delivery are being addressed by departments of languages in UK universities. The paper argues that practice is differentiated along up to 3 main and several sub-dimensions of both comprehension and communication. The third section sets out some of the research evidence into the effectiveness of subject content teaching in the target language, in particular, for developing students' academic writing skills. It concludes with recommendations about the future direction of language and content teaching in the UK. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
Virtual Slovak: Insight into Learning Slovak in an E-Learning Environment
Author: Kyppö, Anna
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Slavic Languages,Second Language Learning,Electronic Learning,Distance Education,Web Based Instruction,Constructivism (Learning),Educational Experiments,Language Attitudes,Learning Motivation,Program Evaluation,Uncommonly Taught Languages,Technology Integration,Communicative Competence (Languages),Asynchronous Communication,Synchronous Communication,Computer Mediated Communication,Blended Learning,Instructional Design,Learning Strategies,Student Attitudes,Teacher Role,Questionnaires,Interviews,Feedback (Response),Reflection

This paper offers insight into learning Slovak in an e-learning environment. The need to reach distance-learners of Slovak led to the implementation of a web-based course on Slovak language and culture in 2008-2010. The pedagogical basis of the course, called Virtual Slovak, is the socioconstructivist approach to teaching and learning, in which the focus is on the development of learners' communicative competence. This teaching experiment led to a study in which the focus was on learners' beliefs and experiences regarding learning Slovak in an e-learning environment. The results showed that this particular learning environment had a positive impact on the development of learners' agency. This impact was demonstrated by an evident increase in motivation and language learning awareness as well as in a conscious approach to learning. At the centre of this investigation is the evaluation of the e-learning environment, especially its appropriateness at the beginners' level for the acquisition of a less commonly taught language, as well as of the teacher's role in the learning process. Furthermore, the results revealed that learners' attitudes towards learning in technology-enhanced learning environments pose challenges to the instruction of less commonly taught languages. Even though current digital technology offers multiple opportunities for the integration of new media modes into learning activities, the choice of relevant media for the learning context and learners' competences seems to remain one of the teacher's main responsibilities. [For the complete volume, &quot;Voices of Pedagogical Development--Expanding, Enhancing and Exploring Higher Education Language Learning,&quot; see ED565013.]
Evaluating the Effects of a &quot;Student Buddy&quot; Initiative on Student Engagement and Motivation
Author: Motzo, Anna
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Participation,Student Motivation,Learner Engagement,Program Effectiveness,Second Language Learning,Peer Groups,Peer Influence,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Online Courses,Electronic Learning,Distance Education,Student Surveys,Interviews,French,Computer Mediated Communication,Communities of Practice,Foreign Countries

Motivation is one of the most important factors which influences second language learning (Dörnyei, 1998; Gardner &amp; Lambert, 1972). A support mechanism which reinforces student motivation through encouragement, social interaction, feedback, sound learning environments and good teaching is crucial for ensuring successful learning. This is particularly relevant in distance or online language learning settings, as learners work more autonomously and independently than in conventional classrooms and there is a higher risk of feeling isolated and not part of a well-defined and supportive learning community. This paper presents initial research conducted by the Department of Languages at the Open University to evaluate the efficacy of a peer-support initiative on level 1 modules where the drop-out rate is significant. The study is supported by both qualitative and quantitative evidence, which evaluates student engagement on the forum, the support mechanisms offered by elected peers and their role in building an online community. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
From Widening Horizons to Widening Participation: Transmitting the Experience of Global Citizenship to the School Classroom
Author: Hampton, Cathy
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Global Education,Citizen Participation,Foreign Culture,Study Abroad,Foreign Students,Intercultural Programs,Behavioral Objectives,Student Projects,International Educational Exchange,Cross Cultural Training,College Students,French,Learning Experience,Second Language Learning,Foreign Countries

This paper gives account of a project involving Year Abroad students of French at Warwick University challenged to select &quot;realia&quot; from their host countries in order to stimulate enthusiasm for language learning in local schools. It considers the cognitive and affective processes informing the &quot;culture gathering&quot; that took place: how did the responsibility to act as the interface between a foreign culture and their own inform these students' own intercultural and linguistic journeys? Assessing outcomes, the paper goes on to describe the implementation of a more ambitious second stage project involving the Routes into Languages Adopt a Class scheme, Warwick PGCE MFL students and staff, and students on the British Council assistantship and Erasmus programmes. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
Learner Agency within the Design of an EAP Course
Author: Seppälä, Riina
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: English for Academic Purposes,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Personal Autonomy,Instructional Design,Higher Education,Teaching Methods,Relevance (Education),Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Course Descriptions,Language Usage,Self Concept,Academic Discourse,Writing Skills,Writing Instruction,Questionnaires,Interviews

To meet the demands of today's society and working life, higher education should support the development of learner agency. How the agency of individual learners emerges in university courses and what kind of agency empowers the learners to face new challenges should be considered. In this article, the focus is on learner agency enabled and expressed on a higher education language course. One learner's experiences of a blended English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course are explored and used to examine the design of the course. The data reveal that the learner's views of language-use categories and of herself as a language user emerged as central parts of her agency. Although the learner was, in many respects, an active agent on the course, she seemed to be restricted by the assumed expectations of academic language use. Thus, empowering agency was not expressed within the course design. The Design-Based Research (DBR) approach employed in the study enables changes to the learning design to better support the development of empowering agency. Examples of such changes include discussing different learner positions on academic courses and supporting learners' reflections on the relevance of the course. DBR as a strategy to support teachers' agency is also discussed. [For the complete volume, &quot;Voices of Pedagogical Development--Expanding, Enhancing and Exploring Higher Education Language Learning,&quot; see ED565013.]
Feedback on Individual Academic Presentations: Exploring Finnish University Students' Experiences and Preferences
Author: Károly, Adrienn
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Student Experience,Preferences,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Prior Learning,Academic Discourse,Student Attitudes,Beliefs,Questionnaires,English (Second Language),College Students,Foreign Countries

With an increasing emphasis on measuring the outcomes of learning in higher education, assessment is gaining an ever more prominent role in curriculum design and development as well as in instructional practices. In formative assessment, feedback is regarded as a powerful pedagogical tool driving student engagement and deep learning. The efficacy of feedback, however, depends on a multitude of factors. From a learning cultures perspective (James 2014), assessment strives for an appropriate balance between structural constraints and individual agency. To have a better grasp of how feedback functions in practice, it is useful to investigate students' views and preferences as well as the immediate and wider contexts shaping these constructs. The small-scale research reported in this article explores Finnish university students' prior experiences and initial preconceptions regarding feedback on individual academic presentations with a view to enhancing feedback practices. [For the complete volume, &quot;Voices of Pedagogical Development--Expanding, Enhancing and Exploring Higher Education Language Learning,&quot; see ED565013.]
Challenges Faced by Cantonese Speakers in a UK University Mandarin Course
Author: Lo, Lan
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Mandarin Chinese,Sino Tibetan Languages,Case Studies,Student Motivation,Barriers,Interpersonal Communication,Immigrants,Questionnaires,Observation,Interviews,Student Needs,Second Language Learning,College Students

After Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, those in the Chinese migrant community in the UK who anticipated returning to China saw the significant benefits of learning Mandarin. The challenges are not only related to the social and cultural differences between the Cantonese and Mandarin migrant groups, but also the intrinsic linguistic differences between the two languages. This case study investigated students' motivation, needs and barriers in relation to Chinese Mandarin learning. Previous research (Lo &amp; Chen, 2014) found there was a communication gap between Cantonese and Mandarin speakers within the Chinese migrant community. This gap poses difficulties to the Cantonese speakers in their Chinese Mandarin learning. Establishing a Languages Exchanges Community (LEC) programme, involving both Cantonese and Mandarin groups, is seen as an appropriate means to bridge the gap and increase the learning outcomes for Cantonese speakers. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
Teaching Networking: An Interpersonal Communication Competence Perspective
Author: Kokkonen, Lotta
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Intercultural Communication,Social Networks,Listening Skills,Interpersonal Competence,Creativity,Communication Skills,Employment Potential,Teaching Methods,Higher Education,Work Environment,Foreign Countries

Modern working life calls for competences that enable people to be creative, innovative and effective. Studies looking at contemporary enterprises and organisations such as businesses and schools have shown that many of the qualifications that graduating students would need, including informal learning (see Gielen, Hoeve &amp; Nieuwenhuis 2003), innovativeness (e.g. Moolenaar &amp; Sleegers 2010; Obstfeld 2005) and creativity (e.g. Burt 2004; Perry-Smith &amp; Shalley 2003), are associated with interpersonal relationships and social networks. According to a report on the national career survey (EK 2011a), effective networking is dependent on social skills such as the ability to establish contacts in multicultural environments, the ability to discuss with others, understanding the perspectives of others and listening skills. For speech communication teachers and researchers, those skills listed above are communication skills, and more precisely, interpersonal communication skills. In this article, social networks are perceived from a perspective of interpersonal communication and networking is viewed as interpersonal communication competence. To date, the talents, characteristics and skills which people need when networking have not been consistently described from the perspective of interpersonal communication competence. Because it is possible to enhance this competence, we argue that networking is something that students could, and should, learn at the higher education level. [For the complete volume, &quot;Voices of Pedagogical Development--Expanding, Enhancing and Exploring Higher Education Language Learning,&quot; see ED565013.]
&quot;Become a Reporter&quot;, the Four Skills News Project: Applying and Practising Language Skills Using Digital Tools for Level C1/C2 Students
Author: Magedera-Hofhansl, Hanna
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Language Skills,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,News Reporting,Translation,Listening Skills,College Seniors,German,Learning Experience,Writing (Composition),Feedback (Response),Pronunciation,Communicative Competence (Languages),Video Technology,Oral Language,Skill Development,Teaching Methods,Journalism,Foreign Countries,Web Sites,Audio Equipment,Nonverbal Communication,Program Descriptions,Information Technology

The Four Skills News Project is an example of communicative language learning, developed for final year German students at the University of Liverpool. It focuses on how students use and practise their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills via the creative use of news reports and digital technology. Each student creates an avatar using an interactive platform, practicing speaking and correct pronunciation with the help of autocue and thereby enhances his or her language learning experience. Through listening, writing and their own research, students also practise their translating skills. In the final stage of this project, students present their own news item and this also gives them the opportunity to practise their presentation and speaking skills using autocue. Students are filmed and get valuable feedback on their performance in addition to having done something completely new and different that is fun in their final semester at university. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
Enabling the Full Participation of University Students with Disabilities: Seeking Best Practices for a Barrier-Free Language Centre
Author: Tuomi, Margaret Trotta
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Disabilities,Access to Education,Accessibility (for Disabled),Teacher Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Competencies,College Faculty,Student Attitudes,Student Surveys,Barriers,Student Needs,Teaching Methods,Teacher Role

Recent research has shown that 3.4% of university students in Finland have a diagnosed or observed illness or disability that affects their learning at the university level. The University of Jyväskylä Language Centre embarked on an organised, ongoing research and intervention project to enable appropriate teaching practices to suit the needs of all students. The process, thus far, has shown there is a need to clarify the rights and obligations of students and teachers to enable an atmosphere of mutual trust. A survey of the Language Centre teachers showed that all had taught students with disabilities during their university careers. Teachers wanted more information about disabilities, such as how to recognise disabilities if they have not been diagnosed or if students are not forthcoming with the information. Most importantly, they wanted to know the extent of their obligations as university teachers. Students also needed guidelines. They wanted to know if they could trust that their teachers would take them seriously or if disclosure of their disabilities would cause more difficulties. To date, university students and staff have been involved in the development of two websites, one for teachers and one for students, to clarify key areas for appropriate information and maximum suitability. [For the complete volume, &quot;Voices of Pedagogical Development--Expanding, Enhancing and Exploring Higher Education Language Learning,&quot; see ED565013.]
Anything Can Happen out There: A Holistic Approach to Field Trips
Author: Plutino, Alessia
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Field Trips,Foreign Countries,Second Language Instruction,Italian,Learner Engagement,Web 2.0 Technologies,Technology Uses in Education,Student Role,College Students,Teaching Methods,Cultural Awareness,Student Participation,Student Attitudes,Program Effectiveness

This paper looks back at an academic-led language field trip project, now in its third year, involving ab-initio students of Italian at the University of Southampton. It considers the role of academic-led field trips in Modern Languages (ML) and it explores the underlying pedagogical approaches that were adopted to enhance students' engagement, participation and collaboration during the trips and beyond. It also investigates the opportunities that Web 2.0 brought to teachers and learners and how these were adapted for a field trip where technology and social media make learning more inclusive and engaging. The project also sought to develop students' employability skills by introducing the role of the &quot;student-assistant&quot; working closely with the academic in charge of the trip. The paper will describe the robust pedagogical reflective process employed during the project and how it influenced project design. It will conclude by suggesting that ML departments would benefit from innovative approaches in field trips. [For the complete volume, &quot;Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration,&quot; see ED565011.]
Use Your Languages! From Monolingual to Multilingual Interaction in a Language Class
Author: Kyppö, Anna
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Multilingualism,Second Language Instruction,Pilot Projects,Action Research,Multicultural Education,Communicative Competence (Languages),College Students,Teacher Student Relationship,Intercultural Communication,Language Usage,Outcomes of Education,Student Attitudes,Language Attitudes,Course Evaluation,Team Teaching

This reflective paper presents a new course concept for multilingual interaction, which was piloted at the University of Jyväskylä Language Centre in the spring of 2014. The course, implemented as part of the centre's action research, is the result of a development process aimed at enhancing students' multilingual and multicultural academic communication competences along with promoting use of their entire linguistic repertoire. The course concept was inspired by the EU project Modularising Multilingual and Multicultural Academic Communication Competence (MAGICC), whose main intent is &quot;to integrate multilingual and multicultural academic communication competences as graduate learning outcomes at [the] BA and MA level&quot; (http://www.unil.ch/magicc/home/menuinst/objectifs.html). The main focus of the pilot course was on teachers' approach to multilingual teaching, teachers' interaction with each other and with students as well as students' approach to communication in a simulated multilingual and multicultural environment. Students' employment of their entire linguistic repertoire resulted in an evident increase of their intercultural awareness, enhancement of their intercultural communication competences and of their skills in mediating information in multilingual and multicultural contexts. [For the complete volume, &quot;Voices of Pedagogical Development--Expanding, Enhancing and Exploring Higher Education Language Learning,&quot; see ED565013.]