Abstract
Given the massive use of social media during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, EFL teachers could take advantage of this and bring intercultural encounters in the EFL classroom through virtual exchanges. The chapter aims to present a pedagogical proposal for virtual exchange practices in EFL courses at university level. First, it will start with an overview of the COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) approach. Then, it will bring upfront the main areas of investigation related to telecollaboration and virtual exchange practices. Finally, this chapter will provide a versatile EFL pedagogical proposal, easily adaptable to any particular virtual exchange project to match specific curriculum needs. This proposal is based on real practice and grounded theory of how this approach and the digital tools can be maximized in the current EFL teaching context, highlighting the need of integrating e-learning environments in the regular EFL classroom, either taught in online or face-to-face modality.
TopIntroduction
The total or partial switch to online and distance learning during the recent COVID-19 pandemic era has forced educators worldwide to look for new digital methods, tools, and platforms to enhance their teaching environments and uplift their students’ learning experience. Living through a global pandemic imposed isolation and social distancing that has had a severe impact on both the physical and mental health of higher education students, faculty and staff (Sahu, 2020), and the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) has been no exception. Thus, EFL teachers have played a crucial role in finding and applying effective learning environments to promote interaction and English foreign language skills development during the COVID-19 era. The task of the EFL teachers was not easy, given the need to include topics, tools and teaching methodologies that would educate alongside with paying attention to the students’ well-being in a stressful and alarming context. Easing the feeling of isolation through peer interaction was another aspect that was deemed essential in the online classrooms. In this sense, EFL professors in higher-education play a facilitating role in providing effective and meaningful tools to enhance learners’ interaction opportunities with students from abroad, thus working on their intercultural competencies (ICs) in a dynamic educational environment.
The need to form and help learners get closer to developing their intercultural and English foreign language skills has come as no surprise in the current globalized era, in which companies have higher expectations from international workers (Garson, 2017). Hence, a productive way of bringing intercultural encounters into the classroom is by introducing virtual exchanges in the course curriculum together with appropriate digital instructional tools to boost students’ learning experience. The term ‘virtual exchange’ is also known as telecollaboration, computer-mediated communication, global learning, or, Online Intercultural Exchanges (OIE) (O’Dowd, 2018). Given the massive use of social media during the pandemic as a way of socializing and experiencing intercultural and global interactions on a personal level, EFL teachers could take advantage of this aspect by bringing intercultural encounters while fostering English foreign language skills through virtual exchanges.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Virtual Exchange: Virtual exchange refers to the different ways in which students can engage in online collaborative learning practices with partners from other cultures. Including VEs within educational programmes is a productive way of bringing intercultural encounters into the classroom as part of the course curriculum together with appropriate digital instructional tools to boost students’ learning experience. The term ‘virtual exchange’ is also known as telecollaboration, computer-mediated communication, global learning or online intercultural exchanges (OIE).
Intercultural Competence: lntercultural Competence (IC) refers to the ability to effectively perform across cultures by communicating and working with people from different cultural backgrounds either at home or abroad. In today’s globalised world, intercultural competence has become an essential set of skills in learning environments and workplaces, both virtually and in-person. Besides, being able to effectively interact with people from other cultures is a valuable communication skill for teamwork and conflict management.
TEFL: TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and is the name given to the field of teaching English as a foreign or second language. It refers to the the teaching of English to people who are not native speakers of English, especially in a non-English-speaking country. The field of EFL is constantly growing and evolving to incorporate new research methodologies that would incorporate the new demands for learning English as a foreign language in a changing world.
Internationalization at Home: Internationalization at home is an approach that seeks to encompass teacher and student collaboration in a multicultural learning environment while integrating the course content into a shared curriculum. It promotes that all the students —not only those who are going on mobility programs abroad — can benefit from an international learning experience on their university campus. Apart from the formal experience deriving from the shared curriculum content, students may benefit from the overall experience of working with their peers from other institutions.
English Foreign Language Skills: English foreign language skills refer to the main skills needed to become proficient in a foreign language. The Common European Framework of References (CEFR) identifies five skills (Listening, Reading, Spoken Interaction, Spoken Production and Writing) divided into six levels, from beginner to proficient user (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2). The levels are defined through ‘can-do’ descriptors and the descriptors specify progressive mastery of each skill.
Digital Competence: Digital Competence (DC) refers to the confident and critical usage of digital technologies for information, communication and basic problem-solving in all aspects of life. It comprises the combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding the use of new technologies. DC is one of the key 21 st century competences. For academic purposes, efficient use of digital technologies can be greatly beneficial in the teaching and learning process, especially when implementing online methologies.
Coil: Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a teaching and learning methodology designed to promote the development of intercultural competence in shared multicultural learning environments. It uses digital tools and innovative online pedagogies to foster meaningful exchanges between teachers and students at the university level in geographically different locations and from diverse languages and cultural backgrounds. COIL increases the pedagogical use of new technologies, such as the use of specialized programs in videoconferencing, voice or video recordings, editing documents and texts in common, etc.