To ensure smooth communication and collaboration, here are some troubleshooting tips to address common issues:
Check Internet Connection: Verify that you have a stable and reliable internet connection. Use a wired connection when possible, as it tends to be more stable than Wi-Fi. If using Wi-Fi, make sure you have a strong signal.
Update the Browser or App: Ensure that you are using the latest version of the web browser. Developers frequently release updates to address bugs and improve performance.
Clear Browser Cache: Sometimes, cached data can cause conflicts or issues. Clear the browser cache and cookies before joining the meeting.
Test Audio and Video: Before the meeting, check your microphone and camera to ensure they are working correctly. If you are a speaker, you can click on "Start Practice Session" button test to ensure audio and video devices are functioning.
Close Other Applications: Running multiple applications in the background can consume system resources and lead to performance issues. Close unnecessary apps to free up resources for the Dryfta meeting platform.
Restart Your Device: If you encounter persistent issues, try restarting your computer or mobile device. This can help resolve various software-related problems.
Use Supported Browsers: Ensure you are using a browser supported by the meeting platform. Recommended browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Brave.
Allow Necessary Permissions: Make sure the Dryfta meeting platform has the required permissions to access your microphone, camera, and other necessary features.
Disable VPN or Firewall: Sometimes, VPNs or firewalls can interfere with the connection to the meeting platform. Temporarily disable them and see if the issue persists.
Switch Devices: If possible, try joining the meeting from a different device to see if the problem is specific to one device.
Reduce Bandwidth Usage: In cases of slow or unstable internet connections, ask participants to disable video or share video selectively to reduce bandwidth consumption.
Update Drivers and Software: Ensure your operating system, audio drivers, and video drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers can cause compatibility issues with the Dryfta meeting platform.
Contact Support: If none of the above steps resolve the issue, reach out to the platform's support team. They can provide personalized assistance and troubleshoot specific problems.
By following these troubleshooting tips, you can tackle many common problems encountered on Dryfta meeting platform and have a more productive and seamless meeting experience.
20230719T150020230719T1800Europe/Amsterdam[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?Hybrid Session (onsite/online)AILA 2023 - 20th Anniversary Congress Lyon Editioncellule.congres@ens-lyon.fr
Integrating Service-Learning into Virtual Exchange: Supporting Inclusivity through Intergenerational Dialogue
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?03:00 PM - 06:00 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/19 13:00:00 UTC - 2024/07/19 16:00:00 UTC
Virtual exchange (VE) is an experiential instructional approach to promote intercultural learning, language study, and digital literacies (e.g., Belz, 2003; O'Dowd, 2018). VE is based on reflection and reciprocity, two principles which also form the cornerstones of service-learning (Jacoby, 1996). Palpacuer Lee and colleagues (2018) call for emphasizing collaborative participation to help shape public discourse about language and multilingualism. This presentation draws on findings from an inter-generational service-learning VE between undergraduate intermediate German learners at a private research institution on the East Coast and elder partners in Germany via Zoom or WhatsApp. The study takes as its premise that "[reciprocity creates] a sense of mutual responsibility and respect between individuals in the service-learning exchange" (Kendall, 1990, p.9). In service-learning, participants must consider the historical and sociological issues behind their service, and reflection should be based on this among other things. This exploratory case study situates itself within a sociocultural framework for telecollaboration studies (Dooly & O'Dowd, 2012). It shares characteristics of ethnography such as an emic perspective because both authors were participant-observers. Author 1 was the service-learning project coordinator and one of the instructors. Author 2 was a German student in the study. Data collection included needs analyses, Service-Learning pre- and post-questionnaires, target-language interview questions for the elders (draft/final), target-language discussion forum reflections (and revisions) and responses to peers, and final Service-Learning reflections in English. The descriptive quantitative data were generated by Google Forms and Qualtrics, and the qualitative data were coded by the authors using Nvivo 12. After a first round of open coding (Flick, 2009), the second round focused on indicators for intergenerational challenges. Data analysis focused on participants' awareness and development and was supported by information from needs analyses and from participant-observers' notes. Preliminary findings suggest that students hoped to gain intercultural competency, inclusivity/inclusive action, communication, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills. Additionally, students had positive interactions with elders and found ways to connect beyond intergenerational differences.
Bibliography:
Belz, J. A. (2003). From the special issue editor. Language Learning & Technology, 7(2), 2–5. http://dx.doi.org/10125/25193
Dooly, M., & O'Dowd, R. (Eds.). (2012). Researching online foreign language interaction and exchange: Theories, methods and challenges. Pieterlen.
Flick, U. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research (4th ed.). Sage Publications Ltd.
Jacoby, B. (1996). Service learning in today's higher education. In B. Jacoby (Ed.), Service-Learning in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices. San-Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass (pp. 2-25).
Kendall, J.C. (1990). Combining service and learning: An introduction. In J. Kendall (Ed.), Combining service and and learning: A resource book for community and public service. Raleigh, NC: National Society for Experiential Education.
O'Dowd, R. (2018). From telecollaboration to virtual exchange: State-of-the-art and the role of UNICollaboration in moving forward. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 1, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2018.jve.1
Palpacuer Lee, C., Curtis, J. H., & Curran, M. E. (2018). Stories of engagement: Pre-service language teachers negotiate intercultural citizenship in a community-based English language program. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817718578
Multilingual perspectives and practices of English medium education students in Spain and China.
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?03:00 PM - 06:00 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/19 13:00:00 UTC - 2024/07/19 16:00:00 UTC
English medium education (EME) has been widely implemented at universities around the world. Each context reports its own unique benefits and challenges. There has been extensive work in the European context with the Asian context receiving much less attention until recently. One area of abundant research focuses on stakeholders' use and perspectives towards English in EME settings. Findings from Europe show that students in northern European countries tend to report difficulties in understanding content and worries regarding the development of L1 academic literacy (Airey, 2012). Studies from central and southern European countries report that stakeholders hold positive beliefs that EME offers opportunities for language gains without losing on content (Doiz, Lasagabaster, and Sierra 2011). Then, with respect to the Asian context, the findings show that the stakeholders report difficulties attributed to low English proficiency (Hu & Lei, 2014). However, there is little research on the emerging research trends in the EME arena which inquire into the roles of multilingualism and global citizenship in EME with the exception of Baker and Hüttner (2017) who studied conceptualizations of language in EME in Austria the UK and Thailand. Thus, this comparative and international study attempts to build on this line of research and shed light on the multilingual practices and perspectives of EME students from Spain and China. 80 participants from the two contexts participated in the study, instruments were a multilingual questionnaire, attitudes and motivational questionnaire, and focus group interviews. Analysis of the questionnaire is quantitative while the focus group interviews were analyzed qualitatively using a pattern-based analytic method and thematic analysis procedure (Braun & Clarke, 2013). In addition to this, the ROAD-MAPPING framework (Smit & Dafouz, 2014) with a focus on RO (roles) was used in order to draw parallels with Baker and Hüttner (2007). The results are preliminary at the moment but do offer insight into how multilingualism is currently understood and practiced in the EME contexts of the two settings. They highlight the differences between the two contexts and they pave the way for further research and discussion into how multilingualism might be integrated into EME to provide more equitable, diverse and inclusive higher education for all. References: Airey, J. 2012. "'I Don't Teach Language': The Linguistic Attitudes of Physics Lecturers in Sweden." AILA Review 25: 64–79. Baker, W., & Hüttner, J. 2017. English and more: a multisite study of roles and conceptualizations of language in English medium multilingual universities from Europe to Asia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 30 (6): 501-516. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. 2013. Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage. Doiz, A., D. Lasagabaster, & J. Sierra. 2011. Internationalisation, Multilingualism and English Medium Instruction. World Englishes 30 (3): 345–359. Hu, G., & J. Lei. 2014. "English-Medium Instruction in Chinese Higher Education: A Case Study." Higher Education 67 (5): 551–567. Smit, U., & E. Dafouz. 2012. "Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education: An Introduction to English-Medium Policies, Conceptual Issues and Research Practices Across Europe." AILAReview 25: 1–12.
Presenters Jennifer Ament Associate Professor, Universitat Autònoma De Barcelona
Critical Internationalisation at Home through Critical Virtual Exchange
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?03:00 PM - 06:00 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/19 13:00:00 UTC - 2024/07/19 16:00:00 UTC
In this contribution, we will present and discuss a proposal for a 4-year collaborative research project, called Virtual Exchange for Social Inclusion (VISion), led by The Open University, UK (OU) in consortium with São Paulo State University, Brazil (UNESP) and Newcastle University, UK. It will work with researchers, students and educators across the curriculum, institutional internationalisation administrators and employers in São Paulo State (Brazil), the UK and globally to promote social justice in higher education (HE) through critical Virtual Exchange (CVE). Virtual exchange (VE) is a research-informed practice and a strong catalyst in advancing the internationalisation of Higher Education curricula, known as Internationalisation at Home. Having an alternative to physical exchanges is particularly relevant as outward student mobility is still limited, with '7.8 per cent of UK undergraduate students … choosing to study abroad' (https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/UUKi reports/intl-facts-figs-19.pdf) and 60,000 out of 8.6 million HE students in Brazil who studied abroad in 2019 (www.educationfair.nl). VEs are known to prepare students for the globalised digital workplace as they focus on developing transversal skills like problem solving, teamwork and leadership, communication, critical and innovative thinking and media and information literacy (Crawford, 2021). These skills feature high on the employability agendas of businesses and organisations dealing with an environment that will be volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) (Yarger, 2006) for at least 2 decades due to COVID-19. VE is not inherently equitable and inclusive. Like other forms of online or blended education, it is prone to Western hegemonies and influenced by inequalities in access to and experience with technology, institutional constraints (e.g. lack of support and incentives for educators), gender, race, age, English language dominance, and socio-political and geopolitical challenges (Helm, 2020). VISion will make a significant, original contribution to theorising and framing the nascent field of CVE that aims to ensure more equitable, inclusive and purposeful student exchange experiences. Our study will be informed by critical digital literacy that leverages digital technologies for social justice-oriented action and change, e.g. by reaching out to a wider, more diverse range of students in collaborative online learning projects (Nicolau, 2021). In this presentation, we intend to expose and discuss VISion aims to: ● Develop and introduce CVE as an inclusive, sustainable, scalable IaH strategy in HEIs; ● Enhance graduate employability through international, intercultural, and transversal skills acquisition; ● Raise awareness of the benefits of CVE for students from all backgrounds and subject areas.
References Crawford, I. (2021) 'Employer Perspectives on Virtual International Working: Essential Skills for the Globalised, Digital Workplace', Developments in Virtual Learning Environments and the Global Workplace, pp. 178–204. Helm, F. (2020) 'EMI, internationalisation, and the digital', International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Taylor & Francis, 23(3), pp. 314–325. Nicolau, A. (2021) 'Technological mediation in a global competence virtual exchange project: a critical digital literacies perspective.', in Papadima-Sophocleous, S., Constantinou, E. K., and Giannikas, C. (eds) Tertiary education language learning: a collection of research. Research-publishing.net, pp. 111–131. Yarger, H. (2006) Strategic Theory for the 21st Century: The Little Book on Big Strategy. DIANE Publishing.
Presenters Ana Cristina Biondo Salomão Assistant Provost For International Affairs, São Paulo State University - UNESPMirjam Hauck Senior Lecturer, Associate Head Of School, The Open University, UKMüge Satar Reader In Applied Linguistics, Newcastle University
The use of teletandem sessions in the syllabus of a Letters course in Brazil to enhance students' sensitivity to other cultures
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?03:00 PM - 06:00 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/19 13:00:00 UTC - 2024/07/19 16:00:00 UTC
This presentation aims at describing an online language learning context in which teletandem sessions (Telles, 2009) have been integrated into the syllabus of a Letters Course at the Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Brazil. In the second semester of 2021, the subject "Aprendizaje de Portugués y Español en Teletandem" was offered with the participation of 10 Brazilian students who are majoring in Spanish at the UFG, and 10 Argentinian students from different courses from the Universidad de Cuyo. Through the interactions, the Brazilians were able to teach Portuguese to the Argentinians and improve their fluency in Spanish through interactions with them. The data for this case study (Johnson, 1992) was obtained through video recordings of the interactions and questionnaires and interviews. The results show that the participants were able not only to learn a foreign language, but also to improve their intercultural skills and talk about real-world problems regarding Brazilian and Argentinian contexts, like the lack of water in some cities, devaluation of women's work, etc. The reflections the students had about these topics made them open to live in a more harmonious world, where diversity is highly valued.
The Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), in Brazil, has improved its internationalization process at home, which results in the attraction and reception of international professors, students, and technical-administrative staff, as well as in the development of curricula that include an international orientation in its form and content, and in fostering the improvement of the teaching-learning processes of foreign languages. Several authors emphasize the importance of well-defined language policies for the development of the higher education internationalization process (Finardi & Archanjo, 2018; Leal, 2019), which aims, for example, to prepare students linguistically so that they would be able to participate in international mobilities, since experience has shown that the lack of proficiency in a foreign language has been an obstacle to the success of some students (Finardi & Archanjo, 2018; Leal, 2019). Knowing a foreign language is a prerequisite for the university community to participate, for example, in mobility programs. The UFG considers that the participation of students, technical-administrative staff and faculty in international exchange programs favors the learning of another language, the development of intercultural competence, and personal, academic, and professional development. According to a questionnaire responded by undergraduate students at UFG, only 24% of them have an advanced level of English, and 86% of them do not have International Certification in a foreign language. As we can see, the level of language knowledge of undergraduate students is not very high, which corroborates the results found by Finardi & Archanjo (2018) and Leal (2019). This low level of proficiency of the students led us to take some actions that aimed to improve their competence in a foreign language, as the offer of teletandem subjects (Telles, 2009). Teletandem is a context of language learning that it is carried out virtually, through synchronous communication, provided through a communication software, such as Zoom, etc. So, in this presentation, I share the results of a case study (Johnson, 1992) I conducted about the experience we had when we first offered a teletandem subject to Brazilian and Argentinian students where they had the opportunity to interact for a school semester to teach each other their language and cultural aspects about their countries. The sessions took place every Friday in the morning and the classes were divided into two parts; in one the focus was on Portuguese, and in the other, on Spanish.
Finardi, K. R., & Archanjo, R. (2018). Washback effects of the Science without Borders, English without Borders and Languages without Borders programs in Brazilian language policies and rights. In M. Siiner, F. M. Hult, & T. Kupisch (Eds.), Language policy and language acquisition planning (pp. 173-185). [S.l.]: Springer International Publishing.
Johnson, D. M. (1992). Approaches to research in second language learning. New York: Longman.
Leal, F. (2019). Os caminhos recentes da internacionalização da Educação Superior Brasileira. Revista de Educación Superior en América Latina (ESAL), 6, 14-18.
Telles, J. A. (org.). Teletandem: um contexto virtual, autônomo e colaborativo para aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras no século XXI. Campinas, S.P.: Pontes, 2009.
ViVEXELT: a UK-Vietnam EDI-inspired project to develop e-competencies During the COVID 19 Pandemic and co-create SDG-inspired lesson plans for teaching speaking online
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?03:00 PM - 06:00 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/19 13:00:00 UTC - 2024/07/19 16:00:00 UTC
This paper reports on how SDG-inspired lesson plans were co-created by participants on ViVEXELT (Vietnam Virtual EXchange for English Language Teaching), an action-research project funded by the British Council in Vietnam (digital learning innovation fund pilot 2021-2022) that aimed to establish a sustainable model of continuous professional development (CPD) for English language teacher education through Virtual Exchange (VE). Over 250 participants engaged with ViVEXELT between June 2021 and March 2022. These participants came from a diverse range of ELT backgrounds: English language teachers, students in English language teacher education and ELT trainers based in the UK and in Viet Nam from different educational sectors (primary, secondary, tertiary and an NGO). The project helped create an inclusive online community of ELT practitioners who shared experiences of teaching online and then reflected on their language teaching online competences when completing project outcomes. The focus of this paper is on the SDG-inspired lesson plans developed to teach speaking online created by the ViVEXELT participants. The discussion will cover the action-research process that led to the creation of the lesson plans and a reflection on the added value of VE as a decolonised Third Space for ELT knowledge-sharing.
Coventry University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology are committed to ways of internationalising the learning experience that comply with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) principles to foster the development of intercultural awareness and global citizenship attributes, Virtual Exchange (VE) or Telecollaboration is one of them (Orsini-Jones & Lee, 2018).
Building on the work carried out in Vietnam since the government introduced the 'National Foreign Language Project 2020' in 2008 (Le et al., 2020), ViVEXELT (Viet Nam Virtual EXchange for English Language Teaching) focused on setting up a sustainable model of continuous professional development (CPD) for English language teacher education. The major challenge identified by Le et al. (2020) was that ELT teachers in Vietnam do not engage with the new language policy because they feel they do not 'own' the change process. ViVEXELT aimed to support a 'bottom up' shift in language policy and aimed at: improving the speaking and interactional competencies of English language teachers at the time of COVID;encouraging English language teachers, who are female in the majority, to become more confident in addressing the requirements on the new CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2020), that now includes the development of online interactional skills;supporting the demise of the 'native speakerism' rhetoric (Rubdy, 2015; Holliday 2006) and boost the confidence of teachers whose first language is not English to take control of their teaching and learning actions through a decolonised VE Third Space (Bhabha & Rutheford 2006);developing further student-centred ELT pedagogy.One of the tasks designed to achieve the above aims was the collaborative design of lessons plans inspired by the UN SGDs. This task gave participants the opportunity to knowledge-share across educational sectors and across continents in a North-South exchange that was both local and global. The task stimulated a discussion on the global SDG topics that mattered in terms of positive impact on local ELT realities, and this led to the co-creation of lessons plans to teach speaking online at the time of the pandemic. The paper will report on the lessons learnt from this project in terms of EDI and of making the SDGs relevant to language learning and teaching in local contexts, but starting from the sharing of global perspectives. Bibliography Bhabha, H. K., & Rutherford, J. (2006). Third space. Multitudes, (3), 95-107. Council of Europe (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning ,teaching, assessment – Companion volume. Council of Europe https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989 Holliday, A.R. (2006). Native-speakerism. ELT Journal (60), 4, pp. 385-387, https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccl030 Le, V. C., Hoa T. M., Nguyen, T. M. H., Nguyen, T. T. M. & Barnard, R. (eds.), (2020). Building Teacher Capacity in Vietnamese English Language Teaching: Research: Policy and Practice. Routledge. Orsini-Jones, M., & Lee, F. (2018). Intercultural communicative competence for global citizenship: identifying cyberpragmatic rules of engagement in telecollaboration. Palgrave MacMillan. Rubdy R. (2015). Unequal Englishes, the Native Speaker, and Decolonization in TESOL. In R. Tupas (Ed.) Unequal Englishes. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137461223_ ViVEXELT https://vivexelt.com/
Presenters Marina Orsini-Jones Professor In Globl Higher Education Practice (Applied Linguistics), Coventry University
Jennifer Ament
Ana Cristina Biondo Salomão
Mirjam Hauck
Müge Satar
Francisco José Quaresma De Figueiredo
Marina Orsini-Jones
