Presenter: Teresa MacKinnon Organisation: University of Warwick Description: The Language Centre at the University of Warwick has been enhancing the language learning experiences of students through opportunities to connect directly with peers in other countries. The Clavier project began in 2011 using the Languages@Warwick platform as a shared point of contact. The portal course, known as EWC, incorporates Blackboard Collaborate tools for live and asynchronous contact and has provided a scalable model for other language courses which are now growing in Spanish and German classes at Warwick.

1. Online Intercultural Exchange
(OIE):
Capacity building for a flexible, effective workforce.

2. #Clavier project:
● large scale virtual exchangeWarwick/Clermont Ferrand, France
● formal and informal learning, shared space on EWC
● professional development for staff
● connected educators extending to Poland, Sweden, Japan, US,
Finland...#clavedu G+ community
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3. Context:
• Virtual Exchange (OIE) development within Languages@Warwick
• #clavier project case study published in INTENT report and tasks
uploaded to uni-collaboration database.
• Growing interest in telecollaboration and online intercultural exchange
to support skills for “global graduates”
• British Council Going Mobile report states virtual mobility provides:
“a rich seam of opportunities for interaction across borders”.
• Higher Education Academy Internationalising Higher Education
Framework.
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4. 4
“...the future belongs to those who learn to work
together with other groups without regard to
location, heritage, and national and cultural
difference” (Grandin & Hedderich, 2009)
Key competencies in 3 broad categories
From DeSeCo project, OECD.

5. Implementing open badges in EWC
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6. Opportunities to seize:
• Voice (VoiceThread) and video creation (Kaltura) provide good
ways to increase interaction and engagement.
• Open Badges contribute to student’s professional online identity
creation.
• Use of tools such as Glossary can provide “self-build” shared
dictionary
• Connections outlive the course because of the networks created
within students’ own personal spaces.
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7. Challenges to address
• Messaging – students find Moodle’s filtered system confusing
• Walls need holes! Communication takes place in many different
spaces, aggregation using hashtags facilitates a view of this.
• Greater awareness of open badges for employability/skills
recognition needed.
• Institutional policies and regulations can impede intra-
institutional collaboration
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