Doctoral Education for Technology-Enhanced Learning in Europe: report

This report informs about the state of doctoral education in the area of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) in Europe. The report aims to inform policy decisions in doctoral education and in the implementation of these policies. We reviewed 35 cases of institutional doctoral education in TEL identified in 11 European countries. The results indicate that educational institutions use different approaches to doctoral education in technology-enhanced learning. The doctoral degrees in this field are awarded by departments in different academic areas, within different study programs, with correspondingly different curricula, and therefore heterogeneous foundational knowledge. The report also contains the results of the survey of doctoral education in TEL. The objectives were to inform the design of curricula in the field, improve doctoral education overall, and to collect background on the current practices and challenges. The survey was implemented as an online questionnaire with 31 close and open questions in seven sections: professional background, thematic content, general PhD training topics, research methods, learning sources, challenges, supervision and mentoring, and personal background. In total, 229 participants responded to the survey, including 103 PhD candidates, 92 PhD holders, and 26 Master’s degree holders. The survey results indicate that doctoral courses and educational materials are most needed in the TEL community for the topics: learning analytics, artificial intelligence in education, personalized and adaptive learning, self-regulated / informal learning, smart / intelligent learning environments, pedagogical patterns, gamification, visualization / visual analytics, mixed and augmented reality, and engagement / emotion / affect. There is a need for courses and enough materials on the general PhD training topics of academic writing and publication, dissemination of research results, communication about research, project management, and research ethics. The primary learning source for TEL topics is academic publications, for general PhD-level training is supervisor help, and for research methods: supervisor help, academic publications, and courses in the PhD program. The most difficult barriers for TEL PhD candidates are work-life balance, project management, and psychological challenges. Among the different challenge areas, those related to supervision are the most reliable predictors of student satisfaction with their doctoral studies. Most innovative supervision practices, such as learning how to write scientific papers by example, team supervision, and discussion of the overall PhD ideas, were found useful by both PhD students and PhD holders. Many of the innovative supervision practices are rare within the TEL community. Overall, doctoral education in TEL reflects the complexity of the interdisciplinary field of TEL. This report provides an input for curricula design, educational and supervision practices, examples of administrative contests, and existing challenges

Advanced learners of Spanish abroad An exploratory study of the development of past tense morphology

This study examines the progress made by a group of ERASMUS students in their use of the Spanish Preterite and Imperfect during a stay abroad. Advanced learners of Spanish (N=12) and native speakers (N=12) completed an impersonal narrative-based forced-choice test (INT) and an explicit knowledge questionnaire (EKQ). Results from the INT partially confirm the findings of previous studies which indicate that the expression of grounding distinguishes learners from native speakers. Our data show that only the foreground clearly distinguishes between the two groups, not the background. Responses to the EKQ reveal that learners use a variety of mechanisms for their selection of past tense morphology: formal instruction, translation into their L1, knowledge of other L2s and conversation with native speakers. This article suggests further research be undertaken to examine the impact of the learning context on students' use of past tense morphology

Advanced learners of Spanish abroad An exploratory study of the development of past tense morphology

This study examines the progress made by a group of ERASMUS students in their use of the Spanish Preterite and Imperfect during a stay abroad. Advanced learners of Spanish (N=12) and native speakers (N=12) completed an impersonal narrative-based forced-choice test (INT) and an explicit knowledge questionnaire (EKQ). Results from the INT partially confirm the findings of previous studies which indicate that the expression of grounding distinguishes learners from native speakers. Our data show that only the foreground clearly distinguishes between the two groups, not the background. Responses to the EKQ reveal that learners use a variety of mechanisms for their selection of past tense morphology: formal instruction, translation into their L1, knowledge of other L2s and conversation with native speakers. This article suggests further research be undertaken to examine the impact of the learning context on students' use of past tense morphology

The role of context in shaping narratives of plurilingual identity: The case of non-language majors studying abroad

This chapter examines the role of context, understood here as a site for social practices in particular settings, before and during study abroad (SA) in the development of students’ plurilingual identities. In particular, we focus on different levels of contextual constraints and opportunities to which students who are non-language majors refer in semi-structured interviews. The study is based on an analysis of narratives of Erasmus students spending their SA sojourn in three different Mediterranean countries (Spain, Cyprus, and Croatia). The recurring themes from the interviews generated five dimensions of context that played a role in shaping narratives of the participants’ plurilingual identity

Digital Competence Assessment Survey for Language Teachers

In this paper, we present the results of the digital competence assessment survey for language teachers. The survey assessed how language teachers use digital technologies, their attitude towards these technologies, their related skills and competencies, their satisfaction and training needs, and the institutional support they receive. In total, 283 language teachers from 43 countries participated in the survey. The data were collected in 2019. The results indicate that language teachers use various computer-assisted language learning instructional methods. They generally consider that digital technologies are beneficial for the classroom. The lack of training prevents them from using specific technology-based methodologies, in contrast to the lack of technical infrastructure. The majority of the participants are not satisfied with their level of digital language teaching expertise. Two-thirds of those who receive digital competency training at their organizations, report that the training sessions happen irregularly or rarely. At the same time, the majority of the teachers confirm these training to be effective and the skills they received are applied in practice. We discuss the results of the survey in relation to the previous research, policies and practical challenges of the digitalization of language education. The major contribution of the paper is a representation of the teacher’s perspective on the role of digital technologies in their practice. We assume that the new realia of teaching in the context of COVID-19 have changed the overall need in digital language teaching skills among the teachers, as well as the share of the teaching staff who teach online on a regular basis. The future work includes a new survey in order to evaluate the scope of this change

Learning Theories and Teaching Methodologies for the Design of Training in Digital Competence for Language Teachers: A Narrative Review

This paper provides a narrative review of learning theories and teaching methodologies that can be used to design training activities for an online or blended training workshop addressed to language teachers. The review was performed in a traditional, narrative manner and revolved around the exploration of recent, influential learning theories, such as Connectivism, Social Constructionism, and Ecological Theory. It also involved an exploration of contemporary teaching methodologies, such as game-based learning, problem-based learning, and virtual exchange, which were deemed important for language teachers in order to get an up-to-date overview of theoretical perspectives and improve their teaching. This review is part of the Digital Competence for Language Teachers (DC4LT) Erasmus+ KA2 project and its ultimate objective was to delineate an array of learning theories and teaching methodologies in order to enable trainers to select the ones that are most suitable for training workshops in digital competence for language teachers. The specific review concludes with implications for the design of a training workshop with replicability and transferability potential for future trainers

The HERO project: language training for migrants’ professional career as caregivers through blended learning

The HERO project aims to develop a training program for caregivers to be working in the elderly care sector. The program is particularly addressed to caregivers from Middle Eastern and African countries as refugees and intends to help them integrate into European society. This paper seeks to offer an overview of the project, including its objectives, underlying principles, and deliverables. The paper particularly portrays the second intellectual output (O2) of the project, namely the ‘On the job’ training in language and terminology curriculum, which has been developed as the end product of O2. Initially, the methodology adopted to create learning material for language learning in a specific-purpose context is analyzed. Based on this, the paper provides a description of the content development by justifying and showcasing the learning material and laying out the logic behind this, through the trainers’ guide. E-learning tools have been integrated in the course material, which also justifies the methodology applied for the purpose of this project

Digital Competences for Language Teachers: Do Employers Seek the Skills Needed from Language Teachers Today?

Language proficiency is essential for 21st Century skills, and for the ability to obtain and utilize new competencies in the future. Digitalization is greatly affecting the language learning settings, and more digital skills are needed amongst teachers. Thus, it is interesting to see what kind of demands the new working life puts on the future language teachers in all areas of the sector. To better understand the role of national policies on digital competence and their impact on language teacher’s recruitment, this study investigates existing strategies for digital competence for language teachers in 11 countries, and their representation in job announcements. The study uses qualitative content analysis as well as quantitative analysis represented by descriptive statistics. The former includes document analysis of strategies on different levels and gives an overview of existing trends and new tendencies considering digital skills for language teachers. The latter comprises a search and classification of 854 job announcements throughout Europe according to three levels of digital competences to see which skills are being asked for when hiring language teachers. The results indicate that there are discrepancies between strategies being implemented at overarching levels and the institutional practices. We also demonstrate discrepancies between the needs described for the 21st Century and the defined skills in the job announcements. Among other results, the study highlights the need for more targeted job announcements to attract teachers with the desired digital skills