Integrating content-based language learning and intercultural learning online: An international eGrops collaboration

Learning language through content in the tertiary context presents a challenge in that language teachers, particularly in EAP/ESP contexts, are not necessarily experts in their students’ speciality subject areas, while subject experts might lack language teaching methodology. Furthermore, intercultural awareness, a key qualification in today’s global work environment, tends to take a back seat in a content-based approach. This paper reports on a didactic concept which integrates subject-based language learning with intercultural experience through online collaboration in an international eGroups set-up. The creation of a collaborative learning space aimed to bring together learners from different cultural contexts (New Zealand and Germany) and with different target languages (German and English) towards shared learning outcomes. Data from student interactions will help illustrate to what extent the eGroups model promoted interactive, communicative and intercultural competence through content-related bilingual collaboration

eGroups - eine Konzeption zur Vermittlung fachsprachlicher Handlungskompetenz in evolvierenden Kooperationen

Die Arbeit befasst sich mit „evolvierenden Kooperationen“ und deren Anforderungen an die Fachfremdsprachvermittlung. Unter evolvierenden Kooperationen werden moderne Formen der Zusammenarbeit verstanden, in denen Menschen verschiedenster Hintergründe über einen kurzen Zeitraum miteinander kooperieren. Oft handelt es sich um virtuelle Projektarbeit, die durch Onlinedienste, wie Skype, Twitter, Facebook gestützt wird. Die Besonderheit besteht darin, dass sich Gesprächspartner erst im Laufe der Zusammenarbeit aufeinander einstellen können. Sprachlich erfordert dies die „Agilität“, sich dynamisch an unterschiedliche Hintergründe anzupassen, z. B. in fachlicher und persönlicher Hinsicht. Zur Vermittlung derartiger Kompetenzen wird eine didaktische Konzeption entwickelt, in deren Zentrum die Nutzung von Kollaborationsplattformen in der Hochschullehre steht. Die Konzeption wird umfassend beschrieben und am Beispiel einer Kooperation zwischen den Universitäten Münster (Deutschland) und Massey (Neuseeland) evaluiert.</p

On the importance of agile communication skills in BPM education: Design principles for international seminars

Business Process Management (BPM) has evolved as an integrated management discipline that aims to enable organizations to continuously innovate and improve their operations. BPM experts are exposed to communication processes involving people from various backgrounds (e.g., various business areas, fields of expertise, and cultures). Research in applied linguistics has shown that it is difficult to plan for constellations of such communication processes; thus, agile communication skills are vital for successful business communication. Teaching programs for BPM, however, do not account for these skills. Rather, they mainly address methods for the analysis, implementation, and management of business processes. As a result, graduates—though they may be technically and methodologically apt—face unexpected challenges due to communication deficiencies in BPM projects. BPM research has shown that deficiencies in communication are in fact among the most frequent reasons for project failure. In this paper, we present a course setting to teach agile communication skills in BPM education. The approach is informed by literature on BPM education as well as theories from virtual collaboration education. We have evaluated it in an international virtual seminar involving seven European universities. We argue for the importance of agile communication skills in BPM education. In addition, we present design principles for courses to teach agile communication skills that can be applied by fellow academics