Life-writing and virtual exchange: An exploration of the impact on students’ learning experiences

dc.contributor.authorO'Reilly, Claire
dc.contributor.authorArnold, Maik
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-10T14:07:56Z
dc.date.available2022-11-10T14:07:56Z
dc.date.issued2022-09-20
dc.description.abstractWhile we find ourselves immersed in a virtual society, the opportunity to use digital technologies for dialogue and understanding is still not well represented at third-level, despite the dramatic move towards teaching online during the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper presents a web-based Virtual Exchange (VE) between Cork (UCC) and the Fachhochschule Dresden (FHD) with a focus on life-writing and biography, developing qualitative research skills and speaking the foreign language (FL). Each student was tasked with conducting three interviews with their designated peer in the FL and producing a website (blog) or e-portfolio to present and reflect on findings. The first iteration of the module took place in 2020-21. This paper discusses students’ learning experiences during the updated, follow-up course in 2021-22. Findings show that they learned most in the interaction with their peers, learning through self-disclosure, sharing meaningful experiences, negotiating (difficult) life experiences and expanding their FL skills. The findings also point to evidence of transformational learning in the sample group. We conclude with some insights regarding the future development of the VE and include important limitations of the study.en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationO’Reilly, C. and Arnold, M. (2022) 'Life-writing and virtual exchange: An exploration of the impact on students’ learning experiences', Teanga: The Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics, 29, pp. 13-38. doi: 10.35903/teanga.v29i.2786en
dc.identifier.doi10.35903/teanga.v29i.2786en
dc.identifier.eissn2565-6325
dc.identifier.endpage38en
dc.identifier.journaltitleTeanga: The Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguisticsen
dc.identifier.startpage13en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/13847
dc.identifier.volume29en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherIrish Association for Applied Linguistics (IRAAL)en
dc.rights© 2022, TEANGA: The Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.subjectLife-writingen
dc.subjectVirtual exchangeen
dc.subjectThematic analysisen
dc.subjectTransformational learningen
dc.titleLife-writing and virtual exchange: An exploration of the impact on students’ learning experiencesen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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