Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyse the data collected in a six-week intercultural telecollaboration project between the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) (Spain) and Morgan State University (US). Participants from UPV were 9 Spanish-speaking learners of English and 5 international students from the Erasmus+ programme, who engaged in both synchronous and asynchronous activities with 10 English-speaking learners of Spanish. During the project, they worked on pragmatic and intercultural tasks. Data was gathered through a pre-questionnaire enquiring about learners’ expectations at the beginning of the project and a final project questionnaire seeking information about students’ satisfaction towards the project in general, and the tools used. Participants’ responses were collected in order to implement improvements in subsequent projects. Results from both surveys revealed that students’ expectations mostly aligned with the perceived benefits after carrying out the exchange, although learners showed a preference for synchronous activities. In addition, it seems that some of the participants found it difficult to meet on a weekly basis with their virtual partners as it was expected. This suggests that language learners participating in telecollaboration projects may need further guidance and help in order to plan their meetings with their keypals. Also, this may be a symptom of lack of engagement, which instructors on both sides need to foster in order for such projects to be successful and avoid frustration. Despite this, most of the comments received by the researcher at the end of the project were positive and showed participants’ overall satisfaction.
Author Information
Sofia Di Sarno-García, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
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