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Virtual Exchange

Euromed Ecole de Management

Marseille

University of MichiganAnn Arbor

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Can you hear me now?Est-ce que vous m’entendez?

Student perception of learning from virtual Skype exchange

Background InformationEuromed Ecole de Management,Marseille

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

•One hour/week Skype voice chat

•Structured tasks

•30 min English - 30 min French

•Pairs or small groups

voice/video chat

list contactslist contacts

conference callconference call

text chattext chat

send filesend file

Student Profiles

• International Management Bachelor, CESEMED

• Planning study in USA• Enrolled Civilization and

Culture - Business English class

• Volunteers• 2nd year

• Undergraduates Ross School of Business BBA

• Liberal Arts Bachelor• Half studied abroad• Some planning

international internship• Enrolled Business French• Mix 2nd 3rd 4th year

Exposure Native Speakers

• MICHIGAN: classes in French, weekly conversation group, work/study abroad, tourism.

• EUROMED: Classes in English, work/study abroad, tourism. International school with strong English language component. Frequent contact with anglophones.

Project Goals

• Enhance target language skills

• Increase cultural awareness target culture

• Familiarity with business practices

• EUROMED: Increased familiarity American campus life, university system

Structured Activities

• Ice breaker• Comparison education systems, college life • CV and cover letter peer critiques• Current event discussions (elections)• Daily life and customs• Cross-cultural advertising

Survey: What did we want to learn?

• Culture and language: What do the students think they learned?

• What are student attitudes?

• Feelings on collaborative learning?

• Impact of group dynamics?

• Motivation for contact outside class?

Online Survey

• Students from 3 semesters

• Responses 18/28 Michigan (64%)

17/35 Euromed (48%)

• Majority open-ended questions

• Also: focus group and personal communication

Attitudes: 5 adjectives

sympatique

innovant

ennuyeux

curieuse tolerant

contraignant

ludique

partage

marrant

amicale

dissipé

inutile

genial

fatigué

comprehensive

dubitative

reticente

motivation

apprentissage

convivialité

ouvert d’esprit

tardif

Positive Negative

Attitudes: 5 adjectives

informative

interesting

frustrating

curious educational

awkward

entertaining

riveting

enjoyable

realistic

disappointed

positive

nervous

interactive

boring

cautious

engaged

exciting

fun

modern

confusing

mellowenticing

enriching

Positive Negative

Attitudes: 5 adjectives

68 (83%) 14 (17%)

Positive 53 (76%)

Negative 16 (23%)

Recurrent Themes

Positive: relationship (13), engagement (12) , enjoyment (7), newness (3)

Negative: logistics (5), dissatisfaction (5)

Postive: enjoyment (25), meaningful (17), engagement (15), relaxing environment (5), newness (5)

Negative: discomfort-risk (6), disengagement/dissatisfaction (4)

Commitment / Engagement

• Envie de partager

• Intéressé

• Motivation

• Ouvert d’esprit

• Tolérante

• Enthousiasmée

• Découverte

• Interested

• Interactive

• Riveting

• Engaged

• Curious

• Enticing

• Exploratory

Enjoyment - Pleasure

• Agréable

• Cool

• Divertissant

• Genial

• Ludique

• Marrant

• Fun

• Excited, exciting

• Cool

• Enjoyable

• Entertaining

Relationship• Amical• Convivialité• Gentille• Sympathique• Patiente• Content de pratiquer

la langue de manière plus utile qu'avec un francophone

Meaningful

• Educational• Informative • Cultural• Enriching• Beneficial• Helpful• Superb• Useful• Worthwhile

Logistics

• Contraignant• Dissipé• Tardif• Fatigué

DiscomfortRisk

• Cautious• Awkward• Frustrating• Nervous• Nerve-wracking• Confusing

0 10

0 0 (3)

Q: What did you learn?

• Business content; educational system, “tidbits”, very general “topic”

• Language expressions, language skill• Cultural value observation,

perspective • Don’t remember, rien• Communication skills, intercultural

communication (elsewhere)• Découverte d’une personne

(elsewhere)

5 12

2 5

1 2

2 0

Q: Target language improve?

• Actual French people• Comfortable speaking, conversation, improvisation• Constructive criticism encouraging partners (overt)• Listen, compare accent, identify gaps (noticing)

• Technical problems, frequent contact anglophones

12 3

1 2

2 4

Yes

Yes/No

No

Best aspects

• Speaking (conversation) native student• Making connections, friends• Intercultural communication (2)• What international employers want (1)

• Vie de campus, système univérsitaire• Casser des stéréotypes• Apprentissage de la langue• Echange de culture• Interactivité

Least useful aspect

• Fewer French than American students (pairs)• Not same person every week• Worksheets (structured activities)• Staying on task

• Questions obligatoires, planning de discussion (everyone)

Learning from peers

Positive 7 5 Pos/Neg 4 2

• POSITIVE: general language, more professional, sound more French, better position myself in market, on apprend sans s’en rendre compte, charmante-brillante, bénéfique dans les deux sens

• DUBIOUS: too general, accuracy?

Learning from peers

“ Ils ont une manière de nous parler qui fait que nous comprenons mieux, car ils ont notre âge, on sait ce qu’ils vivent comme nous.”

“ You learn an actual French opinion and reaction through interacting with them which is impossible to learn through a lecture…”

Group Dynamics

PAIRS•build relationship•des affinités se sont créés•more speaking time,• focus on task, •typical internet chat

•build relationship•des affinités se sont créés•more speaking time,• focus on task, •typical internet chatTime getting to know new

partner takes time awayfrom task.

Time getting to know new

partner takes time awayfrom task.

New partner Large group

Large group videoconferencemight make first meeting

less akward

Large group videoconferencemight make first meeting

less akward

Q: Videoconferencing?

YesMaybeNo

Video

body language, gestures

nice to see them, plus aisé

ça nous force à être concentré

distractionAudio

hone comprehension

less anxiety, nervous

less worried appearance

He’s cute!

2 3

3 6 4

Teacher’s perception

• Trust (teacher vs peer)

• Authentic hands on, almost like being there

• We’re not so different

• Timid student can participate

• Keen to come, disappointed to finish

• Organization (come prepared)

• Ease, confidence of communication w native speaker

• Vocab and cultural info

• Bureaucratic side French business (vs ‘Nike Cowboy’)

• ‘Just like us’ - age, similar experiences

• Authentic transfer, corroboration knowledge (practice vs theory)

Teacher’s perception

Contact outside class

Once or twice (16), regularly (3) via email and Skypewith the same personfor classwork and general conversation

Once or twice (16), regularly (3) via email and Skypewith the same personfor classwork and general conversation

Contact outside class

TIDBITS:• One pair holiday gifts• Two meet up in France• Romance • Continue contact• Summer in Marseille

And beyond …

TIDBITS:• One pair holiday gifts• Two meet up in France• Romance • Continue contact• Summer in Marseille

And beyond …

What are students telling us?• Worksheet/guides too constraining, not

conducive to communication• Communicate and focus better in pairs -

relationship is important, same age • Enjoyable overall experience• Positive cultural exchange information• Videoconferencing not important

Contact Info

Terri Jordan

Terri.Jordan@euromed-marseille.com

Rachael Criso

rcriso@umich.edu

Philomena Meechan

phili@umich.edu

Novelty - Newness

• Curieuse

• Découverte

• Innovant

• Intéressant

• Curious

• Cool

• Enticing

• Exploratory

• Modern

• Surprised