European Multimodal and Digital Education for Language Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Multimodal and Digital Education for Language Learning

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Recognition, transparency, certification; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

The EU-MADE4ll project was designed and implemented to develop multimodal digital literacies in educational and professional contexts using English as the language of international communication. Multimodal digital literacies include a wide range of skills and abilities that are needed to improve teaching, learning and professional activities. These incorporate the ability to design, read, navigate and understand the combination of different resources (such as language, visuals, layout, music, etc.) in digital texts in English. The project has developed a flexible model to improve these skills in students and European citizens.
The goals have been 1) to develop a customised digital platform to collect data, allow students’ assignments and anonymous peer-assessment procedures; 2) to test an international joint syllabus that can be used in other educational and professional contexts and 3) to design a framework of reference for intercultural digital literacies. The framework has been derived from data produced by students during the joint syllabus, i.e. their own digital productions (i.e. video interviews, websites, blogs, fanvids and promotional videos) and from surveys submitted to students before, during and after classes via the customised EU-MADE4LL platform.
Participants
Six higher education institutions: Università di Messina (Italy, main applicant); University of Leeds (UK); Università di Firenze (Italy); Aarhus Universitet (Denmark); Università di Roma-Tor Vergata (Italy); LUH-Hannover (Germany) and a digital agency, Rocca Creative Thinking (Sheffield, UK).
Description of activities
(1) Creation of an open access online environment for e-learning and for storing and sharing the learning materials and students’ anonymised assignments; (2) development and implementation of a joint syllabus that includes (a) a common set of core notions, readings and activities developed by researchers in each home university, (b) workshops organised and delivered through “Invited teachers at higher education Intensive Study Programmes” by involved researchers, each focused on a specific digital text type, (c) assignments to develop skills for the production of digital texts, metapragmatic awareness, and intercultural peer-assessment, (4) evaluation of the course by the students ; (3) evaluation and refinement of the joint syllabus; (4) students’ mobility in Aarhus, at the Department of Management and Communication for a one-week “Intensive programmes for higher education learners” to promote social media awareness and for a hands-on workshop delivered by Rocca; (5) development of a Common Framework of Reference Intercultural Digital Literacy (CFRIDiL) drawing on data produced during the joint syllabus and the intensive study and professional training mobility.
Results
The online platform has been customised to meet the project’s needs by LUH and provides access to all materials, data and statistics produced during the project. The joint syllabus was implemented in five university classes (Messina, Aarhus, Florence, Leeds and Rome-Tor Vergata) involving 214 students, who produced three assignments each (digital text, academic paper, transcription or mock up) for a total of 642 items. Additionally, each student filled baseline and evaluation surveys, plus a peer-assessment form, for a total of 642 items. Each researcher compiled an evaluation form for each student and for students that chose their taught text type. The grand total of data amounts to 2568 materials, including assignments, students’ and teachers’ surveys and peer assessment.The CFRIDiL was created by the combination of data and descriptors have been validated empirically. Surveys confirm that most students: (1) enjoyed the course and improved their multimodal digital skills; (2) improved their experience of international learning and cooperation; (3) enhanced communicative skills for intercultural digital literacy. All students participating in the project received the EU-MADE4LL pass and those participating in the mobilities received a Europass.
Longer-term benefits
The joint syllabus and CFRIDiL are available as open educational resources to EU and non-EU higher educational institutions, private organisations and SMEs. The CFRDiL can be adopted to gauge students’, teachers’ and citizens’ proficiency and awareness in intercultural digital literacy. It can be adapted to any level, including in primary schools and in STEM contexts to boost students’ digital literacy for international communication and enhance their employability. The project’s output promote tolerance, active citizenship and intercultural awareness by fostering transversal skills that are included in the framework and deal with coping with pressure, managing anxiety and developing emotional intelligence. The long-term impact deal with changes in the current European education policies accounting for contemporary digital textuality in English and the pressures and needs of global markets.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 428297,85 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MESSINA & Country: IT

Project Partners

• GOTTFRIED WILHELM LEIBNIZ UNIVERSITAET HANNOVER
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA TOR VERGATA
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE
• UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
• Rocca Creative Thinking Limited
• AARHUS UNIVERSITET