International collaborative tasks in language courses for engineers integrated in a multidimensional teaching format

1 Introduction

We are in a period of change, characterized both in terms of globalization, as the world is becoming more interconnected, and change in terms of digitalization, as we have transitioned into the digital age. To embrace these changes, we need a more holistic approach to engineering education which integrates broader skills, that is, not only technical and engineering skills, but also skills as leadership and communication, cooperation ability and teamwork as well as intercultural mindset and intercultural communication competences. Understanding diversity and operating in intercultural environments are key elements since future engineers will work in multilingual, multicultural and multidisciplinary environments. Moreover, global teams and hybrid work have become prevalent in numerous workplaces. The action of working globally and digitally requires a certain skillset. Language and communication departments at technical universities can equip students with the necessary skills to navigate the international arena in their future professional lives. By providing virtual mobility experiences, through internationalization at home and by teaching relevant skills, the role of these departments has shifted from “preparing to” to “doing”. Whereas virtual exchanges may have been a substitute for physical travel during the first phase of the pandemic, they can now claim to have a right on their own, providing possibilities for students to work in multilingual teams in hybrid work environments.

The integration of collaborative tasks in our language courses provides a learning environment that meets the requirements of today’s working life.

2 A multidimensional-format – why?

Language courses at the Royal Institute of Technology of Stockholm, KTH, have a strong focus on language for specific purposes (LSP), preparing students to use language in future globalized workplaces in the field of engineering. These courses are elective outside the curricula. Even though this means that the students who choose these courses are very motivated, it also means an extra workload on top of the rest of the curricula as they take these courses alongside their engineering programs. Classes are often held in the evenings and with a few teaching hours per week and an intensive syllabus. To meet the constraints of extra workload and schedule issues, and at the same time maintain the students’ engagement, we have integrated virtual mobility experiences into the language courses. By doing so we want to provide engaging and flexible learning and teaching formats that enable students to practice skills for an international and hybrid work environment. Moreover, the field of language learning has gone through considerable changes with the emergence of new technologies, endless resources available on the Internet and machine translation tools. This constant and instant range of online possibilities is another aspect we have considered when rethinking the format of our language courses which has subsequently had an impact on the course design, especially the teacher’s versus the student’s role.

Rethinking the design of our courses has thus led to a multi-dimensional teaching and learning format. This course-design provides several pedagogical added values and creates a blended learning environment, which enables international collaborative activities as a virtual mobility experience.

2.1 The three dimensions

Our language courses actively combine three dimensions of teaching and learning: online/face-to-face, synchronous/asynchronous as well as student-owned/teacher-led learning. The combination of online and face-to-face teaching is often referred to as blended learning, meaning that some classes are physical meetings taking place on campus and others are online meetings in a digital environment. It integrates both in-person classroom interaction and digital resources to enhance the learning experience. In a blended learning environment, students may engage in online modules, virtual discussions, or multimedia presentations outside of the classroom, while also attending physical classes for group work, direct instruction, or hands-on activities.

A practical implementation of the synchronous and asynchronous dimension is known as the flipped classroom, and includes scheduled activities taking place during a class, as well as tasks that can be performed prior to and/or following a class. These activities can encompass preparatory assignments or the practical application of acquired knowledge. This means that students can prepare for a discussion or group work prior to a class, or they can deepen the knowledge they have acquired after a synchronous session. The blended learning approach, with the possibility to work online and asynchronously, is particularly suited to the flipped classroom. Preparatory tasks free up time for interaction exercises during the synchronous session – less time needs to be spent on e.g., introducing vocabulary and activities after the synchronous session are a good way to deepen and consolidate knowledge. The third dimension, student-owned/teacher-led learning refers to teaching led by a teacher versus activities where students take more responsibility for planning and implementation of an activity. Student ownership is usually seen as the last step in a learning process, where the student can apply the new knowledge in a broader context (National Institute for excellence in teaching 2022). Student-owned activities can take advantage of the huge availability of online material, i.e., videos, apps, interactive websites, and benefit from the possibilities of exposure online to the target language.

A combination of these dimensions enables a wide range of activities and the use of different learning strategies. Figure 1 illustrates examples of activities in different combinations of teaching formats. Each learning dimension suits specific activities. As an illustration, a language tandem is an example of an asynchronous, student-owned, online activity. Effective use of these teaching and learning-dimensions provides several pedagogical advantages: a holistic approach, individualization, contextual learning, engagement, and flexibility.

Figure 1:

Activities in the different teaching and learning formats.

3 Collaborative online international learning – an example of a multidimensional learning activity

Collaborative online international learning (COIL) is well suited for our teaching model, COIL projects combining online meetings with asynchronous work, which is typically a student-owned activity. COIL is also an excellent opportunity to integrate LSP in a natural way in a language course when students work together with students from technical universities in other countries, in the target language. Engaging in this activity facilitates the development of a global engineering profile among students, highlighting the importance of collaboration. It prepares student to work in hybrid work environments, including the use of digital modes of communication. Additionally, it develops intercultural and multilingual competence in an authentic communication situation (language through content learning). All these aspects foster student engagement and successful learning. As teachers, our role in this context is that of a facilitator and coordinator. This entails offering a framework of required knowledge, organizing the activity, and providing support, such as assisting with the preparation of presentations or texts.

We have integrated the COIL projects in the French and German courses for engineers that we will describe in the following sections.

4 Forward-looking language teaching tailored to meet the needs of engineering students

Online teaching and a willingness to change the teaching methods at universities is increasing markedly, not least after the pandemic (Heilporn et al. 2021). Many universities offer programs and courses online, develop and present online teaching as an integral part of their activities. The same applies to language courses. Online-teaching is also a key element of KTH’s vision and the Department of Learning in Engineering Sciences at KTH is working with the development of digital learning tools to support learning and education. At the European level, the ECML (European Centre for Modern Languages), in collaboration with the European Commission, launched an initiative regarding the impact of the pandemic on language learning and explores the benefits of lasting changes in the teaching and learning of languages (Council of Europe ECML/CELV 2022).

Our experience has shown that a blended learning course design as well as student-owned learning are especially well suited for meeting the needs of our students as they provide flexibility, variety and prepare the students to actively use the language. COIL activities give students opportunities to be creators and to have an active role in their learning, due to the fact that they learn by solving real-life problems. These activities support virtual mobility, have a transnational perspective, as well as enhance the use of LSP. COIL activities fit into and benefit very well from the multidimensional teaching format since they include online activity and a combination of student owned work, both individual and in a group.

Our teaching format, including various dimensions and COIL activities, responds to the ongoing process of digitalization in Higher Education and the demands of skills that our students will meet in professional life. It is further a reflection of today’s workplaces, where synchronous versus asynchronous or face-to-face versus online work is a reality. In this way, language learning has adjusted to the changed reality.