“You realize that the world can be so different and similar at the same time”: Telecollaboration and the development of the intercultural competence in higher education

Abstract

This paper revolves around the integration of telecollaboration, or online intercultural exchange, in higher education settings for the development of the intercultural competence in the English as a Foreign Language classroom. The perspective of the participants in a telecollaboration exchange from both Spain and the United States is analysed. The students collaborated in plurinational, multicultural groups so as to complete a set of tasks, the cognitive complexity of which was progressively increased: creating a digital profile, recording an introduction video, multimedia interaction (e.g. text, audio, videoconferencing) discussing and debating suggested topics, creating digital stories and planning and delivering an oral presentation. The qualitative and quantitative data analysed were gathered by means of a pre- and a post-questionnaire. The complexity of carrying out these kinds of projects points out the need for a curricular revision which allows for the normalisation (Bax, 2000, 2003; Chambers & Bax, 2006) of Information and Communications Technologies in the classroom. This in turn would imply an effective and integrated use of those technologies within 21st century teaching practices. Furthermore, institutional support in the form of recognition, provision of resources and inclusion of such projects in the syllabus stands out as the key element for the achievement of the goals of these kinds of initiatives.