Projects

Translation Tools (e.g. DeepL) 

The use of translation tools is already part of everyday life and work in many areas. In a number of languages, the freely accessible, AI-based DeepL is a top performer with impressive learning ability. What does this mean for second language acquisition and instruction? Do students already use DeepL and, if so, for what? And how can they be taught to use such tools in an effective and reflective way? In the winter wemester 22-23, twelve Language Centre lecturers representing seven languages will address these and other questions in a series of three working group meetings coordinated by Robert Wolf aimed at drafting guidelines for students and teachers of all languages offered at the SZ as well as developing preliminary didacticized tasks. The UBT Language Centre is working closely in this field with the ZfS of the University of Paderborn (Dr. Sigrid Behrent) and the ZFA of the Ruhr University Bochum (Anna Soltyska). Our initial results will be presented at the symposium "Second language teaching and learning - across the analogue and digital divide" on 25.1.2023 at the University of Paderborn.

• Coordination: Robert Wolf
• Participating lecturers: Mary Redmond (Eng.), Gesa Dyckerhoff-Six (Eng.), Iris Whelan (Eng.), Dr. Oliver Hepp (DaF), Elisabeth Bay (DaF, It.), Mayumi Ura-Zimmermann (Port.), Pablo López (Spa.), Francisca Járrega Chisbert (Spa.), Mariela Mira (Spa.), Angelina Beck-Kolesnikova (Russisch), Wen Jie (Chinesisch), Robert Wolf (Frz., Spa., DaF)

Digitisation of a French online course (A1) in a blended learning format

Blended learning in the classroom is not a question of "whether" but of "how".

The recent pandemic and concomitant switch to online teaching have prompted us to revise our in-class teaching methods. The usual sequence of reading a text, watching a video, completing listening and reading comprehension exercises, explaining and practising grammar and finally applying vocabulary and grammar in role-plays,can be redesigned by having learners perform the groundwork for the lesson through slef-study and asynchronous pre-class work. With this self-generated prior knowledge, they come to class and spend the synchronous session completing transfer activities in communicative and interactive exercises under the supervision and guidance of the instructor.  

The digital units for the asynchronous preparation phase are created using the tool H5P, which offers a wide variety of exercise formats. A total of 10 units will be created in the winter semester 22-23 and in the summer semester 23.

• Planning and digital realisation: Bénédicte Maitrier (Frz.)
• Support: Robert Wolf (Head of the Language Centre)

C-Test Development 

Currently, the UBT Language Centre uses different tests and procedures for course placement at the start of the semester in our "main'' languages (DaF, Eng., Spa., Frz. and Italian). These different placement tests are to be standardised and replaced by C-tests with an oral interview. During the winter break (February & March), an initial pool of 8 C-tests per language will be created and tested by all instructors of this group. The next step will be to upload these tests onto our e-learning platform. At the beginning of the summer semester 23, the tests will then be calibrated in cooperation with students who will have taken a placement test at the beginning of the semester. The new assessment procedure will then come on stream in winter semester 23-24. The Language Centre is using the C-Test-Creator developefd by the University of Tübingen, which Dr. Claudia Duttlinger and her team have kindly made available to us free of charge. The Language Centre will cooperate with several universities (including the University of Cologne) in maintaining and expanding the text pool.

• Coordination: Robert Wolf (Head of the Language Centre)
• Participating lecturers: Catalina Blanco (Spa.), Laurence Terrom-Stein (Frz.), Luigi Martella (It.), Robert Wolf (DaF), Mary Redmond (Eng.)
• Technical support: Levi Böhm, Axel Pürckhauer

Interactive explanatory videos in Spanish

Our Spanish lecturers have been working for the past two years on the creation of interactive videos to support  those teaching ab initio Spanish courses. The videos aim to simplify and explain complex grammatical content, while  adapting it to the learning needs of our students. The videos have proven to be a valuable asset in the language classroom and at the same time help promote self-directed learning. Students can watch the video as often as they like, pause it, rewind or fast-forward it, or repeat from the beginning. Thus, complicated learning content can be repeated as often as necessary. The interactive format of the videos, in contrast to passive explanatory contexts, helps to capture the attention of the students and promote their individual acquisition of grammar content in a stimulating and flexible self-study environment. The videos can be accessed at any time and from anywhere. Content is then discussed, internalised and put into practice in class in order to achieve the communicative goals of the course.

• Coordination and filming: Cristina Martínez Mesas (Spa.)
• Support: Natalia Gendelman and Luis Neumann

Language Centre Website

In order to integrate it into the UBT's content management system, the Language Centre's old homepage has been  completely overhauled. Numerous administrative processes have been digitalised, the corpus of information posted  streamlined and the layout given a major facelift. The new homepage has a much more pronounced target group orientation, so that students, incomings, staff and guest students interested in a particular language can find the information they need more quickly and on a single web page.

• Coordination: Robert Wolf
• Participating lecturers: Dr. Oliver Hepp (DaF), Elisabeth Bay (DaF, Language Lounge), Timothy Dickomeit (Eng.), Helen Vayntrub (Eng.), PD Dr. Klaudia Dombrowsky-Hahn (Swahili), Cristina Martínez (Spa.)
• Support: Eric Etterer, Raphaela Gallerer, Christopher Reimel (PMK), Axel Pürckhauer (IT)