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The place of practical cookery within school subjects in England has, in recent years, been debated as part of concerns about the nation's health and obesity. Cookery has been a school subject for over a century, but has only ever held a minority place in the curriculum. In 2017 we surveyed teachers of practical cookery in schools, in a repeat of a survey first carried out in 2007. We asked them about the ingredients used and the skills taught in practical cookery lessons at school and also about the issues they faced delivering practical cookery teaching and assessment through the school food curriculum. We have found that the nature of the products being taught in schools has changed, with less emphasis on sugary baked items than previously, which is consistent with the development of healthy eating initiatives and awareness. However, many of the issues surrounding the teaching of cookery skills in schools identified in 2007, such as insufficient equipment, lesson time and parental support, remain unchanged. In this paper we will present the results of our study in full and discuss the implications of this research and the role of practical cookery teaching and assessment in schools in the future.

The rational for this research paper is to examine the challenges faced by international students with focus on Nigerian students embracing the British education system and impact on their motivation and academic performance. The paper presents a critical overview in relation to the barriers faced by Nigerian students in terms of obtaining and maintaining their visas, seeking employment, cultural integration, and access to education and how these challenges impact on their motivation and academic performance. The study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative research methods to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by Nigerian students in regard to studying in the UK and keeping up to visa requirements with limited working hours given to study. To ascertain the degree of impact, a primary data was carried out to hear from few of the students. Findings of research shows that majority of the Nigerian students that came to study in the UK had high expectations with the hope that coming to study and work in the UK was the best option to escape from the problem of high unemployment and hardship faced back in their home countries. Some expressed the disappointments on how they struggled to find accommodation with family and not sure if coming to the UK was worth the money, they paid to facilitate their study visa. The most disappointed expectations were the cost of living and not being able to get the twenty hours jobs allowed to work while studying to help them with excessive cost of living. Some felt that more support is needed to help international students in their studies in the UK considering the high fees paid to gain British education. [For the complete Volume 22 proceedings, see ED656158.]

There is a growing concern that AI is likely to replace the work done face to face in the classroom by teachers. The concerns also extend to the students use of AI to complete assignments which could impact on their grades either positive or negative and in some cases, when a student work is detected with high AI the work could be classified as plagiarism if AI usage is not declared. On another note, there are increasing debates about the use of AI as a valid tool to support work completed by human beings. Whatever maybe the growing concerns, many researchers have argued that AI is not likely to replace education jobs such as teaching and learning done by teachers and education administrators. The purpose of this paper is to explore debates around the use of AI in education, mostly in teaching and learning and assessment of students university misconduct policy. Teachers work and the link to the opinions on integrating AI in the classroom are illuminated by empirical evidence gathered via interviews. A lot of educators respond to AI in different ways. Some of the debates falls around AI as God of the admin work and assessment of students s sent tools that can help reduce some work such as helping with multiple choice questions, on the other hand, some students have been penalised and in some cases failed their work due to use of AI in completing their assignments without acknowledging the use. In addition, others have argued that AI has come to replace the work done by teachers and are anxious about AI in education jobs done by teachers, hence would not bear the idea for classroom teaching and learning. [For the complete Volume 22 proceedings, see ED656158.]

Higher education is increasingly recognised as being critical to social and economic prosperity. It is also a policy area where the Commonwealth could significantly increase its impact. This could be achieved without major cost, by working through activities already in place, and persuading member governments to make stronger use of these brands and mechanisms. This paper focuses on four key areas selected by the the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) Steering Committee: (1) Costs and access; (2) Links with employment; (3) Securing the next generation of academics; and (4) Student and staff mobility. These were chosen because of their importance, relevance to conference themes, and synergy with existing Commonwealth-related initiatives. In each case, the brief summary of issues is intended to stimulate debate on whether, and how, the Commonwealth could play a greater role. [This paper was prepared for the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) (19th, Bahamas, Jun 22-26, 2015).]

Global Employability Skills are skills that students acquire during their study period, that are in addition to their academic knowledge and skills, and that would help in their careers. As students continue their university journeys, they often overlook or underestimate the importance of developing Global Employability Skills that employers may consider important for their jobs. In this paper, we present a mobile application, the GES App, designed to help students recognize, document, and articulate their skills to their prospective employees. The GES App is designed to stimulate university students to reflect upon their experiences and assess the skills they may develop outside of their formal university studies. This paper presents how such an app could support students plan their careers and develop their Global Employability Skills that would make them more attractive to their future employers. A use case scenario is described to illustrate the role the GES App could play, from the perspectives of students, staff, and employers. [For the full proceedings, see ED639391.]

These proceedings contain the papers of the International Conference e-Learning 2016, which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society, 1-3 July, 2016. This conference is part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2016, 1-4 July. The e-Learning (EL) 2016 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within e-Learning. This conference covers both technical as well as the non-technical aspects of e-Learning. These proceedings contain keynote lecture, "Twenty-First Century Skills, Technology and Open Learning: Re-Designing Teaching for the Digital Age" (Tony Bates) [abstract only] and workshop, "Making Sustainable Online Learning a Reality Informed by the Community of Inquiry Framework" (Susi Peacock and Lindesay Irvine). Full papers in these proceedings include: (1) Determining Factors of Students' Perceived Usefulness of e-Learning in Higher Education (Aleksander Aristovnik, Damijana Keržic, Nina Tomaževic and Lan Umek); (2) EvalCOMIX®: A Web-Based Programme to Support Collaboration in Assessment (María Soledad Ibarra-Sáiz and Gregorio Rodríguez-Gómez); (3) A Holistic Approach to Scoring in Complex Mobile Learning Scenarios (Marcel Gebbe, Matthias Teine and Marc Beutner); (4) Content Development for 72,000 Learners: An Online Learning Environment for General Practitioners. A Case Study (Dirk Pilat); (5) First Stages of Adult Students' Relationship to Scientific Knowing and Research in the Open University's Web-Based Methodology Course (Leena Isosomppi and Minna Maunula); (6) A Quantitative Analysis of the Role of Social Networks in Educational Contexts (Azam Shokri and Georgios Dafoulas); (7) Care Management: On Line-Based Approaches to Nurse Education in Ultrasound Imaging (Elena Taina Avramescu, Mitrache Marius and Adrian Camen); (8) Can e-Learning Change Work Practices? (Signe Schack Noesgaard); (9) A Practice of Mobile Learning Bases on Cloud Computing (Heng Wu and Zhong Dong); (10) Guidelines for Conducting a Post-Graduate Module within a Blended Synchonous Learning Environment, Facilitator and Student Perspectives (Christopher Upfold); (11) IT Tools in Initial Teacher Training (Dorin Herlo); (12) Application of a Reference Framework for Integration of Web Resources in DOLTRN--Case Study of Physics--Topic: Waves (Fabinton Sotelo Gomez and Armando Ordóñez); (13) Creating Micro-Videos to Demonstrate Technology Learning (Mark Frydenberg and Diana Andone); (14) An Analysis of Students Enrolled to an Undergraduate University Course Offered Also Online (Nello Scarabottolo); (15) How Do We Know What is Happening Online: A Triangulated Approach to Data Analysis (Marina Charalampidi and Michael Hammond); (16) Analysis of 3D Modeling Software Usage Patterns for K-12 Students (Yi-Chieh Wu, Wen-Hung Liao, Ming-Te Chi and Tsai-Yen Li); and (17) A Distributed Intelligent e-Learning System (Terje Kristensen). Short papers in these proceedings include: (1) Using Cognitive Maps to Promote Self-Managed Learning in Online Communities of Inquiry (Susi Peacock and John Cowan); (2) Automation in Distance Learning: An Empirical Study of Unlearning and Academic Identity Change Linked to Automation of Student Messaging within Distance Learning (Hilary Collins, Hayley Glover, Fran Myers and Mor Watson); (3) Developing the 1st MOOC of University of Porto: Challenges and Strategies (Isabel Martins, Nuno Regadas and Margarida Amaral); (4) Informal Language Learning in Authentic Setting, Using Mobile Devices and SNS (Ruthi Aladjem and Bibiana Jou); (5) Enhancing Third-Year Medical Clerkships: Using Mobile Technology for Teaching and Learning (Janette R. Hill, Michelle A. Nuss, Ronald M. Cervero, Julie K. Gaines and Bruce Middendorf); (6) Statistical Measures of Integrity in Online Testing: Empirical Study (Tom Wielicki); (7) The Complexities of Digital Storytelling: Factors Affecting Performance, Production, and Project Completion (Peter Gobel and Makimi Kano); (8) Collegewide Promotion on e-Learning/Active Learning and Faculty Development (Nobuyuki Ogawa and Akira Shimizu); (9) Training Portuguese Teachers Using Blended Learning--A Different Approach (Bertil P. Marques and Paula Escudeiro); (10) Gamify and Recognize Prior Learning: How to Succeed in Educators' Further Professional Training with Open Badges (Esko Lius); (11) How Do K-12 Students' Manage Applications on Their Mobile Devices? (Ruthi Aladjem and Sharon Hardof); (12) Digital Storytelling for Inclusive Education: An Experience in Initial Teacher Training (Marco Lazzari); and (13) Learning Factory--Assembling Learning Content with a Framework (Peter Steininger). Reflection papers in these proceedings include: (1) Equalizing Educational Opportunities by ICT (Ana María Delgado García and Blanca Torrubia Chalmeta); (2) The Acceptability of MOOC Certificates in the Workplace (Christina Banks and Edward Meinert); (3) Orchestration of Social Modes in e-Learning (Armin Weinberger and Pantelis M. Papadopoulos); (4) Information Competencies and Their Implementation in the Educational Process of Polish Universities. Exploratory Studies (Anna Tonakiewicz-Kolosowska, Iwona Socik and Monika Gajewska); (5) Virtual & Real Face to Face Teaching (Romeo Teneqexhi and Loreta Kuneshka); and (6) Virtual Scaffolding--Constructivism in Online Learning (Lachlan MacKinnon and Liz Bacon). The following poster is included: Active Learning Methods in Programming for Non-IT Students (Olga Mironova, Irina Amitan, Jüri Vilipõld and Merike Saar). An author index is included. Individual papers contain references.

This study aimed to reveal general landscape of research on teacher resilience, employing descriptive and bibliometric analyses. Descriptive analyses were performed utilizing Web of Science's internal system, while bibliometric analyses were executed through the VOSviewer program. Web of Science Core Collection was used as a data source. Citation analyses of publications, authors, and journals, as well as co-authorship, co-citation, and common word analyses were conducted. The research reveals a timeline of publications, indicating a notable surge in 2006, and a substantial increase in 2021. The countries with the highest number of publications on teacher resilience, in descending order, are the United States of America (USA), Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the People's Republic of China (PRC), according to the research findings. Authors such as Gu, C. Day, S. Beltman, C. Mansfield, and A. Price emerged from the citation analysis. Based on the results from the co-citation analysis, C. Day and Q. Gu were identified as the most frequently co-cited authors. The co-occurrence analysis of keywords highlighted key terms like resilience, teacher education, early career teachers, teacher candidates, professional learning, school leadership, and COVID-19. The findings were contextualized within the existing literature, leading to recommendations for future research. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 591-611.]

This is the book of abstracts for the conference held in 2017 entitled: ''METADISCOURSE ACROSS GENRES: MAPPING INTERACTION IN SPOKEN & WRITTEN DISCOURSES'', also known as MAG2017. The 1st International Conference on Metadiscourse Across Genres took place in METU Northern Cyprus Campus, Cyprus between 30 March-1 April 2017 with the participation of Prof. Ken Hyland, Prof. Anna Mauranen and Prof. Annelie Adel as keynote speakers. This international conference aimed to disseminate current research work on Metadiscourse and related areas in line with various qualitative and quantitative approaches with special focuses on Discourse Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Genre Analysis and eventually the first-of-its kind conference in the field of Metadiscourse has welcomed 110 participant and hosted 3 plenary talks and 94 research talks given by researchers from 40 countries from Japan, Mexico, Turkey to Botswana and United Kingdom. The book of abstracts includes the abstracts of the talks with various qualitative and quantitative approaches with special focuses on Discourse Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Genre Analysis. We would like to acknowledge that the event was co-organized by individual researchers: Dr. Erdem Akbas (Erciyes University), Assoc Prof. Ciler Hatipoglu (Middle East Technical University) and Prof. Yasemin Bayyurt (Bogazici University) with the initial suggestion coming from Reza Abdi (University of Mohaghegh Ardabili).

The notion that educators are committed to effective facilitation of racial integration in secondary schools has become the keystone in developing a socially just schooling system in South Africa. This paper sets out to determine the role educators play in the transformation of schools towards racial integration, as well as their nature and perception in facilitating racial integration in the truest sense. Findings emanating from this research indicate that the striking down of the policies and educational system of the Apartheid regime has propelled educators from segregated backgrounds into teaching learners from different racially diverse backgrounds. Similarly, most learners for the first time are being taught by racially diverse educators. A qualitative framework is used to investigate firsthand experiences of managing racial integration in relation to educators and school management, and their role in determining successful racial integration in secondary schools in South Africa. The purpose of this paper is to prepare educators with the accumulative knowledge, understanding and tenets of the Critical Race Theory (CRT) on how to create opportunities for decolonising classroom content and practice as well as addressing the weaknesses in previous approaches to racially integrate learners in desegregated schools. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

As teaching moves increasingly online, language teachers are faced with the challenge of how to support dyslexic students in an inclusive manner in and out of the classroom. This paper will focus on an innovative educational multi-modal, mobile application -- Comics for Inclusive English Language Learning (CIELL) -- supporting upper-intermediate and advanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students with dyslexia when faced with language proficiency tests and academic writing tasks. A cyclical educational design research methodology (McKenney & Reeves, 2019) was used to include three cycles of feedback from stakeholders so that their views and suggestions would inform the development of an alpha, beta, and gamma version of the app, thereby maximising practical relevance. The discussion of the quantitative and qualitative feedback is supported by educational design research. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

This paper presents a six-week telecollaborative project carried out between B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for languages -- CEFR) level learners of English from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Spain, and B1 (CEFR) level students of Spanish as a foreign language from the University of Bath (UK). The aim of the project was to help Spanish-speaking students develop their Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). Students carried out asynchronous discussions focusing on two cultural topics in groups of four through the social network MeWe and participated in synchronous Zoom sessions in pairs. To conclude the project, students completed a collaborative task with their overseas partners. Qualitative data was gathered through the analysis of the transcripts of the Zoom sessions, the students' posts on MeWe, as well as a final project questionnaire. Results revealed that the students who engaged the most in the synchronous sessions and felt curiosity about their partners' culture were also the same ones who contributed the most to the cultural discussions on MeWe. At the end of the course all participants felt they had learnt something about their partners' culture. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

Legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 has ensured that considerable progress has been made in tackling discrimination in relation to the 8 protected characteristics that are defined in law. UK HEIs are well-versed in monitoring the diversity of their workforce and ensuring that recruitment is compliant with the legislation. However as HEIs become more diverse, we need to ensure that 'cultural differences' and 'misunderstandings', do not become barriers to genuine equality of opportunity for BAME staff. This small-scale research project explores these questions with BAME staff working in higher education in the UK. Implications for leaders and managers and Human Resources professionals are considered. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]

Computer-mediated social learning contexts have become increasingly popular over the last few years; yet existing models of students' cognitive-affective states have been slower to adopt dyadic interaction data for predictions. Here, we explore the possibility of capitalizing on the inherently social component of collaborative learning by using keystroke log data to make predictions across conversational partners (i.e., using person A's data to make prediction about if person B is mind wandering). Log files from 33 dyads (total N = 66) were used to examine: (a) how mind wandering (defined here as task-unrelated thought) during computer-mediated conversations is related to critical outcomes of the conversation (trust, likability, agreement); (b) if task-unrelated thought can be predicted by the keystrokes of one's partner; and (c) how much data is needed to make predictions by testing various window-sizes of data preceding task-unrelated thought reports. Results indicated a negative relationship between task-unrelated thought and perceptions of the conversation, suggesting that attention is an important factor during computer mediated chat conversations. Finally, in line with our hypothesis, results from mixed effects models showed that one's level of task-unrelated thought was predicted by the keystroke patterns of their conversational partner, but only using small window sizes (5s worth of data). [For the complete proceedings, see ED630829.]

Predictive student models are increasingly used in learning environments due to their ability to enhance educational outcomes and support stakeholders in making informed decisions. However, predictive models can be biased and produce unfair outcomes, leading to potential discrimination against some students and possible harmful long-term implications. This has prompted research on fairness metrics meant to capture and quantify such biases. Nonetheless, so far, existing fairness metrics used in education are predictive performance-oriented, focusing on assessing biased outcomes across groups of students, without considering the behaviors of the models nor the severity of the biases in the outcomes. Therefore, we propose a novel metric, the Model Absolute Density Distance (MADD), to analyze models' discriminatory behaviors independently from their predictive performance. We also provide a complementary visualization-based analysis to enable fine-grained human assessment of how the models discriminate between groups of students. We evaluate our approach on the common task of predicting student success in online courses, using several common predictive classification models on an open educational dataset. We also compare our metric to the only predictive performance-oriented fairness metric developed in education, ABROCA. Results on this dataset show that: (1) fair predictive performance does not guarantee fair models' behaviors and thus fair outcomes; (2) there is no direct relationship between data bias and predictive performance bias nor discriminatory behaviors bias; and (3) trained on the same data, models exhibit different discriminatory behaviors, according to different sensitive features too. We thus recommend using the MADD on models that show satisfying predictive performance, to gain a finer-grained understanding on how they behave and regarding who and to refine models selection and their usage. Altogether, this work contributes to advancing the research on fair student models in education. Source code and data are in open access at https://github.com/melinaverger/MADD. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630829.]

From the standpoint of a MOOC practitioner (i.e., a MOOC provider) instead of a rigorous comparative law researcher, this article attempts to analyze the potential legal issues and risks underlying instruction via MOOCs and compare these legal issues and risks between the small jurisdiction Macao and such major jurisdictions as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union. These legal issues and risks so identified concern the three perspectives intellectual property, privacy, and accessibility. Supported by academic literature, statutes, acts, and court cases, this article elaborates on these three perspectives with respect to MOOC providers, quotes the key legal statutes and acts in these three perspectives in the context of MOOC providers, elucidates the statutes' and acts' emphases and the related remedies and penalties for breaches, and probably other details, and compares them across the aforesaid jurisdictions. Some prominent findings are that Macao, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union appear to practice clearly defined and compendious laws to protect privacy whereas the United States' counterparts seem to be circumscribed by, for example, the ages of the individuals to protect. As such, for MOOC providers, the former four jurisdictions sound to be more critical than the latter jurisdiction in the perspective of privacy. As for accessibility, Macao's, the United States', the United Kingdom's, and Australia's laws focus on educational institutions. Nonetheless, whether the majority of MOOC providers can be regarded as such "education institutions" under such laws may likely be disputable. In contrast, the European Union more generically enacts a law on accessibility of digital products and services. Even so, to what extent and how MOOCs are supposed to conform to such a law may arguably still be contingent upon each particular scenario. [For the full proceedings, see ED636095.]

Game-based learning is gaining popularity in language education. For the present study, three games were developed with a central focus on intercultural interaction to be played internationally in dyads or small groups using Video-Communication (VC) tools or a Virtual World (VW). The interactions were carried out in Spanish as a Lingua Franca (LF) between 32 university students over a period of three weeks. Different sources of data were gathered in order to study how games, played in an intercultural setting in VWs and VC, influence or not key affective variables in language learning. Initial results of the final questionnaires show that the interaction games did boost students' engagement in virtual exchanges, but results were more promising for the VC than the VW condition. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

The English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Toolkit provides a wide range of online learning resources which are used in a mixture of self-study, blended, and classroom settings, primarily by students whose first language is not English. The Toolkit was developed by the eLanguages team at the University of Southampton and first licensed in 2004. This paper describes the most recent major refreshment project to improve both the functionality and appearance of the Toolkit. With the latest updates, we have aimed to increase the appeal of the resources to encourage greater autonomous usage by students, and to improve the ease with which staff can recommend and use Toolkit resources with their students. In this paper we introduce the key updates to the resources, including new functionalities and features, expanding the Toolkit with additional learning resources, a new visual approach, responsive feedback, accessibility upgrades, and strategies for increasing student usage. [For the complete volume, "Education 4.0 Revolution: Transformative Approaches to Language Teaching and Learning, Assessment and Campus Design," see ED607129.]

This paper presents results of a comparative international study on some aspects of school counseling in the following 12 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Malta, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, UK, and USA. The authors explain the multifunctional character of school counseling, give an idea of establishing a research field that could be called 'comparative school counseling studies', show the original terms in individual countries, and compare six aspects of school counseling: 1) legislative framework; 2) position requirements; 3) role of school counselors; 4) functions of school counselors; 5) interaction; and 6) ratio. The paper concludes with a long list of qualities school counselors are expected to possess. This is a document study chiefly based on examining, systematizing and comparing national documents (laws, reports, instructions, advices, position requirements, ministerial orders, recommendations, strategies, and statistics) on school counseling.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the policy of lockdowns, on business in general, and certain sectors of the economy, has been widely discussed during the last year. Less is known, however, about the impact on specific groups of economic actors within the UK economy. This small-scale research project explores the impact that the pandemic and lockdown has had on Nigerian women entrepreneurs with enterprises in the UK. The paper considers the context in which these women were operating before the pandemic, the additional challenges created by lockdown and the disruption to many of their businesses, and the impact it has had on these women's lives and their businesses. It concludes that more business support is needed for this highly resilient and versatile group of female entrepreneurs during this uniquely challenging period. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]

Rural social work education and practice in North America underwent a revival in recent decades and remains a valid praxis and pedagogic model for the 21st Century. The paper posits through rigorous literature review and analysis there are numerous elements central to North American (U.S. and Canadian) and Commonwealth of Nations (U.K., Australia, etc.) rural social work that make this framework significantly germane to Filipinos. These include the necessity to function in an environment of marginal or stressed community, personnel resources and educational opportunities. Significantly, the generalist practice model comprises the core of North American rural social work; it also predominates in Philippine methodology. Both frameworks require robust client and social justice advocacy roles encouraging awareness of needs and aspirations of at risk populations. Indeed, social work researcher Thelma Lee-Mendoza reports that historically modern Philippine practice originated and is primarily organized from North American models. Rural social workers in the West, like their Philippine counterparts, are more typically generalists and innovative environmental operators. Daily they rely on profound survey and calculation of services and innovative ways to make them meaningful. The paper concludes by urging creative international and transnational research with a view towards optimizing service delivery.

This article will focus on sociolinguistic aspects in Terry Pratchett's "The Wee Free Men." In particular we will deal with the interplay of standard and non-standard British English by which the writer highlights cultural stereotypes as well as narrative ones; creating a children's tale with a distinctively adult-like character set. Pratchett uses Tiffany Aching to explore the topics of non-traditional education, family dynamics and social hierarchies in a fantasy setting. By combining the mundane coming-of-age story with a fantastic adventure, he contrasts the escapist nature of a fantasy narrative with the inevitable growth of responsibility. The paper aims to explore the usage of non-standard language and its effects on the narrative and character components; the reader's reception of this usage is an important factor in the communicative channel formed between the reader and the author. From regional varieties, this work uses Scottish dialect, but Pratchett mixes in some of his own creations, such as the Toad dialect. The author also uses grammatically incorrect phrases or sentences. Therefore, this paper will analyze the instances where Pratchett used non-standard British English and determine their narrative function. Furthermore, it will illustrate the importance of dialects which are viewed as separate languages of fantastic races. [For "NORDSCI International Conference Proceedings: Education and Language Edition (Athens, Greece, August 19, 2019). Book 1. Volume 2," see ED603411.]

For several decades, lifelong learning has been discussed both in terms of its ability to provide both individual and national economic benefits. However, while the importance of lifelong learning, particularly in lieu of occupational changes, has been emphasized, the creation or adaptation of funding methods for lifelong learning specifically in the latter half of life has stalled. However, model funding programs that support learning in midlife and beyond do exist internationally, comprising resources like loans, scholarships, and workplace funding. One funding model that came to prominence over the last two decades is the Individual Learning Account (ILA), which has been implemented in multiple countries, albeit with limited success. Although ILAs have ultimately not been well-integrated into extant educational funding systems for lifelong learning, such as self- or employer-funded learning or student loans, the ILA model and its associated challenges suggest key lessons for informing more effective lifelong learning funding, particularly into older adulthood. This paper will discuss gaps in the following four countries' attempts to implement ILAs and integrate common adult education funding methods: Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. [For the published conference paper, see ED597554.]

Due to the increasing use of technology to enhance Foreign Language (FL) education, research on learners' emotions in new learning environments is calling for more attention (Beirne, Mac Lochlainn, Nic Giolla, & Mhichíl, 2018). In this study, we focus on Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA), a debilitating emotion; and e-Tandem learning, a telecollaborative Foreign Language Learning (FLL) practice. e-Tandem has a vast potential to foster learners' FL skills (Cziko, 2013), although it might trigger learners' FLA as well. Since little research has been carried out, hitherto, on FLA in e-tandem learners, this investigation aims to gain new insights into this topic. First, we want to analyze the appropriateness of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) ( Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) to assess e-tandem learners' FLA. Second, we want to observe to what extent e-tandem contributes to reduce learners' FLA over time. Descriptive statistics are carried out and results are discussed. [For the complete volume, "CALL for Widening Participation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2020 (28th, Online, August 20-21, 2020)," see ED610330.]

Participation in adult education and training opportunities over the entire life-course is necessary in international and technologically advanced economies. However, there is a dearth of literature on equitable access to lifelong education opportunities, particularly for at risk and underserved adults in the labor force. Furthermore, opportunities for financing lifelong learning remain minimal for middle-age and older adult populations. The purpose of this research is to explore strategies or alternative models to fund lifelong education with attention to the Individual Learning Account (ILA) schemes. We explore initiatives across four countries--Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach to compare strategies to financing lifelong education targeting adult learners. Data were collected from key informant interviews (N=14), government documents, and research reports. Two major themes emerged that are common across all key informant interviews and documentation: (1) ILA offers key lessons in informing the creation of effective lifelong learning funding; (2) Low-income and low-skilled adults are often excluded from participation in ILA schemes. The authors' findings move adult education beyond a focus on providers of education to considering additional strategies for financing individual learning. [This paper was published in: J. P. Egan (Ed.), "Proceedings of the Adult Education in Global Times Conference." Ottawa, ON: Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education." (ISBN 978-0-920056-53-0).]

UK universities are increasingly focusing on employability and internationalisation strategies, resulting in the promotion and integration of an optional or compulsory Professional Training Year (PTY) within degree programmes. The University of Surrey encourages students to undertake a PTY in the third year of undergraduate study, either in the UK or overseas. This is optional for most subjects but compulsory for language students, and corresponds to their Year Abroad (YA). As a consequence of the popularity of the PTY across all faculties and an emphasis on work experience, the vast majority of language students at Surrey choose to work abroad rather than study during their third year. In this chapter, I discuss some of the challenges and opportunities presented by work placements abroad and outline a range of strategies for embedding employability skills in YA preparation sessions and language modules. [For the complete volume, "Perspectives on the Year Abroad: A Selection of Papers from YAC2018," see ED603732.]

This chapter deals with the year spent abroad by language students and its impact on their employability skills, with a focus on students at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLAC), Durham University, who spend the third year of their four-year Bachelor of Arts programme abroad. The chapter reviews selected studies on Study Abroad (SA) and employability skills and considers the context for Durham University students. The results of a questionnaire completed by students about the activities undertaken during the Year Abroad (YA), the employability skills that they developed, and how they present these skills to employers are then described. The analysis of their responses reveals that the great majority of students find the YA useful for employability, during which time they develop a wide range of transferable skills. [For the complete volume, "Perspectives on the Year Abroad: A Selection of Papers from YAC2018," see ED603732.]

While an extended stay abroad is generally assumed to be a valuable experience, some students are reluctant to take up the opportunity. To understand this phenomenon better, this study looks at students' concerns before they embark on their time abroad (to undertake a study placement, work placement, or a language assistantship) and looks at returning students' perceptions, to see the extent to which their initial concerns materialised. The research is based on two questionnaires distributed to over 800 participants at two universities (one in the UK, one in Germany). Besides quantitative data, qualitative responses give additional insights into the students' perceptions. The results show marked differences between the two cohorts and also produce evidence of a considerable shift in students' perceptions after their return: a high percentage of students noted that their anticipated concerns were not realised. The results of this study are useful in shedding some light on students' concerns and can inform student support and Year Abroad (YA) preparation. [For the complete volume, "Perspectives on the Year Abroad: A Selection of Papers from YAC2018," see ED603732.]

This study seeks to understand the changing academic identities of higher education teaching academics as they inhabit an increasingly digitized locus of teaching and learning. Using interviews and a selection of ethnographic approaches, (e.g. photographs as elicitation, workplace participant observation) this paper explores lecturers' narratives of change and fluid academic selves presented in discussion on the performance space of the online arena. Participants were recruited from two HEIs (UK and Middle East based) that were at different points on a digitization continuum, with varying interpretations of the importance of this medium to pedagogic design. The aim is to surface shared and differing experiences between digital as integrated in a curriculum or as complement to traditional teaching materials, with a particular focus upon adaptations to academic identity. The paper takes three initial areas for early exploration; building rapport on line, synthesizing what students need to know and standardization vs individualization. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590269.]

This scoping paper explores the experiences of overseas students from Nigeria studying in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the United Kingdom. It considers the context for these students and some of the particular pressures and challenges they experience in making the transition from education in Nigeria to achieving academic success and adapting to life as a student in the UK. With reference to the work of Professor Claudio-Rafael Vásquez-Martínez, at the outset of a collaborative project to explore these issues further, this paper considers whether the use of painting and other creative practices could assist these students in managing the transition more effectively and ultimately in succeeding in their academic studies. For the present study, qualitative data was gathered using interviews with Nigerian students who came to study in the UK with the assistance of a London-based organisation, Focus Learning Support Ltd, which assists Nigerian students in their applications to UK HEIs, and which supports them throughout their studies. [For the complete Volume 15 proceedings, see ED574185.]

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2021, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.), that this year has been converted into a fully Virtual Conference as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2021 received 358 submissions, from more than 40 different countries from all over the world, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters and Workshops. 117 submissions (overall, 33% acceptance rate) were accepted for presentation in the conference. The Conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. This book contains the results of the different researches conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to study and develop research in areas related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters that are hereby sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. [This document contains the proceedings of the virtual International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2021. The proceedings were published by inScience Press. For the 2020 proceedings, see ED604955.]

This work is part of an ongoing research project and literature review on the role of art in education and the interrelationships between art, creativity and online learning (focused on Business Education students from a university in Mexico). This research looks at the experiences of international students studying a business programme in the UK of the move to online teaching and learning that was suddenly imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first part shares the issues and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students studying in the UK based universities that were identified in a seminar organised by FLS and QC Media Team. The second part draws on a guest lecture delivered to Business Education students from a university in Mexico using online learning, which sought to ascertain their experiences and the support needed during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology used was a focus group with the students, using a set questions focused on their experience of engaging in online teaching and learning, compared to traditional classroom-based, face-to-face learning. The findings of the research confirm that the move to online teaching and learning has had both negative and positive impacts on the Mexico students, in relation to creativity, arts and painting practice. Tellingly, both groups of students -- from the first stage and second stages of the research -- said they wanted to go back to classroom based face-to-face teaching and learning. All of the students indicated that they wanted more support from their teachers and their institutions. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]

The present paper describes a case study on the effects of telecollaborative games on learners' motivation. 12 learners from a Dutch and a British secondary school participated in the study. Different games, which included gamification elements, were developed on OpenSim. The overall educational goals of the games were to enhance cultural awareness and intercultural communication of German as a foreign language. Three different cross-cultural groups played the telecollaborative games in two different sessions. Data from pre- and post-surveys were gathered for measuring the impact of telecollaborative games on learners' motivation. At the end of the game sessions, focus group discussions were organised for evaluating the experience. The results indicate that telecollaborative games have a positive impact on learners' motivation. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

Heritage language education is distinct from the field of second language acquisition due to having the concept of identity always at its core (Leeman, Rabin, & Roman-Mendoza, 2012). This paper draws on this concept and presents an action research study focusing on the teaching and learning of Greek as a heritage language in the context of Supplementary Education in the UK. The main aim of the study is to support young learners in gaining an understanding of how language is intertwined with social and cultural aspects. The study took place in two Greek Supplementary Schools in UK during the academic year 2015-16. The participants are learners of Greek language attending pre-GCSE, GCSE and A'Level classes (13-17 years old). For the purposes of this study, the learners used mobile and web-based technologies, i.e. nQuire-It platform (http://www.nquire-it. org), to explore their environment through specific missions. The study involved a number of classroom sessions, attendance of an inter-generational object-handling workshop run by educators based at the British Museum at each of the two schools, and also participation in a museum visit. The paper presents this study and shares some preliminary findings and insights regarding the integration of mobile technologies within heritage language learning and teaching. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

This paper discusses the process of analysing online discussion and argues for the merits of mixed methods. Much research of online participation and e-learning has been either message focused or person focused analysis. The former covers methodologies such as content and discourse analysis, the latter interviewing and surveys. The paper discusses the strength and weaknesses of these approaches in the context of a study of an online social educational network for gifted students. Here interviews, questionnaire survey and content analysis were all used in order to explore the process of online discussion and the experience of taking part. The paper argues for a mixed approach in which different types of data can be compared and contrasted. Such triangulation is time-consuming but it allows for a comprehensive picture of the use of the network and the experience of online participation. [For full proceedings, see ED571430.]

The level of youth unemployment in Nigeria has always been an issue of concern for Focus Learning Support team, particularly in our interactions with foreign students studying in the UK; and also with our dedication in "Making Education Count for the Youths". This paper examines some of the difficulties experienced by young people in Nigeria when seeking employment opportunities, with a focus on employability skills as a way to overcome these barriers and form a basis for strategies to improve young people's life chances. The paper will also provide a comparison of how employability skills are implemented in schools and colleges in the United Kingdom as compared to Nigerian schools and colleges. Furthermore, this research will present the perceptions and experiences of students on a BTEC Business Vocational course in an inner cities further education college; who attended work experience during their studies. The primary question is to find out whether imbedding work experience programme on their BTEC course has had an impact on their future career choice. Collection of data was done in stages using questionnaires to capture the views of participants. The findings of research clearly confirm the benefits derived from the BTEC students who attended work experience and the link to their future career choices. The findings of this work has therefore created an avenue for the FLS team to carry out further research implementation and imbedding employability skills into the Nigerian education system to support youth employment in the country. [For the complete Volume 14, Number 1 proceedings, see ED568088.]

Along with the burgeoning expansion of online platforms for student learning in higher education have come complementary analytics tools to rate student engagement, learning, success and progression. As, in the UK, institutions embrace these tools as part of government-led attainment targets and awards (e.g. Teaching Excellence Framework), the 'quantitative rush' to measure and evaluate retention from the institutional perspective risks muffling the individual student voices that can be heard through qualitative approaches to their learning journeys. This is particularly relevant for introductory level students as they seek to navigate the unknown of their first year of higher education, and it is recognised that introductory students require the greatest levels of pastoral care to succeed. Enhancements to University CRM systems have created an opportunity for the preservation of narratives of withdrawal made by students as they engage with the university to defer, reduce or cancel their studies. This is particularly important in the distance learning sector, both because these dialogues have been less visible to the institution than through traditional campus support provision, and because part time students tend to have more complex lives. These narratives have permitted a criteria of authenticity and criticality to institutionally led discourses around withdrawal. They demonstrate the importance of considering the student experience, motivation and participation with the university, rather than the privileging of institutional frames of reference. Similarities and differences in perceptions around the meanings and values of their higher education experiences, and reasons for withdrawing have been developed thematically in this paper to better understand student motivation, and provide a useful triangulation to output from quantitative studies on retention. Key word findings from these introductory level students enrolled on Business and Law modules within a UK business school include the following: Dialogue on personal concerns, the time commitment to study successfully, and how stressors, both inside and outside of the study environment impact the student's ability to commit, or wish to commit to their courses. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590269.]

For several decades, lifelong learning has been discussed both in terms of its ability to provide both individual and national economic benefits. However, while the importance of lifelong learning, particularly in lieu of occupational changes, has been emphasized, the creation or adaptation of funding methods for lifelong learning specifically in the latter half of life has stalled. However, model funding programs that support learning in midlife and beyond do exist internationally, comprising resources like loans, scholarships, and workplace funding. One funding model that came to prominence over the last two decades is the Individual Learning Account (ILA), which has been implemented in multiple countries, albeit with limited success. Although ILAs have ultimately not been well-integrated into extant educational funding systems for lifelong learning, such as self- or employer-funded learning or student loans, the ILA model and its associated challenges suggest key lessons for informing more effective lifelong learning funding, particularly into older adulthood. This paper will discuss gaps in the following four countries' attempts to implement ILAs and integrate common adult education funding methods: Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. [For the full proceedings, see ED597456.]

This study focuses on the undergraduate mathematics students' perceptions and applied techniques for the preparation for their final examination in Abstract Algebra. The results of this study suggest that the revision for the final examination involves, firstly, the review of the lecture notes, followed by the solution of the coursework together with the use of model solutions and the solution of the past papers. The order of the last two activities varies. An often-occurring revision technique involves, instead of a linear succession of the aforementioned activities, a 3-dimensional spiral approach towards revision, with the three activities interchanging until the students who apply it feel that they have achieved adequate object-level and metalevel learning.

This paper provides insights in the development of a skill matching test which addresses soft skills integrated videos as media to provide information about situations to be rated. The design of the skill testing and matching tool is situated in the educational ERASMUS+ project SMART which is presented as well. With a specific view on team work and the necessary skills, traits and interests this article provides insights into the representation of these aspects in the test and offers impression of the video and media design. These topics are combined with a presentation of the results of a qualitative study concerning this testing tool, which was conducted by expert interviews and analysed by using content analysis. These results highlight the advantages and challenges in the use of the testing tool. [For the complete proceedings, see ED579395.]

Tertiary teaching is going through transformations as a result of web affordances, open access, and online learning platforms, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Some academics are taking advantage of MOOCs by integrating them into their teaching practice. This study investigates why some UK lecturers are blending MOOCs into their Face-to-Face (F2F) lecture-based teaching, how they are using them, and what they have learnt from the experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six lecturers who had the experience of integrating MOOCs into their teaching. Data analysis shows that academics have a wide range of reasons for adopting this practice, with the most common reason being giving students a platform to engage in global communities and international conversations. Results generated both an understanding of why some academics are using MOOCs in their teaching practice, and a list of practical advice for MOOC-based blending novices. [For the complete volume, "Education 4.0 Revolution: Transformative Approaches to Language Teaching and Learning, Assessment and Campus Design," see ED607129.]

Over only a few weeks in March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic changed health care delivery in the United Kingdom completely - not least in general practice, where over 1 million patients are already treated every day. To reduce viral spread, practices introduced remote doctor-led triage and face-to-face consultations where converted almost exclusively to telephone or video. Guidance on the management of this new, emerging disease changed frequently, so the UK's Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) took the strategic decision to direct a large part of the College's staff and resources to provide general practitioners (GPs) with online continuous professional development (CPD) resources around COVID-19 and the new ways of working. In this case report we describe how the RCGP's online learning team responded to the critical imperatives of the pandemic both within project management and educational practice and created a COVID-19 resource hub, covering all aspects of general practice during the pandemic. [For the full proceedings, see ED621620.]

While the debate on breakthrough technologies has focused on inept, dexterous, and socially transforming technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants and robot dexterity, in second/foreign language learning, particular emphasis is placed on AI, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). This study takes a closer look at the role of three newly developed AR applications in promoting a better understanding of complex concepts such as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), strategies in dealing with disruptive students, and an immigrant's perspective in moving to a foreign country with no knowledge of the language(s) spoken in that country. The AR applications were developed and implemented during intercultural exchanges among students enrolled in academic institutions in the UK and Cyprus. The aim was to develop AR applications that were geared toward the learning needs of future language teachers and examine what students could achieve through the use of these applications during goal-driven tasks and activities. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

This paper reports on an exploratory case study of learner participation within the context of online language learning in virtual world platforms. Data for this investigation was collected through a case study of a Business English course within a qualitative Case-Study Research framework. This study examines learner activity in virtual worlds in relation to three main features of the platform: avatars, artefacts and spaces. The study makes use of "Reflexivity" and "Exploratory Practice" as its core methodological approach to the building of the case. The virtual world data is analysed from a multimodal perspective and makes use of "visualization" as the primary analytical tool. In an attempt to broach the Eurocall 2015 conference topic of Critical Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), this paper will present and discuss three findings: a broadening of our understanding of learner participation in virtual worlds, the critical role played by course designers and teachers in the shaping of learner participation in virtual worlds, and the potential of virtual worlds as a tool for reflective practice and practitioner research. [For full proceedings, see ED564162.]

This paper reports on an exploratory research project on the evaluation of the engagement with a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) carried out by six members of staff and two "expert students" involved in the MA in English Language Teaching (ELT) in the Department of English and Languages at Coventry University (CU), United Kingdom, between November and December 2014. Its main aim was to investigate how both expert and trainee English teachers and teacher trainers would find the experience of engaging with a FutureLearn MOOC on this subject created by the University of Southampton in collaboration with the British Council--"Understanding Language: Learning and Teaching." The participants involved agreed to record their thoughts while they were taking part in the MOOC and then met once per week for four weeks at the end of each MOOC unit to carry out a collaborative staff/student reflective evaluation of their experience. The paper will discuss the way in which the participants engaged with this project, which became a blended learning community of professional development practice linked to the global community of practice on the MOOC, and present their perspectives on the pros and cons of integrating a MOOC as an Open Educational Resource (OER) into an existing curriculum. [For full proceedings, see ED564162.]

MLEARN, a European Union (EU)-funded project, is exploring and promoting teacher development of mobile learning practices in four member states--the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK) (England), Greece and Italy. This paper details the ways research findings have both fed into and been elicited from this pilot, supporting development and implementation of a teacher education programme for in-service teachers, focusing on mobile learning through appropriate pedagogic uses of mobile or handheld technologies. The research has focused on three dimensions to date: how contextual backgrounds for the programme can be considered and provided; a training needs analysis of trainers and teachers involved in the pilot; and gathering initial outcomes from teachers and learners after involvement in teacher education events and some one to two months of pilot uses in classrooms. The paper considers implementation outcomes to date, and what the next steps will be. [For the full proceedings, see ED562096.]

Whilst m-learning pedagogy has received considerable attention (e.g. Sharples et. al. 2007, Kukulska-Hulme, 2012), the process of adopting this potentially disruptive innovation within universities has been neglected. Based on a PhD thesis (Bird, 2014), this paper presents some of the findings from a longitudinal study which examined the adoption of m-learning projects in five UK higher education institutions in the period 2008 to 2011. Many m-learning projects have been started as pilots often as a result of external research funding. Using Actor-Network Theory to model embedding trajectories, this paper looks at how the outputs of these projects are encapsulated into wider institutional IT strategy to become institutionally embedded learning technologies. [For complete proceedings, see ED562096.]

To examine the challenges encountered by Eastern European students within a sixth form college in the United Kingdom. This paper aims to consider the difficulties encountered by this particular ethnic group examining the impact the challenges may have on their performance, success and achievement. This paper will also highlight equality and diversity implications and examine the social mobility of this particular group. [For the complete Volume 13, Number 1 proceedings, see ED568595.]

Sociocultural theory emphasises the mediational role of tools in learning. International students usually find themselves in a vicious cycle, experiencing difficulties when engaging with local people and culture which might provide the mediation necessary to develop their intercultural communicative competence. Yang (2016) further points out that "mobile technologies provide alternative mediational tools that might help students to break this cycle" (p. 2). This paper, developed from Yang's (2016) doctoral research, examines the roles of mobile devices in overcoming international students' intercultural difficulties during study abroad. Eight international students participated in the study and were asked to keep diaries and attend interviews for four weeks. A content analysis approach was applied to examine the students' use of mobile devices and situations. The findings revealed that for overcoming intercultural difficulties, the international students utilised mobile devices as search tools, social tools, service providers, presentation tools, and capture tools. Although the students showed some awareness of mobile devices as mediational tools, the problems that require the ability to analyse sociocultural contexts need further support from educators and technologies. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]

This paper examines learner attitudes, self-efficacy beliefs, and anxiety in a beginners' Spanish Language Massive Open Online Course (LMOOC) by answering three research questions: (1) how do learners feel about acquiring speaking skills on an LMOOC?; (2) do they experience anxiety with regards to speaking?; and (3) do their self-efficacy beliefs remain unchanged during the LMOOC? Data was collected from over 900 participants registered on two Spanish for Beginners programmes offered by The Open University (UK). Quantitative data was collected through reflective questionnaires (11 items) and participants' comments were obtained on two discussion forums. Results indicate that learners have positive attitudes towards LMOOCs and present higher speaking self-efficacy beliefs by the end of the course. Although spoken interactions in this environment are not synchronous, most participants report feeling intimidated by the idea of posting their recordings on the course forum. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]

The Erasmus+ TeCoLa project (2016-2019) aims to develop and test innovative gamified telecollaboration approaches for secondary schools that address issues of learning diversity in intercultural and Content Integrated Language Learning (CLIL) and teaching. Authentic task-based transnational interactions among peers from different socio-cultural, educational and language backgrounds are at the very heart of the learning process, using telecollaboration as a way to communicate and collaborate. In this paper we will shortly describe the project's foci and will elaborate on the teacher training programme that has been designed on the basis of the teachers' needs and on a sound conceptualisation of telecollaboration tasks that are useful, enjoyable, and meaningful. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]