Search

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.]

Modern educators consider that the acquiring of important-for-life competencies can give an individual the opportunities to orient in a modern society, informational space, changing development of labour and post-graduation education. Competency-based approach became a new conceptual orientation of schools in foreign countries and causes a number of discussions in international and national levels of different countries. [For complete volume, see ED567118.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

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.]

This paper explores the extenuating circumstances that have a direct impact on Higher Education students' academic progress. It looks at the rules and regulations of two Higher Education Institutions in the UK to determine whether they are in line with basic human rights policies. It also seeks to find out how students' educational progress has been affected by mitigating circumstances. The paper utilises case studies of students who have experienced difficult circumstances over which they had no control, and have therefore had extended interruptive periods in their education, which adversely affected their education progress. The paper also reviews the rules and regulations of the two institutions concerned. The findings from the analysis of the case studies and the two institutions' rules and regulations show that mitigating circumstances do have some negative impact on students' academic progress. The findings also show that educational institutions need to pay closer attention to basic human rights principles in helping students to progress. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]

Education plays a vital role in human development. Human experiences overtime as well as evidence from literature has made this assertion a common knowledge. Despite the important role of education in human development, however, across the globe, many people are facing barrier to access education, especially higher education. This paper explores the process of access to higher education in Nigeria. It examines, in particular, current admission policy to higher education in Nigeria and compares this to the UK system. The paper asks whether the current admission policy in Nigeria constitutes a breach to human rights of individuals to access education as well as offers some suggestions on how the current admission policy in Nigeria might be improved. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]

This paper will aim to investigate into women's rights pertaining to land in Africa particularly as the case may be envisaged in the Nigerian cultural and legal system. Research has shown that many African women such as in Nigeria are left impoverished once their husbands die or they divorce in West Africa as the land automatically becomes the property of the dead husband family. The case applies also to a polygamist family where a man may be married to four women with many children and if the man dies in many cases, the first son takes over all the wealth of the father according to the native law and custom. It also applies to women born outside marriage and brought up by grandparents, when the granddad or grandmother becomes late, the women does not inherit any land from the family. This obviously has implications for the women and child education, hence may be in breach of human rights Protocol to which Nigeria is a signatory in regards to equality and right to education. The paper will seek to explore the legal framework for equality in Nigeria from the Human Right Protocol in relation to the legal rights of women involved in land disputes. It will look at the implications of this problem to the women and their children education. From the analysis of the key issues, it will aim to make suggestions and strategies to overcome the barriers that many women face in relation to unfair distribution of land or wealth in the absence of their spouse or family member. The paper will draw on relevant case-laws and their compliance to the Human Rights protocol (right to education and equality) as well as recommending strategies for the Nigerian women victims to fight for justice. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]

The issue of rising tuition fee in higher education in the UK and other western countries has been debated by researchers and educators alike. The discussions have shown that the increases have had a negative impact on access, retention and career development. This paper examines the impact of rising tuition fees on access, retention and students' career development in Higher Education in the UK. It explores the policies and legislation that gave rise to the recent increases and examines whether these rises are in breach of International Human Rights, in particular the right to education. The paper analyses the findings of a small-scale research carried out to get affected students' and their parents' views on the HE fee increases and to determine whether the educational institutions' policies are operating against the human rights laws. Based on the findings of the small scale research, the paper concludes that students' general education progress and their career development have been negatively affected by the increases in fees, and that institutional policies are in breach of the UK 1998 Human Rights Act. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]

The use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) to support language teaching and learning in higher education has become standard practice in recent years. While OER initiatives have given considerable attention to teacher's engagement as well as the sharing of culture and the creation and uploading of OERs, there is little evidence about specific reuse by teachers in the classroom. This paper builds on a previous study conducted in December 2012 and presents further reflection on the reuse of OERs for teaching French beginners online. The initial enquiry was a case study based on interviews with four teachers of an online beginners' French course at a distance education institution, the Open University, UK. The results of the initial study show that even when resources meet all the criteria teachers are looking for, material adaptation is still occurring. Teachers adapt the resources to fit their own teaching styles and gain ownership of the materials, but above all, materials are adapted according to teachers' own beliefs about online teaching. This paper revisits the types of changes made to original resources and provides further observation about the changes, suggesting that whatever the modification made to the original resource as, the pedagogical intent will always be changed. This paper is of relevance to language teaching practitioners as well as course developers who are interested in reuse of language teaching materials for online language teaching. [For full proceedings, see ED565044.]

The celebration of EUROCALL's twentieth anniversary also provides a proper occasion to reflect on the future of language teaching and the role of CALL in these developments. In this paper we present the views of five authorities on language teaching and learning from different EU countries. Most of them are also CALL experts and well respected EUROCALL members, including the late Graham Davies. Our presentation is based on a summary of the Skype interviews in which they contributed to a symposium entitled "And now for another century of modern language teaching…" organised by the Dutch national Association of Language Teachers on the occasion of its first centennial in 2011. To provide a more global (or at least European) perspective the interviewees were asked to cover the same topics that were central to the live panel discussion by six Dutch participants representing a variety of perspectives: secondary and university teachers, students, curriculum experts and teacher educators. By way of preparation all involved had been given a number of challenging statements related to some aspects of the discussion theme: the characteristics of the future learning environment, teacher, learner, pedagogy and technology. In this audio-supported document we will focus on interesting points of view particularly related to pedagogy and technology expressed in the interviews. A video report summary of the live discussion (in Dutch) is available on the limited edition CD with recordings of the centennial festivities. [A version of this paper has also been published in "The EUROCALL Review" v22 n1 p59-68 Mar 2014 (see EJ1055213). For full proceedings, see ED565044.]

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 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.]

This paper discusses the operations of Focus Learning Support (FLS), an organisation that provides educational support for overseas students, in particularly, Nigerians who are desirous of pursuing academic courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom (UK). In highlighting the vital role that education plays in the national development of Nigeria, the paper looks at the main educational activities that took place from 1960 to present. It explains how globalisation and its related processes, together with the rapid advancement in technologies, have impacted on national development and general education progress. National economic development, social development in relation to aspirations, resources and equipment, the rising emphasis of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the classroom and "migration for education" trends are identified as the major challenges that young people face. The paper shows FLS as the mechanism for effectively addressing the challenges overseas students face. It strongly asserts that the delivery of constructive, educational activities in a safe and user-friendly environment will not only motivate students to positive action, but will also assist them to make sound educational progress. This, it argues, should be done in collaboration with various community groups and organisations. To date, the progress that FLS has made via its seminars and training and development programmes has been shown to be productive. The paper utilises a number of case studies to support this claim. A bibliography is included. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]

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.]

Motivational factors play an important role in (language) learning processes and research indicates that this is also true for telecollaboration exchanges (Jauregi, de Graaff, van den Bergh, & Kriz, 2012; Melchor-Couto, 2017; in press). This short paper will introduce a study into how motivational factors play a role in telecollaboration exchanges by teenagers depending on the interaction constellation, the tools being used, and the telecollaborative experience. A total of 202 foreign language learners from different European countries took part in telecollaboration activities. All participants carried out an average of four telecollaborative sessions either by written chat or by video communication. Data from a survey measuring motivational factors, including self-efficacy beliefs, motivation, and anxiety, was gathered after every session. A small number of pupils were also interviewed on aspects related to motivation and anxiety. The results show: (1) a significant decrease in anxiety across conditions as sessions progress, especially for those communicating in Lingua Franca (LF) constellations using chat; (2) that pupils interacting with Native Speakers (NSs) seem to be the most confident concerning their perception of competence; and (3) that those communicating with NSs were significantly more positive about the learning potential of communicating with NSs. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]

This paper implements and evaluates a curriculum-integrated information literacy programme in an Arabic primary school in the United Kingdom to empower learners and develop life-long learning skills. It reports on an action research project with a reflective practice approach used at the beginning of the semester to identify potential problems before planning the action. A focus group interview and learners' written output were used to answer three research questions about learners' awareness, attitudes, and confidence about information literacy skills. Enhancement was found in these three aspects. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]