Blending Italian at Monash University through an Italian-Australian Digital Project: an analysis of students’ perceptions

• Main Authors: Giovanna Carloni, Brian Zuccala
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Firenze University Press 2017-12-01
• Series: LEA : Lingue e Letterature d'Oriente e d'Occidente
• Subjects: blended learning; desktop videoconferencing; digital materials design; foreign language learning
• Online Access: https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-lea/article/view/7757

This paper discusses a foreign language acquisition project developed at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) – in collaboration with the University of Urbino (Italy) – and aimed at incorporating Skype-mediated digital learning into an Italian studies advanced 1 Unit, in order to improve the students’ perceived exposure to spoken Italian and Italian culture. After discussing the project’s context, theoretical framework, and digital contents, the paper will focus on its results from the viewpoint of the students’ perception, by analysing the data collected via weekly online questionnaires completed by the participants throughout the course.