Erasmus virtual exchange as an authentic learner experience

Abstract

This small-scale study draws on a higher education context where French-speaking students, in situ at Bordeaux University, participated in the Sharing Perspectives Foundation’s flagship Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange (E+VE) program (2018-2019). French-speaking students interacted in English on the topic of Newcomers and Nationalism via weekly webinars with non-native English-speaking students from other participating universities in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean region. Authenticity is a complex concept involving the degree of implication and meaning speakers give to their interactions (Gilmore, 2007; Pinner, 2016; Widdowson, 2003). The study therefore addresses the question of how participant feedback can help us to assess E+VE in terms of authenticity. The methods used to investigate this research question were the qualitative analysis of the French students’ reflective journals, questionnaires, and interviews. The results show that E+VE is conducive to authentic learner experiences. This study has also enabled a definition of ‘authenticity’ as a transformative language learner experience in virtual exchange.