Abstract:

In today’s global and technologically advancing society, the way we communicate has changed considerably. The pandemic has accelerated digital communication in many aspects of our lives, particularly in education and business, which has enhanced research and business opportunities and helped to reduce cultural barriers. In tertiary education, the opportunities for students to form intercultural relationships among students living in different countries, without the need to travel, have grown considerably.

This project presents a CLIL approach to developing communicative skills and the understanding of different cultures, mindsets and behaviours. It compares the integration of the former approach of video-conferencing through Skype (pre-pandemic) to the current use of Zoom in course design. The aim of the project was to foster intercultural communicative competence whilst raising awareness of cultural differences and similarities. It was found that the more updated video-conferencing tools facilitated greater interaction, both in class and outside.

Students from two different universities, the Czech Republic and Italy (Škoda Auto University and the University of Siena), participated in this video-conferencing project. ŠAVŠ Bachelor degree students of Business English AJB2 – module 3 and UNISI students enrolled on a Masters degree programme in European Studies. The range of nationalities included Chinese, Egyptian, Russian, Italian, Czech, Turkish, Indian, Iranian and Azerbaijan, making it an extremely diverse learning experience for all students and teachers involved.

During the course of a month, the students were encouraged to exchange opinions and ideas of set research topics, both inside the classroom through three video-conferencing sessions, and outside in their own time. Each student was paired with another from the corresponding university and required to fulfil specific tasks by making regular contact with their partner.

Students not only developed a greater understanding of communication in the above-mentioned cultures, but they also improved their English language skills, in addition to building new international networks. It was found to be an extremely rewarding and motivating experience by all involved.

Keywords:

Intercultural communication, videoconferencing, cultural differences, critical incidents.