Project name: Finnish Blended Learning
Project coordinator: Universität Leipzig
Other participants: Aalto University
Objectives: The project offers students at Leipzig University a new study module in Finnish Language and Culture that is fully integrated into their curriculum and for which they are awarded credits. The course combines remote, contact and hybrid studies and an intensive period, which provides maximum flexibility to meet students' needs.
Project content: Students learn Finnish from the beginning in an intercultural learning environment while reflecting on their personal language learning process. Students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with recent research in learning/teaching a foreign language. They learn about Finnish culture and society using various aids, and they are encouraged to explore and present interesting topics. Throughout the course, students document their learning in a digital portfolio to make visible their learning paths in Finnish language and culture.
Dates: Calendar years 2020–2021 and 2022
Benefits/lessons learned: Organising, developing and teaching the course together over a three-year period proved a great learning opportunity for all participating teachers. The students enjoyed having teachers who represented different teaching cultures and views. A genuinely multilingual learning environment – Finnish, German and English were used throughout the course – was a new experience for them. Hybrid teaching and intensive periods could be effectively integrated into the remote and contact teaching phases.
Potential further plans: Project participants are eager to continue their cooperation and offer Finnish language and culture studies in Leipzig. We are currently exploring different options.
Further information: Irmgard Wanner, Universität Leipzig, wanner [at] uni-leipzig.de