Internationalisation at home through virtual exchange: an encounter between distance language learners and trainee language teachers

Undergraduate language students from the Open University (OU) and master’s degree students from Aix-Marseille Université (AMU) participated in an innovative Virtual Exchange (VE) as part of our institutions’ internationalisation at home strategy. Due to the pandemic, the one-week Residential School (RS) abroad, which is part of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in modern languages at the OU, was replaced with an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) – a one-week online intensive programme which included a VE. Its objectives were to support the development of OU students’ French oral skills, and the professionalisation of AMU students, by developing their pedagogical and digital skills. Qualitative and quantitative data collected showed a high level of participants’ interaction and collaboration, and positive feedback highlighting an increase in motivation and confidence to speak French (OU students) and a valued experience in developing professional ethos, and digital teaching skills (AMU students).