The reality of effective teaching in the online classroom involves being emotionally and cognitively present without the benefit of a physical presence. To be present in an online learning environment involves putting aside the false notion that an instructor can effectively hide behind a computer interface or that, at the very least, one is…

Task-based research has investigated the learning opportunities (e.g. language related episodes) that emerge during heritage and second language learner interactions during writing tasks. However, to date, it is unknown how these peer interactions involving heritage language learners contribute to written texts. Further, given the rise of social…

Foreign language learning is highly interactive and requires opportunities for academic speaking. The focus of this paper is how foreign language undergraduate students experienced this process in an online learning context. Through semi-structured interviews with seven undergraduate French, German and Spanish students, participants highlighted…

This study examines online interaction through the lens of language-related episodes (LREs), sites where learning is likely to occur given that the speaker is pushed to consciously reflect on and negotiate their language knowledge and use (Swain & Lapkin, 1998). The aim of this research is to inform pedagogical practices by investigating the…

Text chat facilitates L2 use by providing learners with extended time to plan, monitor, and process production during interactional tasks. However, learners may not naturally take advantage of these affordances, especially for providing peer feedback. This study used video-enhanced chat scripts to examine the behavior of beginner L2 Spanish…

Motivation to learn languages other than English (LOTEs) has been underrepresented in second language (L2) motivation research. This study investigated and compared the motivational profiles of first-year and second-year students majoring in Spanish, grounded on the proposition of bifurcating ideal and ought selves into "Own" and…

Public Internet Data Mining methods enable studying educational institutions' public-facing communication. Multiple online data sources can illuminate differences in how different audiences are addressed online, opening the door for critical inquiry into emerging issues of representation and targeted advertising. The present study presents a case…

This study explores the attitudes and perceptions about online peer review of 18 Spanish learners enrolled in a third-year college Spanish writing course. Students participated in peer review training, wrote a personal narrative, and completed two online peer review sessions before submitting their final narrative. Using data from questionnaires,…

The present study draws on earlier research on learner-learner dyadic interactions in an e-tandem virtual exchange and examines negotiation of meaning episodes based on the qualitative data. These data come from learner-learner interactions during oral tasks carried out using a video conferencing tool. The aim is to unveil the interactional…

One of the main challenges for educators during the pandemic has been successfully transitioning to online teaching, in some cases without adequate training. This article will address these issues and suggest effective practices for teaching Spanish online, especially in emergency remote teaching situations. Given these circumstances, instructors…

The study of participation from a socio-interactional perspective relates to the exploration of the interactional practices displayed by interactants and the close examination of the multimodal resources they employ. Here we observe the language choices made by 2 teachers and 10 students who participate in a "WhatsApp" chat over the…

This study reports on how the affordances of the WebEx platform were used as multimodality resources during the negotiation of meaning by participants engaged in an English/Spanish eTandem video-conferencing exchange. The exchange involved five dyads of university students with an intermediate level of language proficiency. A total of seven tasks…

This paper will share the design and implementation of a Zoom-mediated theatre workshop in an undergraduate advanced Spanish language course and explore how this type of activity can support the development of a range of learners' competences whilst generating virtual presence through playfulness and engagement. Our aim is twofold: to provide…

Interacting with native speakers in various types of virtual exchanges is becoming increasingly accessible for language learners and teachers around the world. The present study examined the experiences of beginning and intermediate level learners of Spanish in the United States as they interacted weekly with native Spanish speakers over the…

This paper examines the use of technology in the development and assessment of interpersonal communication skills in an online second language (L2) Spanish classroom. The study explores the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools and strategies to promote interaction among learners, while also considering the challenges and…