Research and Projects at the Department of Intercultural Communication and Multilingualism Research with SLZ 

Fostering Learner Autonomy in Blended Learning Scenarios: Designing Language Learning Tasks Aimed at Enhancing Learner's Metacognitive Strategies

This project is funded by the University of Bonn’s Quality Improvement Fund (2024-2026) - Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Contributors: Adriana Ramírez de Kallweit, Dr. Sabine Dyer

The project "Fostering Learner Autonomy in Blended Learning Scenarios’“ pursues the development of language level specific blended learning tasks which enhance students' repertoire of metacognitive strategies. Through direct and indirect feedback, students are encouraged to think consciously about their learning process in order to better self-direct their learning-experience. The learning tasks correspond to the reference levels and incorporate the scales and descriptors of the Common European Framework of References for Languages, providing a transparent means of assessment our students can use to pursue language learning in and outside of the classroom.

Digital Literacy. Teaching/Learning opportunities for AI-supported acquisition of academic writing skills in foreign languages

This project is funded by the University of Bonn: “vielfältig.nachhaltig.digital” (2023-2026): Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Contributors: Géraldine Stich-Desmarchelier, Torsten Kirchner, Elizabeth Start

As part of the Digital Literacy project, the University developes learning/teaching courses for the AI-supported acquisition of academic writing skills in the foreign languages English, German, French and Spanish. These courses enable students to hone their academic writing skills in an independent and self-directed manner, while also promoting the reflective use of AI-tools in writing processes. Furthermore, the project seeks to develop training opportunities for teachers on the use of AI-tools in foreign language classes.

Digitalizing the Classroom: Designing participatory hybrid teaching and learning courses

This project is funded by the University of Bonn’s Quality Improvement Fund (2020-2026): Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Contributor: Torsten Kirchner

The goal of the project “Digitalizing the Classroom” is to develop and identify suitable teaching models that promote didactically meaningful collaboration and interaction within a hybrid group (in-person and online participants) in foreign language classes. Digital tools play an important role in this process. To ensure high quality results, the didactic concepts developed over the course of the project are practically tested, critically evaluated, and adapted if necessary. 

The practice of teaching German as a Foreign Language — research-based learning and teaching 

Trinational Blended Intensive Program (BIP) of the University of Bonn, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) and the Hogeschool Utrecht (Netherlands) (2023-2024), funded by the European Union — Project Leadership: Dr. Paul Meyermann (University of Bonn), Dr. Irene Szumlakowski Morodo (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Judith Ploszynski (Hogeschool Utrecht)

In the learning/teaching program “The Practice of Teaching German as a Foreign Language — Research-Based Learning and Teaching”, students enrolled in teaching degree programs at the Universities of Madrid and Utrecht work with students at the University of Bonn enrolled in the DaF/DaZ program in a blended intensive program. This program consists of an online learning phase, followed by an in-person phase at the University of Bonn, and culminates in a final online phase. Lecturers from the participating universities assist students in the program with their expertise.

Material Development

Project for the Improvement of Teaching and Study Conditions (2021-2023), funded by the University of Bonn’s Quality Improvement Fund — Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Contributors: Dr. Caroline Allen, Dr. Eva-Maria Hennig-Klein, Elena Kalinina, Torsten Kirchner, Lea Ostsieker, Dr. Kerstin Petersen, Dr. Naomi Shafer, Géraldine Stich-Desmarchelier

This project seeks to adapt, modernize and further develop the learning materials — such as textbooks, scripts and eLearning units — that are used at the Language Learning Center to suit the specific needs of its foreign language classes (including B2-C1 English, German and French). Another key emphasis is placed on designing, developing and testing new language modules, teaching concepts or teaching units to support the various forms of learning and teaching at the SLZ, such as digital, hybrid and multicultural. 

MitSprache: Integration through Language Support for newly-arrived Immigrants 

Applied Project at the University of Bonn (2015-2023), funded by the Faculty of Arts and the Office for Equal Opportunities and Diversity — Project Leadership: Dr. Paul Meyermann, Contributors: Haifaa Baagil 

The goal of the MitSprache project, which was called “Committed to Immigrants” until 2018, is to train students as volunteer language assistants so that they can support and guide newly arrived immigrants along their journeys in higher education or vocational training. This project highlights the importance of joint linguistic action for social participation and education. Since April 2023, the MitSprache project has been directed by the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Arts. 

Accompanied Autonomous Foreign Language Learning (BAFL) 

Project developed by the Bonn Center for Higher Education (BZH) and the Department IKM with SLZ (2016-2021), funded by the federal-state program Quality Pact for Teaching — Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Contributors: va-Catherine Knier, Robin Breit, Inken Mays, Simone Borlinghaus, Adriana Guzmán Hernández

The project Accompanied Autonomous Foreign Language Learning consists of three sub-programs. First, the Independent Learning program empowers students to learn foreign languages according to their own language level in an autonomous, yet accompanied process. The extracurricular programs eTandem and Tandem further assist students to deepen their foreign language skills through authentic (and in the case of eTandem, digital) conversations with native speakers. 

Empirical Research Lab

Third-party funded project (2016-2020), funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research — Coordinator: Dr. Wiebke Iversen 

The Empirical Research Lab was established as a measure to increase the “statistical literacy” of participating students. In the spirit of research-based learning, students were encouraged to collect and evaluate their own empirical data using statistical methods. Though the project itself has ended, the seminar “Statistics for Beginners” will continue to be offered. 

SOS - Sammeln, Ordnen, Systematisieren: Grammatikwerkstatt für Studierende

(Collecting, Organizing, Systematizing: Grammar Workshop for Students) 

Tutorial (2017-2020), funded by the University of Bonn’s Quality Improvement Fund — Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Contributors: Mara Nogai, Irena Theuer

The Tutorial “SOS Grammar Workshop” was designed for undergraduate students enrolled in German as a Second and Foreign Language, Germanistik, and the German Teaching Degree Program. In addition to repeating and developing fundamental German grammar skills, the tutorial explained how to teach German grammar to L2-learners using a wide range of exercises. 

German as a Second Language For Teachers of lateral entry classes in the area Sek. I/II (DLS)

Third-party funded project (09/2016-08/2019), funded by the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science — Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Coordinators: Cornelia Böhm, Anna Christiani

The part-time study program “German as a Second Language for Teachers of lateral entry classes in the area Sek. I/II,” which was initially launched under the name IQA+, prepared teachers for working with lateral entry students from 2016-2019. Throughout the program, teachers encountered basic methodological and didactic strategies useful for teaching German as a second language, as well as learned about legal questions, literacy and dealing with linguistic and cultural diversity.

Continuing Education Program German as a Second and Foreign Language (WBS DaZ/DaF) 

Charges apply (2008-2019); Third-party funded project (2020-2023), funded by the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science — 

Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann, Dr. Paul Meyermann, Contributors: Veronika Vössing, Julia Beilein, Cornelia Böhm, Anke Backhaus

The continuing education program DaZ/DaF was a participant-funded, part-time certificate program that trained teachers from adult education institutions and schools to teach German as a second language. Over the course of the program, participants learned the theoretical and practical fundamentals of teaching and learning DaZ. In 2019, the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science began to fund the program, and it is now offered as a free course called WBS DaZ Bonn. 

Creating, Testing and Implementing eLearning units for language-sensitive teaching. A Blended Learning Concept for the module German for Students with immigration backgrounds (DSSZ-Online)

Third-party funded project (2014-2017), funded by the Mercator-Institute for Language Promotion and German as a Second Language — Project Leadership: Dr. Gisela Fehrmann (Department IKM with SLZ), Anke Backhaus (Bonn Center for Teacher Education BZL)

This program was a collaborative effort between the Department of Intercultural Communication and Multilingualism Research (IKM) and the Bonn Center for Teacher Education (BZL). Its purpose was to design eLearning units to teach classes for students with immigrant backgrounds in a language-sensitive manner. All eLearning units developed throughout the project were embedded into the module German for students with immigration backgrounds, which is a mandatory requirement for students enrolled in teaching degree programs in NRW. 

Theater in Conversation: Linguistic Art Acquisition Practices during Theater Intermissions 

DFG-Project (2014-2016) — Project Leadership: Dr. Stephan Habscheid (University of Siegen) and Dr. Erika Linz (University of Bonn)

The project “Theater in Conversation,” which was funded by the DFG, examined conversations held in theater lobbies using conversation analysis. Using data collected through audio documentation of the conversations theater-visitors held during the intermissions of plays in the “Apollo-Theater Siegen” and the “Schauspiel Köln”, the project analyzed and reconstructed the characteristic linguistic and communicative elements of this form of follow-up conversation. Furthermore, the project investigated how the conversations held in theater lobbies serve as an intersection between public art institutions and conviviality, and how these conversations integrate art with small talk. To find out more about the project’s results, please read the following monograph and accompanying material.