Virtual Departments for Minority Languages (VDML)

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. The VDML Project shows how the Information Environment can enhance the work of staff and students in small foreign languages departments. It aims to combat teacher isolation, develop better learning materials and increase the variety of learning activities for students. The project has developed a pilot virtual department, linking Danish students and teachers in three UK universities. For the past year, teachers have used this to share the development of new learning tasks that have been used by students. The project is therefore concerned both with content development and re-use, and with changing working practices for teachers and students.