Funded by the Stevens Initiative, FIU Tabadul: Creating Language-Learning Community Through Virtual Reality brings together students from FIU, University of Michigan-Dearborn, University of Oum El Bouaghi (Algeria), and the University of Kenitra (Morocco) for language-learning and community building through virtual reality (VR). The goal of the project is to engage in one-on-one exchange meetings in VR spaces that are entirely accessible from their cell phones. By completing real-world pedagogic tasks together in both English and Arabic, participants develop language proficiency, socio-cultural openness, and cultural humility. Tabadul brings together interdisciplinary areas of expertise – engineering, linguistic, international collaboration, and institution and human capacity building. As the first study of its kind to examine the impact of dosage as well as the learning environment for the acquisition of Arabic as a foreign language, the Tabadul project also aims to scale language learning virtual exchange and to contribute to knowledge on virtual exchange efficacy. This project is a collaboration between Dr. Boukerrou, Dr. Melissa Baralt, and Dr. Stephanie Doscher with a number of other faculty from Algeria, Morocco, and the US directly involved in its implementation. For more information on this project please click here.
In May and June 2022, Dr. Boukerrou visited the University of Oum El Bouaghi to inquire about the progress of the project and meet with the students and faculty to address any of the issues that have been identified and the lessons learned since the launch of the project. He also gave an update about the program progress and the planned activities for the upcoming academic year. For photos of the visit of Dr. Boukerrou please click here. For radio roundtable please click here.