Re-purposing an OER for the online language course: a case study of Deutsch Interaktiv by the Deutsche Welle

Abstract

This paper will describe pedagogical approaches for re-purposing an open educational resource (OER) designed and produced by the Deutsche Welle. This free online program, Deutsch Interaktiv, consists of authentic digital videos, slideshows and audio texts and gives a contemporary overview of the culture and language in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The program was designed for the public domain and primarily for self-study and focused on developing the students' listening and reading skills. However, we will describe how in this study, the OER program was integrated into college credit courses for elementary German at the University of Pennsylvania to provide the themes and grammar topics for live online class sessions and out-of-class asynchronous assignments, which included the use of blogs for essays, Facebook for shorter written assignments and Wimba Voiceboards for oral practice. In addition, this article will show how Deutsch Interaktiv ultimately influenced educational practice in the online classroom and within the context of interactionist learning theories. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.