Abstract:

The increasing internationalisation of university education systems requires new tools and procedures to satisfy new needs. The need to know foreign languages, for example, is driving a key competence at the higher education level, with a corresponding increase in innovative projects aimed at improving language learning and pedagogy. In this respect, the teaching approach known as CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), in which the learning and teaching of language and subject matter is totally integrated, has gained enormously in popularity, especially, perhaps, in technical subjects. In addition, a type of blended learning incorporating ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) is nowadays mainstream in university curricula. In fact, the pedagogical implementation of ICTs in higher education offers a considerable degree of authenticity, since nowadays nearly all students are digital natives and feel comfortable with the use of ICT tools. Nevertheless, not everybody uses the same ICTs, to the same degree and in the same way. Having a deeper understanding of what ICTs students in a specific teaching programmme use, and in which way, would certainly help the teachers to better implement these technologies in the classroom. And it would also assist the pedagogical development of efficient ICT-based learning materials and resources. With this general context as background, this study departs from the idea of an innovation collaborative project devised to take place between the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, in Bogotá, Colombia, and the Universitat Politècnica de València, in Spain, called BEELT (Building Engineering through English Language Learning), whereby teachers of Civil Engineering follow a CLIL approach in a team-teaching environment, i.e. a language and a subject-matter teacher working together in the classroom. The participants involved in this project wanted to know how students use ICTs in their daily lives. Consequently, the overall aim of this study is to ascertain certain habits of use of ICTs by university students, both in Colombia and in Spain, in order to compare the data and to draw some useful conclusions so as to design and develop ICT-based learning resources and materials that can adequately match the students’ learning styles, methods and habits. In so doing, the study also proposes a methodology for developing learning materials which could be used in similar CLIL educational contexts that make broad use of ICTs. This methodology involves the incorporation of information on how students actually use ICTs in practice. First, the rationale of the project is briefly discussed, including its major pedagogical components, namely CLIL, TELL (Technology-enhanced language learning), active methodologies and Team Teaching. Second the research methodology (involving carrying out a simple survey to Colombian and Spanish students and including questions about the use of ICTs in their learning) is described. The results are later presented, interpreted and used to inform the development of ICT-based learning materials. Finally, this is used to propose a possible working methodology to develop learning materials in other similar contexts.

Keywords:

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies), learning materials development, curriculum design.