SpEakWise VR: exploring the use of social virtual reality in telecollaborative foreign language learning between learners of English and German

This paper discusses the potential of immersing foreign language learners in Social Virtual Reality (SVR) in an international seminar, designed by the authors, called SpEakWise VR, combining the tandem language learning paradigm with gamification in immersive virtual environments. SpEakWise VR builds on an existing telecollaboration (SpEakWise) between undergraduate students in Trinity College Dublin and Hildesheim University. We set out to explore how inclusion of an SVR activity influences student engagement, learning involving intercultural and multilingual problem solving, and team building. This paper presents initial observations from our research, concerning multimodality in embodied immersion and code-switching, and proposes future avenues of inquiry.