Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Brazil
2010-2014
The State University of São Paulo (UNESP) houses its teacher education program for EFL and world languages in the rural town of Assis, in the western region of São Paulo state. The students I worked with at UNESP–Assis were primarily pre-service English teachers preparing for careers in Brazilian primary and secondary education. For many of these students, access to immersive English-speaking environments abroad is limited. Therefore, virtual telecollaboration with native English speakers is a vital component of their language development.
Activities
My collaboration with UNESP began in 2009, when I met Dr. João Telles at Georgetown University after his presentation on Teletandem Brasil: Foreign Languages for All, a virtual exchange program he founded in 2006. At the time, I had just completed my Ph.D. comprehensive exams at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and was exploring dissertation topics. Dr. Telles’s work on Teletandem immediately resonated with my interests in language education, instructional technology, and intercultural learning. I recognized Teletandem as a transformative and timely innovation — one that bridged my interdisciplinary background.
September 2011: I submitted and received approval for my dissertation prospectus on Teletandem at VCU’s School of Education, officially becoming a Ph.D. candidate on September 13. My IRB application (IRB-HM13976) was approved on October 14.
October 2011: I returned to UNESP–Assis to observe Teletandem sessions and collect research data. During this visit, I also collaborated with researchers from other UNESP campuses in Marília and São José do Rio Preto.
November 2011: I resumed data collection at VCU, observing sessions from the U.S. side of the exchange.
December 2011: I met with my dissertation chair to begin developing a framework for data analysis.
January 2012: Dr. Telles provided invaluable mentorship as I drafted my analysis and discussion chapters.
April 2012: I successfully defended my dissertation at VCU’s School of Education.