Cultural Awareness Modules to Improve Language Learning Experience
What is CAMILLE?
CAMILLE is an educational resource for students of the Italian Language at the University to learn about Italian culture and people while practicing their language skills. CAMILLE aims at increasing exposure to Italian culture by offering a controlled virtual learning environment (Blackboard Learning System) from which students can extract a variety of information and authentic material of interest to them from topics such as Cinema, Cuisine, Fashion and Music. Within Blackboard Learning System, the information is presented in different forms, such as: video-clips, audiofiles and written texts correlated by a selection of custommade linguistic exercises and quizzes. Each module does not propose itself as an exhaustive source of information, but acts as a catalyst through which students are motivated to continue researching on the topic once the exercises have been completed.
CAMILLE homepage in Blackboard - material is organised into cultural topics which form discrete learning modules
How do I access CAMILLE?
If you are a student of Italian at the University of Manchester, either within Italian Studies or taking one of the LEAP (Language Experience for All Programme) courses, you will automatically be enrolled onto CAMILLE and can access it alongside your other Blackboard courses through the student portal:
http://www.portal.manchester.ac.uk
For more information about the Blackboard Learning System, visit:
http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/blackboard/
Students explore a range of media within CAMILLE to experience Italian culture
Magda Pokrowska (pre-intermediate LEAP) on the Cinema module
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I found the module really interesting and stimulating … the questions made me look at the information (and search for it by myself) beyond the module, which I found great as an extension of the knowledge about Italian cinematography.
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CAMILLE is interactive; the tasks are diverse and the use of audio tools keeps the student interested. … All tasks are user-friendly and with useful links for more in-depth information.
Kerry Oliveira (Italian Studies, Year 4)
CAMILLE Team
Dr Elena Polisca, Senior Language Tutor Italian Studies School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures Sally Anderson, Learning Technologist Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning Francesco Ciconte, Italian Studies School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures