In this introductory chapter, we begin with a definition of criticality, within the field of computer-assisted language learning (CALL). A critical view prompts CALL practitioners to question what may be taken for granted about digital technology’s numerous advantages for language learners and teachers, drawing attention to issues to power, dominance, justice, and inequity. We explain the volume’s goals: to feature interinstitutional and transnational partnerships which bring critical CALL objectives to the forefront of multilingual education. We identify three possibilities for interinstitutional partnership, which provide the overarching organization for the volume as a whole, which is divided into three parts. The three themes include learner-oriented exchanges, teaching and learning of less commonly taught languages, and language teachers’ professionalization and collaboration. For each of these parts, we offer key definitions and relevant literature. We conclude with a summary of each chapter.

Higher education institutions are seen as being responsible for preparing young people for living and working in a globally interconnected world by helping them develop their international and intercultural skills including languages. One way of assuming this responsibility is through internationalization at home (IaH) (Beelen & Jones, 2015) implemented via virtual exchange (VE) which—over the past two decades—has enjoyed increasing popularity in (language) teacher education in particular (Hauck et al., 2020). Working online with colleagues and students from diverse backgrounds and education systems has allowed trainees to experience and reflect on issues related to technology and pedagogy in authentic linguistic and intercultural contexts but has also challenged them to engage with issues related to social justice and inclusion. The latter refers to the fact that VE-based IaH is not inherently equitable and inclusive. This mostly conceptual contribution to the nascent field of critical virtual exchange (CVE)— that is, VE through the social justice and inclusion lens—puts the spotlight on the interface between critical CALL, critical digital literacy, critical global citizenship education, and CVE. Two examples from language and culture learning and teaching contexts that speak to the CVE agenda are presented to illustrate the proposed approach.

Over the past decade, there has been a growing call to adopt a more inclusive and accessible approach to international higher education (European Commission, 2022b), as many students cannot bear the expense of study abroad programs (Byram & Dervin, 2008), the intercultural experience par excellence. Virtual exchange (VE) is thought to have the potential to bring about inclusion in this regard (O’Dowd, 2023a), as it is a readily available online tool that promotes global citizenship, collaborative intercultural learning, and students’ appreciation of diversity (O’Dowd, 2023b). This chapter addresses the need to advance inclusion in international higher education, reviews the rationales for employing VE for this purpose, and outlines an interdisciplinary pre-mobility VE program that is currently underway at the University of León (ULE) in Spain. GearUp! is a lingua-franca pre-mobility VE model that offers students an intercultural experience that prepares them to become interculturally competent (Byram, 1997) and boosts their language and transversal skills. It has brought together more than 100 undergraduate students from more than 20 different countries across the globe to work collaboratively on tasks about studying abroad.

The chapter overviews a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project bringing together community college students in New York City and paramedics students in Jordan where students produced and analyzed discrimination narratives. During the project, each student in a binational group crafted a narrative based on an interview with an individual in their community on their experiences of discrimination. Analyzing the discrimination narratives for similarities and differences, students made connections between the experiences of individuals in diverse environments, such as immigrants in the United States and Syrian refugees in Jordan. As a whole, this study highlights ways that computer-assisted language learning can be reimagined using contemporary digital technologies to lead to social and collaborative learning and to help students build connections between their experiences and larger social issues.

We describe an ongoing initiative to build a three-way school-community-university collaboration making use of various computer-assisted technologies that provide both tools and medium for heritage language (HL) learners to leverage and develop their repertoires. First, we introduce ourselves and how our collaboration has sustained a praxis from our learning and theorizing throughout. We strive to continue creating a mutually supportive context that can permit learners to use the arts to build connections to their HL communities and expand the understanding and use of these languages and cultures. In the long term, we expect this small effort may be able to positively impact acceptance of in-school use of diverse languages and impact usage in multiple communities.

This chapter discusses four teacher-researcher inquiry projects designed to support Alaska Native language and cultural maintenance and revitalization efforts in school-based Indigenous language education. These projects, which were part of a series of grants that spanned 10 years, brought together various stakeholders including university faculty from different institutions, school district personnel, classroom teachers, and tribal organizations to participate in an interinstitutional collaborative community that focused on developing Indigenous language pedagogies that utilize digital technology as a transformative vehicle (Freire, 2005). In our meta-analysis of these projects, which are grounded in Indigenous ways of being-knowing-doing, we focus on how these teacher-researchers used technology to disrupt monoglossic and monolingual ideologies.

With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, interactive AI-based spoken dialog systems (SDS) have become viable tools to promote oral proficiency in language learning. The main goal of language learning is to communicate in real life, and promoting speaking skills plays an essential role in language development. Despite its importance, oral proficiency is considered to be challenging for language learners due to limited opportunities to practice the language effectively outside the classroom. Learners of less commonly taught languages (LCTL) often have difficulty finding opportunities to interact with experienced speakers outside class time. Therefore, the current study aimed to develop three SDS prototypes for Indonesian and Burmese learners as well as explore learners’ perspectives on SDS use. Both the Indonesian and Burmese SDS prototypes were originally planned to be developed using Google’s automatic speech recognition (ASR). While the Indonesian prototype works well with Google’s ASR, the accuracy of Google’s ASR for Burmese transcription is extremely low. Therefore, the current study used a Wizard of Oz system in developing a Burmese prototype. In order to understand learners’ experience of using SDS, the study utilized survey questionnaires with Indonesian and Burmese students (N=29) and eight semi-structured interviews. The findings of the pilot studies indicated that learners enjoy using SDS when practicing the target language without having any difficulties navigating SDS. More importantly, the results of the survey indicated that SDS could be an alternative learning tool for students to improve their language skills outside the classroom.

Providing professional development (PD) opportunities for less commonly taught language (LCTL) instructors is crucial to ensuring that these often under-resourced instructors and programs are prepared for the demands of the current technology-filled workplace. By offering technology-enabled interinstitutional PD programs, we connect LCTL instructors across institutions and facilitate the creation of a much wider community of practice. In addition, if multiple institutions work together to create PD programs, resources and expertise can be pooled to execute these programs. This chapter foregrounds how LCTL programs have already been leveraging technology through course sharing efforts and explains how LCTLs are central to institutional diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) plans. Next, the transformative potential of technology-enabled interinstitutional PD is illustrated, using the example of two advanced online language teaching courses: Purposeful Technology Integration (creating an innovative teacher mindset) and Teaching the Whole Class (designing differentiated and inclusive instruction).

This chapter explores a collaborative professional development (PD) model for language teachers, incorporating interinstitutional and transnational exchange components facilitated by information and communication technologies. Specifically, it examines language teachers’ reflections on their participation in collaborative PD projects initiated by the Southeast Asian Language Council (SEALC). These projects focused on reading assessment design and reading materials development, involving educators from the United States and Southeast Asian or European countries. Drawing on research emphasizing the importance of collaborative PD, the study underscores the benefits of collective participation and collaboration among educators across institutions and borders. The research utilizes observation notes, surveys, and semi-structured interviews to demonstrate that telecommunication tools including videoconferencing platforms (Zoom), text messaging apps (Whatsapp, etc.), and shared clouds (Google Suite) played a crucial role in facilitating collaboration and communication among geographically dispersed participants. Despite numerous advantages, challenges such as time zone differences, limited internet connectivity, and digital literacy disparities were encountered. The findings underscore the importance of ongoing refinement and adaptation of telecommunication-based PD models to address these challenges effectively. Ultimately, collaborative PD initiatives like those facilitated by SEALC have the potential to not only enhance teachers’ instructional practices but also cultivate global partnerships and mutual support across languages.

Arabic educational practitioners in the United States are confronted with various challenges, namely issues related to diglossia, teaching approaches, as well as limited professional training and resource constraints. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of these challenges and attempts to address them by proposing a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA)-enhanced communities of practice framework; this framework builds upon the concept of communities of practice (CoP). The proposed DEIA-enhanced CoP framework is used to explore the role of the District of Columbia-Arabic Teachers’ Council (DC-ATC) in mitigating these challenges. To achieve this, the chapter examines the Council’s organizational and operative structure and explores its endeavors to address these issues. The exploration focuses on the workshops organized by the DC-ATC between 2020 and 2023 and their impact in mitigating the challenges faced by Arabic educators. By leveraging the transformative potential of technology, the DC-ATC created professional development opportunities, fostered a sense of community, and promoted collaboration and resource-sharing among Arabic educators. These efforts resulted in improved DEIA outcomes for Arabic educators and contributed to the creation of a more robust, inclusive, and effective environment for Arabic teaching and learning.