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Faculty of Education and Language Studies > People Profiles > Ursula Stickler

Ursula Stickler

Head of German/Lecturer (German)

The Open University Faculty of Education and Language Studies Department of Languages


Profile

  • I joined the Department of Languages in 2002. My publications are mostly in the areas of autonomous language learning, especially tandem learning and language advising, technology enhanced language learning and online teaching skills.

    Areas of interest:
  • Tandem Learning
  • Interaction in Online Language Tutorials
  • Language Learning and Gender
  • Language Learning Advice
  • Training of Online Tutors
  • Virtual Learning Environments
  • Autonomy in Language Learning

Teaching Interests

Since joining the Open University in 2002, I have written on the German beginners' course Rundblick (L193) and its online version (LZX193) and on the new version of the intermediate course Auftakt (L130). I am currently Course Team Chair of the re-write of the German beginners' course, responsible for creating its new edition. I have taught residential schools in Jena, Germany, for the free-standing summer course Kapriolen and for the upper intermediate course Motive (L203). For Motive, I also taught and managed the Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) for students who could not attend summer school. This ALE is delivered via an online audio-graphic conferencing system. I enjoy teaching in both modes, face-to-face and online, and have trained new Associate Lecturers in online language teaching. I have written contributions for the update of Schreibwerkstatt (the upper intermediate reading and writing book) and both the upper intermediate course Motive and the highest level course Variationen (L313). I supervise postgraduate students on our EdD and PhD programmes. I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (formerly ILT) and a member of the Austrian association for German as a foreign language (WGDaF).

Research Interests

My research focuses on independent and autonomous learning of languages, including language advising, email Tandem learning, the use of technology and self-assessment. At the Open University, I have also developed an interest in tutor training for teaching languages online and other aspects of distance education. Before joining the OU, I taught German at the University of Sheffield and took part in the HEFCE-funded "Interculture project" dealing with students' experience during their period of residence abroad. [The project website contains interesting examples and feedback from Year Abroad students: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/. I am working on various projects with colleagues in the OU and elsewhere, e.g. the "Interaction project", part of the larger Beginners' language study, comparing the different interaction patterns observable in face-to-face and online tutorials. An ongoing collaboration with two universities and one adult education institution in Germany has resulted in numerous successful Tandem partnerships between native speakers of English and of German, some of which have been analysed for research purposes.

Current Research

LITERALIA Tandem Project: European project (Socrates-Grundtvig funding)  

Beginners' Study: Interaction Study (with C.Batstone, A.Duensing, B.Heins)

DOTS: Developing Online Teaching Skills (with R.Hampel, T.Beaven): European project (ECML funding)

OU-UOC: Tutor training project

Publications

Book Chapter
Stickler, Ursula and Emke, Martina (2011). Tandem Learning in Virtual Spaces: Supporting Non-formal and Informal Learning in Adults. In: Benson, Phil and Reinders, Hayo eds. Beyond the Language Classroom. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 146–160.
Coleman, James A.; Hampel, Regine; Hauck, Mirjam and Stickler, Ursula (2010). Collaboration and interaction: the keys to distance and computer-supported language learning. In: Levine, Glenn.S.; Phipps , Alison and Blythe, Carl eds. Critical and Intercultural Theory and Language Pedagogy. Florence, KY, USA: Cengage Learning.
Stickler, Ursula and Lewis, Tim (2008). Collaborative language learning strategies in an email tandem exchange. In: Hurd, Stella and Lewis, Timothy eds. Language Learning Strategies in Independent Settings. Second Language Acquisition (33). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters, pp. 237–261.
Stickler, Ursula and Pleines, Christine (2006). Glaube und Gesellschaft. In: Duensing, Annette and Baumann, Uwe eds. Developing Writing Skills in German. London: Routledge, pp. 127–144.
Stickler, Ursula and Lewis, Tim (2006). Aprendizaje tándem y competencia intercultural. In: Ojanguren Sánchez, Ana and Blanco-Hölscher, Margarita eds. El Aprendizaje Autónomo de Lenguas en Tandem: Principios, estrategias y experiencas de integracion. Oviedo: Universidad de Oviedo, pp. 90–102.
Stickler, Ursula (2006). Asesoramiento tandem centrado en la ayuda al estudiante. In: Ojanguren Sánchez, Ana and Blanco-Hölscher, Margarita eds. El Aprendizaje Autónomo de Lenguas en Tandem: Principios, estrategias y experiencas de integracion. Oviedo: Universidad de Oviedo, pp. 115–123.
Stickler, Uschi and Lewis, Tim (2003). Tandem learning and intercultural competence. In: Lewis, Timothy and Walker, Lesley eds. Autonomous language learning in tandem. Sheffield, UK: Academy Electronic Publications, pp. 93–104.
Stickler, Ursula (2003). Handledning i samband me larande i tandem. In: Jonsson, Bengt ed. Självstyrd språkinlärning i tandem - en handbook (Autonomous language learning in tandem. A handbook). Institutionen för humaniora i Härnösand. Rapport (12). Härnösand, Sweden: Institutionen för humaniora i Härnösand/Department of Humanities, Mid Sweden University, pp. 67–72.
Stickler, Ursula (2003). Student-centred counselling for tandem learning. In: Lewis, Timothy and Walker, Lesley eds. Autonomous Language Learning in Tandem. Sheffield: Academy Electronic Publications, pp. 115–122.
Stickler, Ursula (2003). Consulenza per l'apprendente tandem. In: Hehmann, G. and Ponti Dompe, D. eds. Apprendimento Autonomo Delle Lingue In Tandem. Torino: Trauben / Dipartimento di Scienze del Linguaggio e Letterature Moderne e Comparate, Universitate degli Studi di Torino, pp. 61–66.
Stickler, Ursula (2002). Conseils pratiques pour l'entretien. In: Helmling, Brigitte ed. L'Apprentissage Autonome des Langues en Tandem. Paris: Didier, pp. 117–120.
Stickler, U (2001). Transcultural counselling and inter-cultural awareness raising. In: Killick, Frances; Parry, M. and Phipps, A. eds. Poetics and praxis of languages and intercultural communication: Proceedings of the Conference at Leeds Metropolitan University, December 1999. Glasgow, UK: University of Glasgow French & German Publications, pp. 187–195.
Stickler, Ursula (2001). Beratung für das Tandemlernen. In: Brammerts, Helmut and Kleppin, Karin eds. Selbstgesteuertes Sprachenlernen im Tandem: ein Handbuch. Forum Sprachlehrforschung (1). Tübingen, Germany: Stauffenberg.
Stickler, Ursula (2001). Using counselling skills for language advising. In: Mozzon-McPherson, Marina and Vismans, Roel eds. Beyond language teaching towards language advising. London: CILT, pp. 40–52.
Stickler, Ursula (2001). Vejledning I forbindelse med tandemlaering. In: Not Set ed. ? Aalborg Universitet.
Conference Item
Stickler, Ursula (2008). Chatting, chatten or chattare: Using a multilingual workspace for language and culture learning. In: Interactive Computer Aided Learning (ICL) International Conference, 24-26 September 2008, Villach, Austria.
Stickler, Ursula and Hampel, Regine (2007). "What I think works well...." Learners' evaluation and actual usage of online tools. In: Interactive Computer Aided Learning (ICL) International Conference, 26-28 September 2007, Villach, Austria.
Stickler, Ursula; Batstone, Carolyn; Duensing, Annette and Heins, Barbara (2006). Distant Classmates: comparing online and telephone language tutorials. In: ICL 2006, 27-29 September 2006, Villach, Austria.
Stickler, Ursula; Batstone, Carolyn; Duensing, Annette and Heins, Barbara (2005). Distance and virtual distance: Preliminary results of a study of interaction patterns in synchronous audio graphic CMC and face-to-face tutorials in beginners’ language tutorials. In: Proceedings of the 2004 International Symposium on Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching, Beijing and Shanghai, Aug 2004, Beijing and Shanghai, China.
Journal Article
Stickler, Ursula and Shi, Lijing (2013). Supporting Chinese speaking skills online. System, 41 (In press).
Heiser, Sarah; Stickler, Ursula and Furnborough, Concha (2013). Student training in the use of an online synchronous conferencing tool. CALICO Journal (In press).
Hampel, Regine and Stickler, Ursula (2012). The use of videoconferencing to support multimodal interaction in an online language classroom. ReCALL, 24(2), pp. 116–137.
Ernest, Pauline; Guitert Catasús, Montse; Hampel, Regine; Heiser, Sarah; Hopkins, Joseph; Murphy, Linda and Stickler, Ursula (2012). Online teacher development: collaborating in a virtual learning environment. Computer Assisted Language Learning
Stickler, Ursula (2011). The DOTS project: Developing Online Teaching Skills. Language Teaching, 44(3), pp. 403–404.
Stickler, Ursula and Emke, Martina (2011). LITERALIA: Towards developing intercultural maturity online. Language Learning & Technology , 15(1), pp. 147–168.
Stickler, Ursula and Hampel, Regine (2010). CyberDeutsch: Language production and user preferences in a Moodle Virtual Learning Environment. CALICO Journal, 28(1), pp. 49–73.
Stickler, Ursula; Ernest, Pauline; Beaven, Tita; Emke, Martina; Germain-Rutherford, Aline ; Hampel, Regine; Hopkins, Joseph and Stanojewic, Mateusz-Milan (2010). Joining the DOTS. A collaborative approach to online teacher training. The EuroCALL Review , 16, http://www.eurocall-languages.org/review/16/index.html.
Beaven, Tita; Emke, Martina; Ernest, Pauline; Germain-Rutherford, Aline; Hampel, Regine; Hopkins, Joseph; Stanojevic, Mateusz Milan and Stickler, Ursula (2010). Needs and challenges for online language teachers - the ECML project DOTS. Teaching English with Technology: A Journal for Teachers of English, 10(2), pp. 5–20.
Stickler, Ursula (2010). Konstruktives Sprachenlernen mit Wikis. Theorie und Praxis. Österreichische Beiträge zu Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 13(2009), pp. 135–145.
Stickler, Ursula (2008). Chatting, Chatten or Chattare: Using a Multilingual Workspace for Language and Culture Learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 3 pp. 69–76.
Stickler, Ursula; Batstone, Carolyn; Duensing, Annette and Heins, Barbara (2007). ‘Distant Classmates: speech and silence in online and telephone language tutorials’. Eurodl, 2007(2),
Heins, Barbara; Duensing, Annette; Stickler, Ursula and Batstone, Carolyn (2007). Spoken interaction in online and face-to-face language tutorials. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(3), pp. 279–295.
Stickler, Ursula and Hampel, Regine (2007). Designing online tutor training for language courses: a case study. Open Learning, 22(1), pp. 75–85.
Lewis, Timothy and Stickler, Uschi (2007). Les stratégies collaboratives d’apprentisssage lors d’un échange en tandem via Internet. Revue LIDIL(36), pp. 163–188.
Stickler, Ursula; Batstone, Carolyn; Duensing, Annette and Heins, Barbara (2007). Distant Classmates: Speech and silence online and telephone language tutorials. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 2
Hauck, Mirjam and Stickler, Ursula (2006). What does it take to teach online? CALICO Journal, 23(3), pp. 463–475.
Stickler, Ursula and Hauck, Mirjam (2006). What does it Take to Teach Online? Towards a Pedagogy for Online Language Teaching and Learning. CALICO Journal, 23(3),
Duensing, Annette; Stickler, Ursula; Batstone, Carolyn and Heins, Barbara (2006). Face-to-face and online interactions - is a task a task? Journal of Learning Design, 1(2), pp. 35–45.
Hampel, Regine and Stickler, Ursula (2005). New skills for new classrooms: Training tutors to teach languages online. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 18(4), pp. 311–326.
Stickler, Ursula (2004). “…and furthermore I will correct your mistakes”: Kulturelle Unterschiede bei der Fehlerkorrektur im Tandem. Theorie und Praxis: Österreichische Beiträge zu Deutsch als Fremdsprache., 8 pp. 79–93.
Other
Stickler, Ursula; Beaven, Tita; Emke, Martina; Ernest, Pauline; Germain-Rutherford, Aline; Hampel, Regine; Hopkins, Joseph and Stanojevic, Mateusz Milan (2010). From the editors: stepping stones to teaching lnguages with technology. Journal of Teaching English with Technology (10) 2.