Dr Christine Pleines

Professional biography

• Second language development
• Theories of second language learning
• Vicarious Learning
• Online learning
• MOOCs
• Language teacher education
• Older language learners

I enjoy curriculum development and have extensive experience in course design and developing multimedia language learning materials for distance learners. I am especially interested in developing students' cultural awareness and interactive competence  online. I have developed learning materials related to diverse topic areas including geography, education, stereotypes and film, and I led the development of an EU-funded Massive Open Online Course with a 'German for work' focus.

I have contributed to teaching at the OU in the following roles:

Organization/management/assessment:

• Academic Lead Languages Level 2/Level 3/MA in Translation (2020-2024)
• MA in Translation Cluster board chair (since 2020)
• Results panel chair L113 (2022)
• External examiner module group chair German (2019)
• Project lead and lead educator on a suite of EU-funded German-language MOOCs (2018 - 2019)
• Head of German section (2008 - 2010, 2014 - 2018) 
• Co-ordinator of German Residential School and 'Alternative learning experience' (2010 - 2019)
• Award board chair: L130 Auftakt (1998, 2017), L203 Motive (2010 - 2014)
• Level 2 co-ordinator across French/German/Spanish (2011 - 2013)
• Staff tutor overseeing Open University languages provision in London ( 2003 - 2004)

Open University module production and presentation:

• Production lead "Virtual field trips" French/German/Spanish (2024-2025)
• Module team co-chair (presentation): L801 Introduction to translation theory and practice (since 2024)
• Module team chair (production, then presentation): L333 German studies 3 (since 2019)
• Module team chair (production, then presentation): L113 German studies 1  (2014 - 2019)
• Module team member:  LB160, Professional communication skills  (2012 -  2013)
• Module team chair (presentation): L203 Motive (2009 - 2014)
• Joint module team chair (production): L203r Motive (2006 - 2009)
• Member of L130r Auftakt course team, Dvd-Rom development (2005-2006)
• Member of Spanish course team (2004 – 2005)
• Joint course team chair (production) : German beginner’s course Rundblick (2001-2002, 2004)
• Tutor and course director at residential school (Jena/Germany)  and on the ‘Alternative Learning Experience’ /'Online school'  (since 1998)
• Course team chair (presentation):  L130 Auftakt  (1997 - 1999)
• Book co-ordinator for second level courses L203 Motive and L213 Variationen (1996-1999)
• Author and co-ordinator of preparatory study pack Café Einklang and first level German course L130 Auftakt (1995-1997)

External engagement (most recent)

Chair of Validation Board MA in English Literature, Arab Open University (2025)

Organizer of CapitalL "Languages and Law" summer school outreach events (2021-2023)

Co-lead of  "Moving your language teaching online"  toolkit project and launch events (2020 and 2021)

External examiner at Sheffield Hallam university (2019-2023)

Conference presentations (most recent)

'Exploring the use of tutorial recordings for beginner distance learners of Chinese' (BCLTS, Edinburgh 2023)

'Moving your teaching online  - our toolkit and its impact 2 years on' (Language Education in the Post-digital era, Leeds 2023)

'A toolkit for online language teachers' (EuroCALL, Paris/online 2021)

'Focus on the older learner' (AILA, Groningen/online 2021)

Vicarious participation in online language learning (Open and Distance Learning Association, Australia/online 2021)

Internal engagement through contributions at the National Associate Lecturer Conference (Languages) and Open University Associate Lecturer Conference (Unviersity-wide) and at School/Faculty research, scholarship and teaching forums