Title of Paper: Elen — Elearning Exchange Networks: Reaching out to Effective Bilingual and Multicultural University Collaboration

In 2004 the Language Sciences department of Montpellier 3 University, introduced a new Masters degree in “Knowledge Management, Learning and eLearning” (www.univmontp3.fr/metice/_masterprogaf/), the first year of which is delivered both face-to-face and online, and the second entirely online. In previous research (Marsh & Panckhurst, 2006), an analysis of questionnaire responses from learners and teaching staff on the programme provided important insights into the learning needs specific to this group of learners, namely postgraduate students who require a flexible programme of learning which responds to both the individual professional needs as well as the collective needs of the group. A direct consequence of this research led to a pilot study being conducted by the authors in May 2007 to explore the opportunities for a more flexible learner-centred approach through the provision of an online social network. A private community eLEN (eLearning Exchange Network) was set up using Ning (www.ning.com) to provide virtual space within a social network environment. Two groups of learners were invited into this network: French students following the Master’s degree in “Knowledge Management, Learning and eLearning” and students following the online Master’s of Education in eLearning (www.hull.ac.uk/ces/courses/MEdineLearning.html) delivered by the University of Hull in the UK. This paper will discuss the benefits of eLEN within the context of professional development, provide an analysis of the online interaction between the learners and identify key criteria to promote effective learning through international bilingual social networks.