Partnerships for learning pilot project: A new approach to language learning in a visual-based web conferencing context

Recent advances in technology have necessitated a new approach in the area of foreign language training. New technologies can be used to create educational frameworks for learning that go beyond the standard school classroom paradigm. In this paper, we describe the Partnership for Learning Pilot Project which focused on using videoconferencing technology and desktop computers to conduct language learning sessions via the Internet. The project description, project content, its experience over a sustained long-term period and the potential future for this way of learning and teaching are described.