Dr Christine Pleines

Professional biography

• Second language development
• Theories of second language learning
• Vicarious Learning
• Online learning
• Open Educational Resources
• Approach, design and implementation of online activities in a Virtual Learning Environment
• Student engagement with online activities
• Engaging students on a larger scale: Learning through direct and indirect participation in a Massive Open Online Course

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 in German. I have developed learning materials related to diverse topic areas including geography, education, stereotypes and film. Recently, I have been working on 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:

• Project lead and lead educator on a suite of EU-funded German-language MOOCs (2018 - date)
• Head of the German section (2009 - 2011, 2014 - 2019)
• Organizer of Residential School and 'Alternative learning experience' (2010 - 2019)
• Results panel chair / German (2018)
• 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:

• Module team chair (production and presentation): L113, German Studies 1
• Module team member:  LB160, Professional communication skills  (2012 -  2013)
• Head/joint head of German section (2009 -2011, 2014-date)
• 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)
• Organizer, tutor and course director at residential school (Jena/Germany)  and on the ‘Alternative Learning Experience’ (online) (1998 - date)
• Award board chair: L130 Auftakt (1998, 2017), L203 Motive (2010-2014)
• 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)