Erasmus Speaks: Bringing Internationalisation Online

In recent years we have seen a growing recognition by educators of the value of Virtual Exchange (VE) in the context of Internationalisation at Home (IaH) (de Wit, 2016). Research has shown the benefits of VE for language learners, as it emphasises the development of transferable skills (European Commission, 2021; Godwin-Jones, 2020). In this paper, we report on the development of Erasmus Speaks, an innovative, transnational Virtual Exchange Project offered at a third-level research institution in Ireland in autumn 2020. This new element replaced the Erasmus study-abroad period for over 600 European language students in response to Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions. The high completion rate of the project, reflected in the large number of Transnational Erasmus+ Project (TEP) digital badges awarded to participants, show that this task-based project met its objectives in relation to language learning, intercultural awareness, digital literacy and transferable skills.