FAQ on The ILLSA Project

1. What does ILLSA mean?

ILLSA stands for: “A Telecollaborative Project on ​Integrated Language Learning and Social
Awareness”.
2. Who organizes ILLSA?
ILLSA is a collaboration of the Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong Polytechnic
University, and the University of Hong Kong.
3. How is ILLSA funded?
ILLSA is a UGC-FSTL Project. Our funding comes from the Funding Scheme for Teaching and
Learning (FSTL) of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong (UGC).
4. Is this project a language class?
No. The project is aimed at exploring the topic of “Healthy Cities” in a foreign language, while
helping learners gain confidence in using the language to communicate and research in a
multicultural environment.
5. Who is the target audience? ​University students learning a foreign language in Hong Kong and
in Europe up to B2 level of the CEFR.
6. How are the student teams formed?
Each team consists of 2 university students in Hong Kong and 2 university students in Europe,
preferably from the same university. Teams will be organized at a similar language level.
7. What languages are there?
ILLSA is offered in four languages: German, French, Spanish and Italian.
8. Can students choose their native language?
No. The project is aimed at foreign language learners.
9. How will the language level of students be determined?
Students will be asked to complete a short language quiz upon enrolment.
10. How long is the project?
Each cycle of the project lasts 8 weeks.
11. How much time are students going to spend on the project?
Students are expected to spend max. 2-3 hours per week working on the project.
12. Will students receive credits for taking part in the course?
For the first cycle (starting Spring 2018), the course itself will not give credits but universities are
free to use it as an assessment.
13. Who will help students if they have difficulties with the project?
The respective contact persons at each Partner University, as well as ILLSA’s dedicated team will
be there to help.
14. Will students need to meet, or everything is done online? Students in each city are encouraged
to meet as often as possible, however, communication with the other half of the team, will be
done online.
15. Where will students access course materials? Students can access them via the course website
www.illsaproject.com​, via Future Learn and via GSuite.

For further questions, please contact: ​illsaproject@hkbu.edu.hk