This paper is aimed at incorporating intercultural communicative competence in English language teacher education by using project-based learning in VE contexts.
This paper presents some ideas about project-based learning to develop intercultural communicative competence in virtual exchange (VE) contexts. Higher education requires a different approach to teaching and learning since modern-day students no longer have the same learning needs as they had in the past. Active learning methodologies seem to be the solution to this situation. Project-based learning (PBL) is an active and dynamic approach to language teaching that makes it possible for the language students to gain transferable and applicable knowledge, skills and insights, and it perfectly fits the aim of achieving intercultural communicative competence. Projects where the use of digital resources and tools is involved largely contribute to the development of skills needed by EFL university students. Project-based learning is a good methodological tool to support and enhance virtual exchanges, especially when it comes to developing intercultural communicative competence and using digital technologies. This paper is aimed at showing the results of using PBL in VE contexts to develop intercultural communicative competence of Costa Rican and Japanese EFL students by implementing some ideas from the Council of Europe's Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (FRCDC).
