Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.70856/p.2.2.12
Authentic Communication in Business German: Implementing Peer-Assisted Learning in a Multilingual Higher Education Context
Sonja Schreiner
orcid.org/0009-0005-2651-635X
; Haute Ecole de Gestion Fribourg, Chemin du musée 4, 1700 Fribourg, Suisse; HES-SO // Haute Ecole Spécialisée de Suisse Occidentale, Rte de Moutier 14, 2800 Delémont, Suisse
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* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This professional paper reports on the implementation of Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) within the Business German curriculum at the Haute École de Gestion Fribourg (HEG-FR), a bilingual university of applied sciences in Switzerland. While the program formally requires advanced language proficiency (C1) by graduation, many students begin their studies at a lower level of German. To address this gap, a PAL-based Inverted Classroom model was introduced in fall 2024/25 with the aim of fostering authentic, workplace-related communication in German.
Students independently researched professional topics and conducted 60-minute sessions in German, thereby maximizing oral practice, reinforcing subject-specific vocabulary, and cultivating confidence in extended speaking situations. Peer and instructor evaluations, carried out entirely in German, supported reflective language use and collaborative learning.
Preliminary observations suggest that PAL stimulated learner motivation and enhanced both linguistic proficiency and transversal competences such as self-reflection and critical thinking. Rather than presenting a systematic empirical study, this paper provides a practice-oriented account of the implementation, highlighting its pedagogical implications for multilingual higher education settings.
Keywords
Peer-Assisted Learning; Classe renversée; Multilingualism; German for Specific Purposes; Business German
Hrčak ID:
343612
URI
Publication date:
22.1.2026.
Visits: 317 *