Context of the project The role of English in upper secondary learning is nearly uncontested – 92,7% of students in (EU-27) Europe learn English. But other languages also play a role - in 2009/10, 60.8 % of students in lower secondary education learn at least two foreign languages (http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/key_data_series/143EN_HI.pdf , p. 2). How can learners - especially those who are challenged by or feel disengaged with formal language study - be supported in the development of communicative competence in English as lingua franca as well as in other European and heritage languages? In other words, how can “Education systems (...) ensure the harmonious development of learners´ plurilingual competence through a coherent, transversal and integrated approach that takes into account all the languages in learners´ plurilingual repertoire and their respective functions [including] (...) promoting learners´ consciousness of their existing repertoires and potential to develop and adapt those repertoires to changing circumstances” (Council of Europe 2008: 5)? Objectives of the project, results envisaged, longer term benefits The project MElang-E aims to support learners attending 6th-8th grade of schooling in their development of communicative competence and sociolinguistic awareness. It aims to motivate learners to work with the product through gamification elements, and to encourage continued study of languages, especially of English, by pointing out contexts of using different languages in one's own community and throughout Europe. Improved English language skills and enhanced language learning motivation may raise chances of overall school success. Number and profile of participants 7 Project partners from four European countries (Estonia, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain) will cooperate in the creation of this project, including universities (Talinn University, Goethe University, Université du Luxembourg, Universitat Pompeu) and local schools. Description of activities & methodology to be used in carrying out the project This strategic partnership aims at the development of a gamified online language learning platform for youth across Europe. The platform will present cultural and linguistic content connected to Luxemburg, Germany, England and Spain and arrange this geographically, using a city-metaphor. When visiting different „cities“, learners can access language learning content tailored to that city and experience in semi-authentic discourse situations how they get along with their languages. Two types of content will be presented: short narrative texts about the city, produced by youth living in that city, and interactive dialogues, produced by university teacher trainers and their students. The choice of languages available reflects sociolinguistic reality: Different (fictional) characters within the same city may possess different linguistic resources: In addition to speaking the local language(s) and English as lingua franca, they may speak heritage languages. Learners will encounter native and non-native speakers with a variety of accents who successfully use English to deal with everyday challenges. Using all three, local and heritage languages and the lingua franca English to successfully complete dialogues and complete 'missions' or 'quests', learners will experience the linguistic diversity within Europe and develop their communicative as well as their intercultural competences. The product utilizes gamification to motivate learners. On the one hand, different dialogues are connected via missions or quests, which provide an overarching plot and avoid an experience of fragemented learning. Another important aspect is the use of badges (cf. Khan Academy, Edubadges movement, MOOCs). Learners progress is reflected in the number and type of badges they earned, e.g., a „English silver badge“ for completing a certain number of English dialogues, or a „linguistic diversity badge“ for trying out many different languages. The project acknowledges that learners have diverse needs. Therefore, software will follow strict accessibility guidelines to guarantee that learners who use assistive technologies are not excluded. The teacher ´s manual will outline how the product can be used with heterogenous groups, including learners with learning disabilities. The design provides sufficient scaffolding to help students with lower language skills to successfully complete quests, while also providing challenges for stronger students. To encourage recombination and sharing of content, many of the materials (dialogues, exercise sheets) will also be published under a creative commons licence and be integrated in relevant repositories, i.e., made available as Open Educational Resources (OERs). References Council of Europe (2008). Council conclusions of 22 May 2008 on Multilingualism. Official Journal of the European Union, C 140, 06/06/2008, pp. 14-15.