Technology Innovations in Language Learning
Measuring the Outcomes of eTandem in Practice: Designing Empirical Case Studies of Student Performance in Arabic and Italian
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lorenza Marcin, Martin G Sulzer-Reichel
This paper will focus on eTandem activities developed at the University of Richmond for Italian and Arabic courses. In addition to traditional teletandem activities, we have experimented with new forms of interactions in the classroom, using “TalkAbroad” as a vehicle for authentic material and to increase exposure to diverse regional accents in elementary and intermediate Italian language courses. Similarly, we have forged a productive relationship with the student-led non-profit organization, “Conversations Unbound,” an inter-institutional consortium hosted at Vassar College, to connect students in Arabic courses with native speakers from North Africa and the Middle East, who have been displaced by war, religious conflict, and economic hardship. Remote connections, moreover, between the University of Richmond and schools in the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges (VFIC) promote increased equity by sharing language expertise and resources across different campuses. Remote connections hold great potential in humanistic curricula related to languages, literature, and cultures. We will report on research conducted with different groups of students, highlighting potential gains in speaking and listening skills, and arguing that new types of eTandem activities help develop increased student linguistic proficiency and intercultural competence. As institutions around the world focus more heavily on assessment, they need to develop new tools to evaluate, measure, and track learning outcomes that are often difficult to quantify. We will present our methodologies and argue for a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis.
Design and Development of Self-Paced Communicative English Training Module (ìSPEAK)
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Harwati Hashim, Melor Md Yunus
This research is conducted to propose an online training module for Communicative English among support staff at a university in Malaysia. This study identifies the competencies of support staff in using English focusing on the four skills, which are listening, speaking, reading and writing. This research aims to design and develop a self-paced communicative English training module (which is named ìSPEAK) to increase support staff competency in using English at workplace. This research applies the developmental research approach conducted in five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The ADDIE (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate) model is be referred in developing this module. In the analysis phase, a needs analysis was carried out among the support staff at all faculties and centres in a public university to identify the problems and issue of English language usage. In the design and development phases, the module was designed and developed via expert review and consensus. This paper presents the three phases in developing the module, which are analysis, design and develop. It is hoped that this self-paced Communicative English Training Module (ìSPEAK) could be used to Increase support staff competency in using English in the workplace.
