e-Learning Tools Revolutionize Language Acquisition Process

Anyone who has ever attempted to study a second language will recognize the difficulties of ascertaining grammar concepts, achieving pitch perfect pronunciation of new words and understanding a whole new system of communication.

But with the wealth of e-learning technologies nowadays readily available, language learning has become that much easier, complementing traditional classroom teaching and honing students’ weaknesses long after the class has ended.

Course instructors and language faculties are embracing new technologies in ever growing numbers in a bid to improve the process of language learning, eliminate the constraints of time and space, and opening up a whole new world of possibilities to learners.

CityU’s innovative Language Companion Course (LCC) project is one typical example. By partnering with academic institutions outside Hong Kong, including the likes of the University of Sydney, University of British Columbia in Vancouver and Brigham Young University in Utah, CityU’s undergraduates are tutored on their writing assignments by graduate students studying Linguistics or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages) at the partner institutions.

“This is a win-win situation for all. Students learning to teach English as a second language get the experience they need and our students can improve their English,” explained Professor Jonathan Webster, Head of the Chinese, Translation and Linguistics Department at CityU, noting that this arrangement can only complement activities in the classroom but cannot replace one-on-one personal contact with the instructor.

Though the current model applies only to English language writing at CityU, Professor Webster points out it could, in fact, be extended to facilitate any types of language or learning experience.

“The challenge with this programme lies in establishing the appropriate connections with overseas institutions. We hope to expand this set up through cooperation with other universities, and to gradually phase in the implementation so all students, at some point during their academic studies, will have the opportunity to improve their English writing in this way,” he added.

Where the LCC project lacks face-to-face interaction, it makes up by having more time spent on each student.

“Tutors can spend much more time combing through a student’s more minor errors, in a way they would not typically have time to do at a writing center. This is one advantage of this approach,” said Dr Diane Strong-Krause, an Associate Teaching Professor at Brigham Young University’s Department of Linguistics and English Language. “It isn’t that one of these approaches is better than the other, but rather it is about getting different things in different settings.”

e-learning at Brigham Young University works on several different levels. The most basic is the online support, which includes expanded language dialogue, listening activities, dictionaries and glossaries, aiming at supplementing classroom learning.

“The exercises are designed to help reinforce students’ learning and language function. It gives them additional practice time and greater opportunity to grasp concepts they may not have fully understood in class,” she added.

The University is also an advocate of the use of technology in assessment, in the form of computer adaptive testing, as this can customize the parameters of a test to suit the ability of the learner.

“We use a lot of computer adaptive testing for language placement examinations. These tests work by tailoring the questions to suit a student’s language level,” she added, “The level of difficulty of examination questions is automatically adjusted based on the test-taker’s previous answers.”

At a more practical level, e-learning tools are used to track the progress of individual students, charting their strengths and weaknesses to facilitate greater exposure to areas of inadequacy through more tailored and targeted exercises.

Technology can improve language acquisition across the board and its use is especially pertinent to second language learners studying a content subject because they are given additional resources to understand what they may have missed in the initial lecture and make sense of more complex terms.

Technology can even facilitate the speaking component of language learning. The University of British Columbia has just begun using Wimba Voice, a software allowing students to post practice recordings and instructors to teach pronunciation, rhythm, stress and intonation through customized audio clips.

“The benefits of technology give students much bigger banks of information than they would otherwise have access to,” explained Dr Geoff Williams, Professor and Head of the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. “Digital technology provides a new environment in which students can learn and be active in learning.”

As language learning involves social interaction, Dr Strong-Krause says it is possible to transfer the entire experience to a virtual learning environment as long as the right components are in place.

“In such an instance, you would need to build into the online learning environment, a social network or community to ensure students can interact with the others,” she said. “At the end of the day, technology can only be a tool if it has the proper designs and education philosophies. If used well, it can really enhance teaching and learning.”