Julian ChengChiang CHEN National Science Council vivajulian@gmail.com Even though research has shown that the unique features (e.g., immersion, avatar presence, simulation) afforded by Second Life (SL), a three dimensional virtual environment, have the potential to boost learners’ motivation, engagement and virtual identities (Cooke-Plagwitz, 2008), the link between EFL learners’ second language acquisition (SLA) in task-based interaction and virtual learning in SL is still not connected in the current SLA literature (Peterson, 2006). Also, a full-blown virtual language course designed under the task-based language teaching (TBLT) framework has not yet been documented in SL literature. As such, two major research questions are raised: 1a. To what extent do EFL learners employ communication strategies to negotiate meaning during task-based interaction via voice chat in SL? 1b. What are the quality and quantity of EFL learners’ oral production during their language practices in a task-based virtual class? 2. What are students' perceptions about using avatars to practice English and participate in a task-based virtual class in SL? Situated in cognitive interactionist theory (Long, 1981, 1983) and driven by task-based language teaching (TBLT) (Doughty & Long, 2003), this study employed a concurrent mix-methods design to better answer research questions quantitatively and qualitatively. Nine adult EFL learners worldwide were recruited in SL to participate in this 10-session virtual class. Students used avatars to interact with peers in simulated real-life tasks via voice chat.
Quantitative data were collected through students’ oral production in communicative tasks to examine their language patterns during negotiated interaction, and their linguistic performance measured by complexity and accuracy. Qualitative data were gleaned from students’ journal entries, survey
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responses, and a focus group interview—triangulated with the researcher’s teaching observation blog.
Quantitative results showed that confirmation checks, clarification requests and comprehension checks were the three most frequently used strategies. Other types of strategy use were also found. Following Varonis and Gass's (1985) framework of negotiation of meaning, two types of negotiation routine were also identified: single-layered trigger-resolution sequence and multi-layered trigger-resolution sequence.
Additionally, the interrelationship among task types, negotiation and strategy use was also established—
jigsaw task prompted the most instances of negotiation and strategy use whereas opinion-exchange task triggered the least. Adapting Yuan and Ellis’s (2003) framework of T-units measures, results indicated that EFL students had a statistically significant improvement on grammatical complexity on the levels of syntactic complexity and variety as well as on linguistic accuracy across all measured levels. Using grounded theory approach (Corbin & Strauss, 1990), three core themes emerged from qualitative data:
1) perceptions about factors that impact virtual learning experience in SL, 2) attitudes toward learning English via avatars in SL, and 3) beliefs about the effects of task-based instruction on learning outcomes in SL. Results revealed that students perceived SL as a viable platform for learning, owing to its conspicuous features, immersive simulation, augmented reality, tele/copresence afforded by SL. Their masked identities through avatars also allowed them to “take risks” in speaking English without feeling same shyness and embarrassment as would they in a real-life conversation discourse.
Topic: VLEs, SCMC, Online pedagogy
Keywords: Second Life, Communication Strategies, Task-based Language Learning Type of Paper: Research (45mn)
Model for Virtual Immersion MACRO Project: Collaborating Across the Americas
Colleen COFFEY AUSJAL-AJCU ccoffey30@yahoo.com Carolina Marturet de Paris AUSJAL-AJCU cmarturet@gmail.com Oscar Mora Sanchez Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Cali
oscmoras@javerianacali.edu.co The “Dual Immersion Project” has evolved within the Jesuit University Network of The Americas AUSJAL- AJCU. AUSJAL- AJCU Jesuit Consortium is comprised of 58 Jesuit universities representing fourteen countries in Latin America and the USA . These organizations central charge consists of creating a network of universities with a shared identity, a shared leadership, and a common strategy toward the educational and social transformation of our world. The Dual Immersion project is AUSJAL- AJCU is the largest of the Network’s programs. From its period of inception 6 years ago, it has seen explosive growth. Dual Immersion began with 10 universities from AUSJAL and AJCU with approximately 450 student participants. The project now counts 22 universities, more than 8,000 students and over 140 collaborating faculty, project coordinators and educational technology specialists.
All streamline their mission collectively to achieve success in program development and Exchange Sessions. Exchange sessions follow three different models: “desktop to desktop” in the classroom; a mix of in class and language lab; and the autonomous model, in which students interact entirely outside of class. In addition, many schools hold virtual cultural events, which are large webinars with a cultural
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focus to involve multiple communities of people. The target languages are Spanish and English.
Quarterly meetings and reflections, professional development, and supported academic research around language proficiency and intercultural competency and interdisciplinary learning are central supports the community offers one another to support its sustainability. This paper will discuss the evolution of this successful Macro Project, lessons learned through experience and best practices in online community development, coordination, collaboration and administration.
Topic: VLEs, SCMC, Challenges, Student experience, Cross sector, Distance learning
Keywords: CALL, Telecollaboration, Virtual Immersion, Online Language Exchange, Macroproject, Online Community Development
Type of Paper: Reflective Practice (45 mn)
Online role-plays: combining situational and interactional authenticity in foreign language learning
Maria de Lurdes CORREIA Martins Polytechnic Institute of Viseu lurdesmartins@estv.ipv.pt Gillian Moreira University of Aveiro gillian@ua.pt António Moreira University of Aveiro moreira@ua.pt Role-plays have been almost ubiquitous in foreign language classes and their potential has been widely recognized. In the last decade, the dissemination of Web 2.0 has created a wide range of possibilities for this type of activities, including conducting online role-plays between institutions, the opportunity to combine synchronous and asynchronous communication tools and also articulate online with face-to-face interactions. We can then say that online role-plays enhance discussion, dialogue and negotiation between participants, who assume specific roles with the ultimate goal of collaboratively creating something new. Online role-plays are first and foremost a social process in which knowledge is emergent and results from interactions between participants. It is also an activity that mirrors contextualized everyday situations and students are faced with new information, promoting, research and reflection, thus enhancing autonomy. Another worth mentioning aspect derives from the fact that this is an interactive activity that focuses on problem solving, allowing students to be confronted with multiple perspectives that, in turn, imply an active involvement in communication and negotiation processes.
Within a dialogical and dialectical perspective of English language learning, the following research question was developed: How to integrate online role-plays in English language learning in higher education in order to enhance the development of communicative competence? In order to answer the research question, an action research project was carried out, according to the model proposed by
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Stringer (2007), and an online role-play was implemented over six weeks, in the English II course unit from the degree in Tourism at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Portugal. In this study, students, adopting specific roles were asked to organize a trip to London, thus seeking to achieve both an actional and interactional goal. Research findings point to improvements in language skills, especially in terms of vocabulary range and control, grammatical and sociolinguistic awareness, and also to more autonomy on the part of students.
Topic: VLEs, CALL in schools, Distance learning
Keywords: English as a foreign language, interactional authenticity, online role-play, situational authenticity, Web 2.0
Topic: RandD (30 mn)
E-learning for language teachers: Lessons from experts in five countries
Neil COWIE Okayama University ncowie2012@gmail.com Keiko Sakui Kobe Shoin Women's University ksakui2005@yahoo.co.jp The presenters are two EFL university teachers based in Japan who will describe a research project to find out how expert e-learning teachers carry out their pedagogical practice. We visited institutions in five countries in order to examine facilities, observe lessons and interview teachers. From the observational data and interview transcriptions we describe a range of teaching approaches and e-learning tools which other teachers can learn from. The 2012 NMC report on higher education (Johnson, Adams and Cummins 2012) draws attention to how new digital models of learning, such as online and hybrid, are emerging to challenge traditional methods; but the report also claims that few schools or educational systems are being re-fashioned to suit digital education and that there is widespread resistance to change. Our position is not that of either ‘resisters’ or of e-learning experts but of concerned teachers who wish to keep up with the rapid technological changes that we see happening today. What we want to do is acquire a comprehensive overview of what e-learning expert teachers are doing and then assess to what extent we may be lagging behind. We wished to investigate contexts and systems in different countries in order to gain as wide a perspective as possible. From June 2012 to March 2013 we visited institutions in five countries (Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK); we observed facilities and lessons in which digital technologies were used and interviewed teachers. The visits and lesson observations were written up in the manner of ‘thick description’ which provided background context for a qualitative analysis of the interview transcriptions. This resulted in the identification of three key themes: use of e-learning tools; teaching approaches and roles; and, institutional issues. Although there was no one model for e-learning there were some similar tendencies
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that linked our experts together. These included their use of learning management systems; their use of web 2.0 tools to engage students in collaborative projects; a focus on learning outcomes that could be uploaded to the internet; the use of a variety of teaching methods but a preference for a social constructivist approach; and, the increased necessity to provide feedback to students. It was reassuring for us to learn from these expert teachers that it is not too late to embrace in modest and appropriate ways the opportunities that e-learning can provide. In the presentation we will describe different teaching implications arising from the study such as how to use technology to solve teaching problems, the use of Web 2.0 tools to meet specific learning objectives, and different ways to assess student performance. Reference Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M. 2012. The NMC Horizon Report:
2012 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Topic: CALL in schools,Teacher education
Keywords: e-learning, tertiary education, qualitative research Type of Paper: Research (30mn)