Talents behind innovative teaching: Blended learning strategies from teaching and learning agents of MMU

In this book, “TALENTs Behind Innovative Teaching: Blended Learning Strategies from MMU’s Teaching and Learning Agents”, academics and blended learning trainers from all MMU faculties present their strategies on engaging their students. Written by ADEPT’s Teaching and Learning Agents (TALENTs), academic staff who conduct Blended Learning trainings for the University, and are the Blended Learning Champions in their respective faculties, these chapters showcase their work in their classes in bringing blended learning into the curriculum and how these approaches have made their classes more interesting

An informal Facebook group for English language interaction : a study of Malaysian university students' perceptions, experiences and behaviours

This study looks at a group of Malaysian university students’ perceptions, experiences and behaviours when presented with an informal, participatory Facebook interaction group for English language practice. Three methods of data collection, namely questionnaire, LMT100 Facebook interaction group, and semi-structured interview were employed in stages. The findings show a discrepancy between the participants’ perceptions of using Facebook for English language learning (ELL), and their experiences and behaviours when presented with the interaction group. Only a quarter of the participants used the group actively by initiating interaction threads, and communicating with each other. A huge majority acted passively by making their participation visible just once or repeatedly through the means of likes and short comments. The rest of the members were silent readers who never made their involvement visible over the period of six weeks. The students showed higher participation rate when presented with three topics; entertainment-based, grammar quizzes, and university-related inquiries. This was discussed as students’ selective interests and preferences in learning. The types of online content suitable for English language learning was also addressed. More passive interviewees reported small improvements in their communicative competence from the interaction activity. The active interviewees however only felt a boost in their confidence to use English publicly rather than experience enhanced English language ability. The discrepancy between the students’ perceptions and behaviours are discussed from three levels of sociocultural influences which are personal, institutional, and societal. The students’ prior English language learning experience within an education system that privileges examinations may have influenced their (non)participation in the LMT100 group. The interviewees also indicated the existence of sentiments in racial, political, and religious issues, which may have influenced their learning experience at the university. The findings indicate that the informal, unstructured English language interaction platform on Facebook as having great potentials, although not tremendously successful in this study. Several implications are presented as strategies that may assist the integration of Facebook for English language learning in the future

DEVELOPING MULTIMODAL DIGITAL LITERACY: THE APPLICATION OF DIGITAL STORYTELLING AS A NEW AVENUE FOR EFFECTIVE ENGLISH LEARNING WITH EFL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KOREA

The purpose of this mixed method research study is to investigate the educational effects of digital storytelling as a communicative language learning strategy in an EFL elementary school class in Korea. In order to find out the benefits and challenges of digital storytelling in EFL class, this study was conducted for 12 weeks in a rural elementary school. Digital storytelling was selected and utilized in the after-school English class, as main teaching and learning tool. Guiding research questions were 1) what are the potential benefits and challenges of digital storytelling for young EFL learners when it is employed in a rural context as a language learning activity? i. e.) the change of motivation, reading, writing, listening, speaking ability, and 2) What does the English teacher find to be benefits and challenges of using a digital storytelling as pedagogical strategies in Korean EFL classroom?. In order to answer those questions, a survey questionnaire on students’ learning attitude was distributed, and pre- and post-test were employed to investigate the difference in terms of the ability of reading, writing, listening and speaking over time. In addition, student’s reflective self-evaluation log, teacher’s lecture report, classroom observation and in/formal interviews with focal students and the teacher were also collected to figure out the factors which gave an influence to students and the teacher. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed based on the characteristics of each data set. The quantitative data results indicated that students show overall improvement in academic performance in terms of reading, writing, listening and speaking. In addition to English proficiency, the learning attitude and motivation toward English learning was elevated, followed by the increase of their critical, creative thinking, and digital literacy skills. The other results of qualitative data highlighted that the English teacher and students were satisfied with the learning experience with digital storytelling in that it played a key role in motivating the learning process and was an effective tool for active learning. To sum up, it seems clear that the digital storytelling activity, as integrated instructional strategy has the potential to shed light on helping EFL learners in a rural school to develop English skills as well as to change their learning attitude toward studying English. In addition, digital storytelling also increased skills other than academic skills related to learning English, and it also helped to improve students’ communicative ability, encouraging their collaboration, motivation and creativity to be heightened

Enhancing pre-service ESL teachers’ computer competency in an online learning environment: a web portfolio approach to learning and assessment in Malaysia

Studies have shown positive outcomes and benefits of using Web portfolios to document teacher learning and professional development. In particular, Web portfolios have potential for displaying evidence of a teacher’s competency in using multimedia and a range of online tools. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of Web portfolios as a learning and assessment tool by pre-service English as a second language (ESL) teachers in a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) course offered at a Malaysian university. Web portfolios were introduced as part of the CALL course for two main purposes: firstly, as a learning tool to enhance future ESL teachers’ competency in integrating computer applications; and secondly, as an assessment tool to evaluate future ESL teachers’ competency in integrating computer applications to achieve the objectives of the CALL course. Participants in the study were 128 pre-service ESL teachers who were recruited based on their enrolment in the CALL course. The course lecturer also participated in the study in collaboration with the researcher with a view to integrating Web portfolios into the CALL course. The pre-service ESL teachers’ learning experiences in the 14-week CALL course were studied through mixed method sequential explanatory design that employed quantitative and qualitative measures. Data was obtained from questionnaires (a prequestionnaire and a post-questionnaire), interviews and an analysis of Web portfolios. This study found that Web portfolios have a positive impact on the participants’ self-perceived computer competency. There were also promising outcomes in the use of Web portfolios as a learning and assessment tool for future CALL practitioners. Although there were challenging issues confronting the development of Web portfolios in this study such as time investment, unfamiliarity with the portfolio concept, inadequate computer skills and lack of practice, these challenges can be overcome through proper introduction and increased Web portfolio practices particularly when Web portfolios have become more established within the context of the study

Perceptions, practices, and attitudes on the use of technology in the English as a Foreign Language classroom: The iPad in the Andorran school system

Over the years, computers and mobile devices have transformed the way the English language is taught at school. While numerous bodies of literature are available globally regarding computer- and mobile-aided language learning, this field has never been explored in the local context of Andorra. This research thus aims to study the teachers’ and students’ perceptions, practices, and attitudes on the use of iPads in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in the Andorran school system. Guided by the interpretive-constructivist paradigm, it uses qualitative research design, employing ethnography as its methodology, to gather detailed and grounded answers to the research questions. Classroom observations, semi-structured focus group interviews, and questionnaires were used to collect data from English teachers and EFL students of the first and second levels of Andorran secondary schools. Qualitative data analysis and descriptive statistics were carried out to process the information. Findings reveal that the users have positive perceptions towards the use of iPads in English classes and the technology is used primarily to accomplish tasks identified in the course curriculum guidelines. Their attitudes are mostly favorable towards iPads especially due to the perceived benefits of inclusivity, flexibility, increased engagement, and more efficient production of better outputs. However, there are also some drawbacks identified, such as distraction, dependency, and saturation. Further studies are recommended to explore the benefits of using tablets in educational management and technology.Al llarg dels anys, els ordinadors i els dispositius mòbils han transformat la manera d’ensenyar anglès a l’escola. Tot i que hi ha força bibliografia disponible d’àmbit mundial sobre l’aprenentatge de llengües assistit per ordinador i dispositius mòbils, aquest camp no ha estat mai explorat en el context local d’Andorra. Aquesta investigació pretén, doncs, estudiar les percepcions, les pràctiques i les actituds dels professors i dels estudiants sobre l’ús dels iPads a les classes d’anglès del sistema educatiu andorrà. Guiat pel paradigma interpretatiu i constructivista, l’estudi segueix el disseny de la investigació qualitativa, emprant l’etnografia com a metodologia, per recollir respostes detallades i fonamentades a les preguntes de la investigació. Per recopilar dades del professorat d’anglès i dels estudiants de primer i segon nivell de secundària de les escoles del sistema educatiu andorrà, s’han utilitzat observacions a l’aula, entrevistes de grups focals semiestructurades i qüestionaris. Per processar la informació, s’han dut a terme anàlisis qualitatives de dades i estadístiques descriptives. Les conclusions revelen que els usuaris tenen percepcions positives sobre l’ús dels iPads a les classes d’anglès i que la tecnologia s’empra principalment per dur a terme tasques identificades a les directrius del currículum del curs. Les actituds dels usuaris són majoritàriament favorables envers els iPads, sobretot a causa dels beneficis percebuts d’inclusivitat, flexibilitat, millor interacció i producció més eficient dels treballs encomanats. No obstant això, també s’han identificat alguns inconvenients, com ara la distracció, la dependència i la saturació. Es recomanen estudis addicionals per explorar els avantatges de l’ús de tauletes tàctils en gestió i tecnologia educatives

Mobile learning experience and self-directed learning readiness on mobile task-based activity performance: a case study among postgraduate students

Mobile devices have a wide array of capabilities, including accessing unlimited information and self-learning for students. This study aimed to identify postgraduate students' experiences performing task-based activities on mobile devices and preparing for self-directed learning. This mobile task-based activity is an educational practice that combines education and assessment. The researcher used a targeted sample of 34 postgraduates from a public university in Malaysia. This study used a mixed-method case study design with qualitative and quantitative data for triangulation. The researcher gathered quantitative data through online questionnaires and evaluations based on mobile devices. Questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-sample analyses, while mobile-based assessments were analyzed using a rubric. Qualitative data were collected through learning logbooks, reflective writing, and semistructured interviews and analyzed thematically. The survey results of descriptive statistical analysis have shown that students’ prior knowledge and learning experience using mobile technology is more modest. However, post-study findings prove that students who use laptops and smartphones for task-based activities on mobile devices gain more experience. The Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test showed that students’ post-test readiness for self-directed learning was more significant than the pre-test. Assessments of mobile devices indicate that students perform at an advanced and competent level. Thus, this study shows that mobile task-based activities can improve students’ learning experiences in a significant way and develop self-directed learning skills. These results could assist further studies on mobile devices for learning and assessment purposes. The implications of this research are to cultivate students' experience of meaningful mobile learning and self-directed learning skills

Online language teaching research : pedagogical, academic and institutional issues

With the growth of Internet technologies, online-based foreign language curricula are being introduced at large numbers of institutions internationally. This peer-reviewed volume, geared towards a broad audience, presents innovative research on online language teaching, with chapters by highly engaged scholars and practitioners from the U.S. and Europe, with a strong background in applied linguistics and language pedagogy. Questions addressed include: the (dis)advantages of non-traditional delivery modes; the coexistence of online-based approaches with other modes of instruction; promoting student motivation and involvement; ‘quality’ and assessment of online-based curriculum and teaching; student and instructor expectations; and design and administration of online language curricula

International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022

This conference proceedings gathers work and research presented at the International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022 (IASSC2022) held on July 3, 2022, in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. The conference was jointly organized by the Faculty of Information Management of Universiti Teknologi MARA Kelantan Branch, Malaysia; University of Malaya, Malaysia; Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta, Indonesia; Universitas Ngudi Waluyo, Indonesia; Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines; and UCSI University, Malaysia. Featuring experienced keynote speakers from Malaysia, Australia, and England, this proceeding provides an opportunity for researchers, postgraduate students, and industry practitioners to gain knowledge and understanding of advanced topics concerning digital transformations in the perspective of the social sciences and information systems, focusing on issues, challenges, impacts, and theoretical foundations. This conference proceedings will assist in shaping the future of the academy and industry by compiling state-of-the-art works and future trends in the digital transformation of the social sciences and the field of information systems. It is also considered an interactive platform that enables academicians, practitioners and students from various institutions and industries to collaborate

The use of social media platforms for foreign language learning in adult and community education

The ubiquity of digital technologies in everyday life have transformed the landscape of education. Emerging digital tools are often used to facilitate teaching and learning in a range of ways, arguably providing opportunities for inclusion and access to diverse sources of information and knowledge. The advent of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp has attracted scholarly attention both in terms of the ways in which people communicate in everyday life as well as in their potential in language learning settings. Although a lot of research has been conducted on the use of social media in higher education, there is no evidence on the impact of these digital platforms in the Adult and Community Learning (ACL) context. This thesis contributes to the under-researched field of ACL by investigating the use of Facebook and WhatsApp by two groups of language learners in an adult education centre in the UK. It explores the opportunities that social media (in this case, Facebook and WhatsApp) can provide in terms of student-to-student and teacher-to-student interaction and also points to their limitations. Following a case study design, pre- and post-questionnaires, online observation, and semi-structured interviews were used to elicit data for the study. A key methodological contribution of this thesis is the systematic combination of two analytical frameworks (i.e. the Community of Inquiry framework, and the framework for the analysis of sharing practices) to analyse teachers’ and learners’ online contributions. This study examines students’ perceptions of using these digital platforms for language learning purposes and provides an empirical account of the extent to which (and how) learners and teachers interact with each other in these online environments. The analysis pointed to a mismatch between students’ perceptions of the benefits of digital platforms for language learning and their online behaviour and foregrounded the importance of a set of contextual factors in the effective use of social media affordances for language learning