A Review of Accent-Based Automatic Speech Recognition Models for E-Learning Environment

The adoption of electronics learning (e-learning) as a method of disseminating knowledge in the global educational system is growing at a rapid rate, and has created a shift in the knowledge acquisition methods from the conventional classrooms and tutors to the distributed e-learning technique that enables access to various learning resources much more conveniently and flexibly. However, notwithstanding the adaptive advantages of learner-centric contents of e-learning programmes, the distributed e-learning environment has unconsciously adopted few international languages as the languages of communication among the participants despite the various accents (mother language influence) among these participants. Adjusting to and accommodating these various accents has brought about the introduction of accents-based automatic speech recognition into the e-learning to resolve the effects of the accent differences. This paper reviews over 50 research papers to determine the development so far made in the design and implementation of accents-based automatic recognition models for the purpose of e-learning between year 2001 and 2021. The analysis of the review shows that 50% of the models reviewed adopted English language, 46.50% adopted the major Chinese and Indian languages and 3.50% adopted Swedish language as the mode of communication. It is therefore discovered that majority of the ASR models are centred on the European, American and Asian accents, while unconsciously excluding the various accents peculiarities associated with the less technologically resourced continents

The Proceedings of the International Civil Aviation English Association (2019) Conference

Hosted by All Nippon Airways (ANA) in Chiba, Tokyo, Japan, the 2019 International Civil Aviation English Association (ICAEA) annual conference focused on exploring the aviation English training needs of ab-initio pilots and air traffic controllers, as well as aircraft maintenance personnel. Globally, much of the demand for new pilots and air traffic controllers is located in areas of world for which English is not a first or national language. Exploring this resulting need to train non-native English speaking personnel was a primary focus of the 2019 ICAEA conference, including consideration of the language proficiency required for success in initial training, test design and implementation, instructional techniques, and the actual language used by this target population. Further, although the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) do not directly apply to maintenance personnel, the widespread use of English in the international aviation maintenance industry necessitates language-training solutions. For the first time, the ICAEA conference included a specific track for presenters to share their knowledge and experience related to training aircraft maintenance personnel which, until now, has been an underrepresented and underdeveloped area of aviation English. The conference featured plenary presentations, Q&A panels, and practical workshops. More than 100 participants from over 35 countries attended ICAEA’s first event in Asia in seven years. Attendees included representatives from airlines, flight training organizations (FTOs), air navigation service providers (ANSPs), civil aviation authorities (CAAs), universities, and training and testing providers from all over the world. These proceedings feature six articles written by seven of the presenters, summarizing their practical experiences and research findings which were shared at the conference. This publication is recommended to anyone interested in aeronautical communication. The accompanying presentation materials, as well as shorter summaries of other presentations and workshops, can be found on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Scholarly Commons page

Expectations eclipsed in foreign language education: learners and educators on an ongoing journey / edited by Hülya Görür-Atabaş, Sharon Turner.

Between June 2-4, 2011 Sabancı University School of Languages welcomed colleagues from 21 different countries to a collaborative exploration of the challenging and inspiring journey of learners and educators in the field of language education.\ud \ud The conference provided an opportunity for all stakeholders to share their views on language education. Colleagues met with world-renowned experts and authors in the fields of education and psychology, faculty and administrators from various universities and institutions, teachers from secondary educational backgrounds and higher education, as well as learners whose voices are often not directly shared but usually reported.\ud \ud The conference name, Eclipsing Expectations, was inspired by two natural phenomena, a solar eclipse directly before the conference, and a lunar eclipse, immediately after. Learners and educators were hereby invited to join a journey to observe, learn and exchange ideas in orde

Combining translation into the second language and second language learning : an integrated computational approach

This thesis explores the area where translation and language learning intersects. However, this intersection is not one in the traditional sense of second language teaching: where translation is used as a means for learning a foreign language. This thesis treats translating into the foreign language as a separate entity, one that is as important as learning the foreign language itself. Thus the discussion in this thesis is especially relevant to an academic institution which contemplates training foreign language learners who can perform translation into the foreign language at a professional level. The thesis concentrates on developing a pedagogical model which can achieve the goal of fostering linguistic competence and translation competence at the same time. It argues that constructing such a model under a computerised framework is a viable approach, since the task of translation nowadays relies heavily on all kinds o

Trialing project-based learning in a new EAP ESP course: A collaborative reflective practice of three college English teachers

Currently in many Chinese universities, the traditional College English course is facing the risk of being ‘marginalized’, replaced or even removed, and many hours previously allocated to the course are now being taken by EAP or ESP. At X University in northern China, a curriculum reform as such is taking place, as a result of which a new course has been created called ‘xue ke’ English. Despite the fact that ‘xue ke’ means subject literally, the course designer has made it clear that subject content is not the target, nor is the course the same as EAP or ESP. This curriculum initiative, while possibly having been justified with a rationale of some kind (e.g. to meet with changing social and/or academic needs of students and/or institutions), this is posing a great challenge for, as well as considerable pressure on, a number of College English teachers who have taught this single course for almost their entire teaching career. In such a context, three teachers formed a peer support group in Semester One this year, to work collaboratively co-tackling the challenge, and they chose Project-Based Learning (PBL) for the new course. This presentation will report on the implementation of this project, including the overall designing, operational procedure, and the teachers’ reflections. Based on discussion, pre-agreement was reached on the purpose and manner of collaboration as offering peer support for more effective teaching and learning and fulfilling and pleasant professional development. A WeChat group was set up as the chief platform for messaging, idea-sharing, and resource-exchanging. Physical meetings were supplementary, with sound agenda but flexible time, and venues. Mosoteach cloud class (lan mo yun ban ke) was established as a tool for virtual learning, employed both in and after class. Discussions were held at the beginning of the semester which determined only brief outlines for PBL implementation and allowed space for everyone to autonomously explore in their own way. Constant further discussions followed, which generated a great deal of opportunities for peer learning and lesson plan modifications. A reflective journal, in a greater or lesser detailed manner, was also kept by each teacher to record the journey of the collaboration. At the end of the semester, it was commonly recognized that, although challenges existed, the collaboration was overall a success and they were all willing to continue with it and endeavor to refine it to be a more professional and productive approach

Persian ITAs and Speech Comprehensibility: Using CAPT for Pronunciation Improvement

Abstract It has been shown in the past that International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) struggle with phonological and communication issues in the classroom (Pickering, 1999; 2001). This issue leads to misunderstandings between ITAs and undergraduate students, frustrating them both as well as the parents of the students and the departments. However, studies have shown that with the right training, ITAs can focus on suprasegmental features, improving their speech comprehensibility and intelligibility (Gorusch, 2011). This study investigates the effect of Computer Assisted Pronunciation Teaching (CAPT) via tutorial videos and visual feedback on the improvement of ITAs’ speech comprehensibility. Across 5 US universities, 60 Persian ITAs, a video group (n=20), a visual feedback group(n=21), and a control group (n=19), completed an oral production pretest and recorded five diagnostic sentences plus spontaneous speech files. Over the next six weeks, all groups received in-person non-CAPT instruction, but the video group received and watched extra eight tutorial videos designed to target suprasegmental features and the feedback group was exposed to Praat visual feedback. Participants were also paired with a pronunciation tutor who provided instruction and feedback once a week. A perception posttest was administered, and the same 5 sentences with the spontaneous talk were once again recorded. The pre-and post-treatment sentences were then rated by 169 undergraduate students for comprehensibility. The findings of this study provide a greater understanding of how explicit instruction of pronunciation through CAPT can improve the speech comprehensibility of ITAs. The number of international people in academic and professional contexts is rising, it is necessary to guide them through appropriate instruction to improve their communication quality. The results of this study suggest that even short intervention programs that include targeted in-person tutoring, tutorial videos, and visual feedback may improve ITAs’ communications. Results also imply the need for pronunciation support for ITAs in their respective academic institutions

Are we there yet? A qualitative study of ACTFL's 3 Ps in content and instructional strategies used to develop intercultural communicative competence in the foreign language classroom.

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) sets cultural understanding as one of the five primary goals for foreign language study and further divides this category into 3 Ps: products, practices and perspectives. This qualitative study investigated how the 3 Ps, especially practices, are represented in course materials, what training teachers receive to develop instructional strategies and assessment in the 3 Ps, and to what degree 3 P content is presented and assessed in the foreign language classroom. Content developers of foreign language textbooks were interviewed to understand their decision making process regarding content, particularly cultural content, and their relationship to researchers and teachers. Faculty in educational institutions that provide teacher education were interviewed to determine to what degree their courses prepare teachers to cover the 3 Ps: cultural material selection, teaching strategies, and assessment of intercultural communicative competence. K-12 teachers of a variety of foreign languages were interviewed to determine the status of the 3 Ps in their classrooms: degree of integration, time spent finding culturally relevant authentic materials, instructional strategies used and weight given in the assessment of intercultural communicative competence, and the value they place on this type of content in comparison to traditional items of vocabulary and grammar. The results of this study found that the coverage of "practices", particularly sociolinguistic information, is extremely low. Content developers have included more culture such as lifestyle practices and perspectives in supplemental videos, but teachers still spend substantial time creating their own cultural content and the majority do not assess culture in unit exams. The results of this study reveal that foreign language instruction still focuses heavily on academic language with minimal development of intercultural communicative competence. This study identifies areas of improvement to provide teachers with the tools and expertise needed for a more thorough coverage of the 3 Ps, particularly sociolinguistic practices, an essential component to develop intercultural communicative competence