Telecollaboration in multimodal environments: the impact on task design and learner interaction

With the development of new digital technologies and their gradual introduction into the language classroom, the Internet enables students to reach out beyond the confines of traditional teaching and learning settings, allowing previously non-existent access to foreign languages and cultures. On the one hand, the web allows learners to find authentic information and expand their knowledge; on the other, computer-mediated communication tools enable students to establish contact with target language learners and native speakers by engaging in telecollaborative exchanges. The tools at students' disposal are becoming increasingly more powerful, often combining different modes of communication in one single environment. In 2005, students of French at Carnegie Mellon University, US and French learners at the Open University, UK worked synchronously and asynchronously in online environments with native francophone students enrolled on a masters' programme in distance education at the Universit de Franche Comt, France. Completing a set of three collaborative tasks, synchronous meetings took place over 10 weeks in the Open University's online audio-graphic tuition environment Lyceum, which provides multiple synchronous audio channels as well as synchronous text chat and several shared graphical interfaces. In addition to the output produced in this medium (oral, written and graphic) in the target languages (French and English), the project output, a shared reflection on cultural similarities and differences, took the form of several collaborative, asynchronous blogs. This contribution draws on data from pre- and post- treatment questionnaires, recordings of the online interactions, work published by the students in the blogs and discussions among learner and tutor participants exploring aspects of online partnership learning such as learning environment-specific affordances and their impact on task design as well as student and tutor perceptions of connectivity and interactivity

Item-level learning analytics: Ensuring quality in an online French course

Learning analytics (LA) offer benefits and challenges for online learning, but prior to collecting data on high-stakes summative assessments as proof of student learning, LA researchers should engage instructors as partners to ensure the quality of course materials through the formative evaluation of individual items (Bienkowski et al., 2012; Dyckhoff et al., 2013; Mantra, 2019; van Leeuwen, 2015). This exploratory study describes a visualization tool that provides actionable data for early intervention with students, and actionable data highlighting odd patterns in student responses (Chatti et al., 2012; Gibson & de Freitas, 2016; Morgenthaler, 2009; Pei et al., 2017), thus allowing instructors to make full use of their teaching skillset in the online environment as they would in a traditional classroom (Davis & Varma, 2008; Dunbar, et al., 2014; Grossman & Thompson, 2008; Lockyer et al., 2013). To answer research questions related to the value of learning analytics and their use in making informed decisions about student learning, a visualization tool was developed for and piloted in an online French course. The findings suggest that using this tool can lead not only to intervention with low- achieving students but can also determine if students struggle due to poor course materials

CALL and second language acquisition: The use of the Reader computer program to improve student proficiency in French

Since the 1960s, educational tools which incorporate the latest technological developments have expanded at an enormous rate. Consequently, in many classrooms, attempts are being made to integrate multi-media technology into the curriculum. The personal computer is one aspect of this technological expansion which has become increasingly prevalent, and the computer\u27s importance in the classroom has grown. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the use of the computer in second language learning, particularly in a university context. A computer program, referred to as the Reader , was developed by faculty and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania. The Reader is an interactive computer program which presents texts and related reading exercises to the student. In addition, the program provides the student with cultural and grammatical background information and an on-line dictionary. The basic assumption underlying this research was that an interactive computer reading program, designed for use in the foreign language classroom, would positively influence college students\u27 overall proficiency in French. During the course of one semester, students used the Reader\u27s texts and exercises weekly in an attempt to improve their overall language proficiency. Potential changes in students\u27 proficiency as a result of using a computerized reading program may be explained with reference to three distinct areas of research. These include: computer-based education, especially studies in CALL; reading models, most particularly readability theory; and the environmental factors of input, interaction and feedback in SLA and CALL. The results of this study show that the experimental group did not statistically outperform the control group on any of the tests used for the research. Certain factors which may explain the lack of significant improvement by the experimental group need to be studied before considering the full-scale implementation of CALL materials. Examples of these factors are student familiarity and acceptance of CALL, the ergonomics of the computer and the program, and the application of the materials

CALL and second language acquisition: The use of the Reader computer program to improve student proficiency in French

Since the 1960s, educational tools which incorporate the latest technological developments have expanded at an enormous rate. Consequently, in many classrooms, attempts are being made to integrate multi-media technology into the curriculum. The personal computer is one aspect of this technological expansion which has become increasingly prevalent, and the computer\u27s importance in the classroom has grown. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the use of the computer in second language learning, particularly in a university context. A computer program, referred to as the Reader , was developed by faculty and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania. The Reader is an interactive computer program which presents texts and related reading exercises to the student. In addition, the program provides the student with cultural and grammatical background information and an on-line dictionary. The basic assumption underlying this research was that an interactive computer reading program, designed for use in the foreign language classroom, would positively influence college students\u27 overall proficiency in French. During the course of one semester, students used the Reader\u27s texts and exercises weekly in an attempt to improve their overall language proficiency. Potential changes in students\u27 proficiency as a result of using a computerized reading program may be explained with reference to three distinct areas of research. These include: computer-based education, especially studies in CALL; reading models, most particularly readability theory; and the environmental factors of input, interaction and feedback in SLA and CALL. The results of this study show that the experimental group did not statistically outperform the control group on any of the tests used for the research. Certain factors which may explain the lack of significant improvement by the experimental group need to be studied before considering the full-scale implementation of CALL materials. Examples of these factors are student familiarity and acceptance of CALL, the ergonomics of the computer and the program, and the application of the materials