Optimizing Online English Language Learning and Teaching

Description

This book focuses on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and provides advice on how to approach EFL teaching in the online context. Coronavirus has accelerated e-learning significantly and has highlighted the need of appropriate web tools that will allow teachers to present their material either synchronously or asynchronously, while also adequately assess their students. At the same time, there is a need of tools that can engage the students and motivate them to actively participate in the lesson. With e-learning being a rather new challenge for both teachers and students, this book provides research- and practice- based chapters with strategies, techniques, approaches, and methods which have proven to be successful in e-learning environments, maximizing their impact . Apart from presenting research results with strong pedagogical implications on online or blended English language learning and teaching, the book also trains educators on utilizing online tools and managing online learning environments and platforms. Acknowledgements Contents Editors and Contributors About the Editors Contributors Introduction References Part I: Issues and Perceptions Adapting English Language Teaching: Moving Online During the COVID-19 Crisis 1 Introduction 1.1 Personal Teaching Environments in English Language Teaching: Digital Tools and Applications for Language Teaching 2 Method 2.1 Participants 2.2 Instruments and Procedure 3 Results 3.1 Effects of the COVID-19 Crisis on English Language Teaching 3.2 Perceived Effect of the Changes Due to COVID-19 Crisis on the Methodology 3.3 Most Frequent Platforms, Online Tools and Digital Genres in Emergency Remote English Language Teaching 3.4 Possible Effect of Online Practices in Future Language Teaching in Higher Education 4 Discussion 5 Conclusion References Exploring Teachers’ Capacity to Engage with Remote English Language Teaching Environments: The Interface Between Theory and Practice 1 Introduction 2 Literature Review 2.1 Barriers to Technology Use Pre-pandemic 2.2 Emergency Remote Teaching 2.3 Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) 2.4 Moving Forward with TPACK 3 Methodology 3.1 Participants 3.2 Instruments and Procedures 3.3 Data analysis 4 Findings 4.1 Moving Forward with TPACK 4.2 Teacher Support and Training 4.3 Teacher and Student Wellbeing 5 Discussion 5.1 Moving Forward with TPACK 5.2 Teacher Support and Training 5.3 Teacher and Student Wellbeing 6 Concluding Remarks and Further Research Appendix: Open-Ended Questionnaire References Positive Surprises and Particular Struggles: A Case Study Exploring Students’ Adjustment to Emergency Online Learning and Associated Emotions 1 Introduction, Context, and Purpose 2 Literature Review 2.1 Role Adjustment 2.2 Synchronous Online Learning (SOL) 2.3 Emotions in Learning 3 Methodology 3.1 Context and Participants 3.2 Data Collection 3.3 Data Analysis 3.3.1 Coding: Role Adjustment 3.3.2 Coding: Emotions 4 Results and Discussion 4.1 Social 4.2 Teacher 4.3 Self 4.4 Course 4.5 Technology 4.6 Other 5 Conclusion and Pedagogical Implications Appendix 1: Example of Coding Appendix 2: Representative Examples of Students’ Comments for Each Role Adjustment Category and Associated Emotions References Students’ Perceptions of Digital Oral Skills Development in ESP University Students: Strengths and Weaknesses in Digital Communication in the COVID World 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Framework 3 Method 3.1 Participants 3.2 Materials and Instruments 3.3 Procedures 4 Analysis of Results 4.1 ESP University Students’ Perceptions About Their Command of Digital Oral Skills 4.2 ESP University Students’ Perceptions About Their Strengths and Weaknesses When Building Effective Digital Oral Communication 5 Discussion and Conclusions 6 Pedagogical Implications Appenxdix A Oral Presentation Self-Assessment Sheet References Language MOOCs as an Emerging Field of Research: From Theory to Practice 1 Introduction 2 Openness and Social Language Learning 2.1 Social Learning 3 MOOCs and Language MOOCs 3.1 Best Practice in LMOOCs 3.1.1 LMOOC Types and Learning Scenarios 3.1.2 Key Elements and Functionalities in LMOOCs 4 Conclusions References A Model for Scaffolded Technology-Enhanced Oral Communicative Tasks 1 Introduction 2 Model Origins 3 Task-Based Language Teaching 4 Defining Technology-Mediated Tasks 5 Existing Technology-Mediated TBLT Models 6 Model for Scaffolded Technology-Enhanced Oral Communicative Tasks 7 Online TBLT Example Lesson Following the Model 7.1 Curricular Context 7.2 Course-Level and Module-Level Objectives (CLOs and MLOs) 7.3 Preliminary Asynchronous Task: Presentation of a Favorite Location and Items 7.4 Accompanying Task Support and Live Session Document 7.5 Core Task Synchronous Session: Online Shopping and Advice Giving (50 min) 7.6 Post-session Instructions 7.7 Post-session Asynchronous Follow-Up Task: Helping with and Making the Final Purchase Decision 7.8 Additional Follow-Up Ideas to the Core Synchronous Task 8 Additional Considerations 8.1 Language Focus 8.2 Assessment 8.3 Hybrid Course Adaptation 8.4 Time 8.5 Tools and Platforms 9 Conclusion References Transition to Online Assessment: Opportunities and Challenges for Language Lecturers in the EFL Tertiary Context 1 Introduction 2 Literature Review 3 Research Questions 4 Methodology 4.1 Research Design 4.2 Research Context and Participants 4.3 Data Collection and Procedure 5 Data Analysis 6 Results 7 Discussion 8 Conclusion and Implications 9 Further Research References Designing for Equity: Enhancing Opportunities for Online English Language Instruction via Universal Design and Accessible Instruction 1 Introduction 1.1 Accessibility, Equality, or Equity? 1.1.1 Why Does this Matter for Online English Instruction? 2 Literature on English Learners 2.1 Looking Forward 3 Principles of Inclusive, Accessible Design 3.1 Universal Design for Learning 3.1.1 UDL Principle: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement 3.1.2 UDL Principle: Provide Multiple Means of Representation 3.1.3 UDL Principle: Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression 3.2 Technical Web Accessibility 3.3 Meeting Learners’ Needs 3.3.1 Learner Needs Schematics 3.3.2 Learner Needs 4 Opportunities for Implementing Equitable and Accessible Instructional Design for Online English Instruction 4.1 Educator Preparation 4.2 Accessible English Language Instruction and Assessment for Learning 4.3 Accessibility, Accommodations, and Assistive Technology for Online English Instruction 5 Conclusion and Implications References Part II: Practices and Future Envisions Flipped Teaching Through a Massive Open Online Course and a Debate Project for Learners of English at University: A Case Study 1 Introduction 2 Participants 3 Instruments 4 Context and Distribution of Time 5 Teaching Approaches Implemented 5.1 Flipped Teaching 5.2 MOOC 5.3 The Debate Project 6 Results from the Surveys and Discussion 6.1 Pre-questionnaires 6.1.1 LMOOC 6.1.2 Debate 6.2 Post-questionnaires 6.2.1 LMOOC 6.2.2 Debate 6.2.3 Flipped Teaching 7 Conclusions References Exploring Moodle Effectiveness to Foster Online ESP During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Task Performance and Students’ Perceptions in Online Language Learning Contexts 1 Introduction 1.1 Higher Education and the COVID-19 Context 1.2 Digital Learning Tasks: WebQuests, TalenQuests, Cybertasks, and Lessons 1.3 Aim and Research Questions 2 Method 2.1 Participants 2.2 Measurement Instruments 2.3 Pedagogical Treatment 2.4 Data Collection and Analysis 3 Results and Discussion 4 Conclusions, Limitations, and Further Research Appendix A: Lesson Sections Screenshots (Introduction and ACT) References Developing Speaking Proficiency in Online Courses Through Tabletop Role-Playing Games 1 Games and their Use in Language Learning 1.1 Games as a Tool for Building Motivation 1.2 Games as a Tool for Developing Linguistic and Communicative Skills 1.3 Types of Games for Language Learning 1.4 Criticism of Games for Language Learning 1.5 Adapting Games for Online Language Learning 1.6 Tabletop Role-Playing Games in Online Language Learning Contexts 2 Method 3 Results 4 Discussion 5 Conclusion References Digitalizing a Multimodal Genre-Based Approach to Teaching Elevator Pitch: Pedagogical Implications and Students’ Experiences 1 Introduction 2 A Multimodal Approach to Teaching Elevator Pitch Presentations 3 Methodology 3.1 Context 3.2 Instrument 4 Pedagogical Implementation 5 Students’ Learning Experience: Results and Discussion 6 Conclusion References Optimizing English Pronunciation of German Students Online and with Praat 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Background 2.1 The Problem: The Production of /θ/ in German Learners of English 2.2 Praat and Its Role in Pronunciation Learning and Teaching 2.3 Further Methodological Considerations 3 The Exercise 3.1 General Introduction to Praat 3.2 The Specific Exercise 4 Discussion 5 Conclusion References Developing L2 Reading Skills: The Advantages of Teacher-Algorithm Collaboration in Digital Learning Games 1 Introduction 1.1 Literacy Skills 1.2 Serious Games 1.3 Algorithmic vs Teacher-Led Sequence 2 Research Questions 3 Methodology 3.1 The Context 3.2 Participants 3.3 Design 3.4 Adaptivity 3.5 Measurements 3.5.1 Quantitative Measurements: System-External Data 3.5.2 Quantitative Measurements: System-Internal Data 3.5.3 Qualitative Measurements: Teachers’ Interviews 3.6 Statistical Analysis 4 Results 4.1 Research Question 1 4.2 Research Question 2 5 Discussion 5.1 Research Question 1. Impact of the Sequence Gameplay Experience and Learning 5.2 Research Question 2. Teachers’ Perception of Design, Adaptivity, and Learning 6 Limitations 7 Conclusions References Assessing L2 English Skills in an Online Environment: What Can This Look Like and How to Assess L2 English Writing Skills? 1 Introduction 2 Literature Review 2.1 The Need for an Online Assessment Tool 2.2 Assessing Writing 2.2.1 Two Holistic, Comparative Approaches: Comparative Judgment and Benchmark Texts 3 Context of the Study 4 Research Question 1 4.1 Methodology 4.1.1 Instruments and Procedure 4.1.2 Participants 4.1.3 Analysis 4.2 Results 5 Research Question 2 5.1 Study 1 5.1.1 Methodology 5.1.2 Results 5.2 Study 2 5.2.1 Methodology 5.2.2 Results 6 Discussion 7 Conclusion Appendix Appendix A: Teacher questionnaire Appendix B: Benchmark texts and descriptors for all levels References Using Speech-to-Text Applications for Assessing English Language Learners’ Pronunciation: A Comparison with Human Raters 1 Background of ASR and STT Technology 2 STT Technology in EFL Classroom 3 Constraints of STT Technology 4 A Study on Adult NNS Speech Recognition: Current Experiment Research Findings 4.1 Applications Analyzed in the Study 4.2 Accuracy of Pronunciation Assessment with STT Applications 4.2.1 Effect of Speech Task on Transcription Accuracy 4.2.2 Effect of Pronunciation Features on Transcription Accuracy 4.3 Reliability of Pronunciation Assessment with STT Applications 4.3.1 Correlation Between STT Application Evaluation and Human Rater Evaluation of NNS Pronunciation 4.3.2 Proficiency Level (CEFR) in the Context of Speech Assessment 4.4 Summary of Results 5 Practical Advice for Using STT Technology 6 Conclusion References A Checklist Proposal for Assessing the Potential of Language Teaching Apps 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Background and Literature Review 2.1 Types of Mobile Apps 2.2 Using Apps for Language Learning and Teaching: Advantages and Disadvantages 2.3 Apps Evaluation Rubrics in Literature 3 Checklist Proposal 4 Conclusions Appendix References