Characteristics of Effective Virtual/Online Language Programs STARTALK. March 9, 2013

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2 Characteristics of Effective Virtual/Online Language Programs STARTALK March 9, 2013

3 Virtual/Online Learning and STARTALK What do we know about STARTALK? The programs are of short duration The participants are K 16 learners of less commonly taught languages (and their teachers)

4 Virtual/Online Learning and STARTALK What do we know about virtual/online foreign language learning? Many see a need for more online foreign language learning opportunities Much of the academic research focuses on ESL or hypothetical SLA/language learning models

5 Defining Virtual/Online Learning Terms Virtual/online learning Online courses Face-to-face Blended/hybrid Online learning program

6 Research Questions What are the characteristics of effective online language learning programs? To what extent do programs identified as successful show characteristics of effective language learning as indicated by SLA research? What do effective programs show thatis missing from the research?

7 SLA Model of Language Learning Input Meaning making Output Noticing Intake & integration From Gass, 1997; Chapelle, 1998

8 What are the Essentials of Language Brown (2001) Learning? Motivation: Keep it relevant to students goals and needs. Affect: Students are developing L2 learner identities and taking risks when learning language. Transfer: L1 knowledge influences L2 knowledge. Culture-learning. Communicative competence. From Oxford, 2008

9 What are the Essentials of Language Ellis (2005) Learning? Formulaic learning & rule-based competence. Meaning first includes semantic and pragmatic meaning. Extensive input, extensive opportunity for output. Individual differences must be considered. From Oxford, 2008

10 What are the Essentials of Language Zhao & Lai (2007) Learning? Provide high-quality input. Provide ample opportunities for practice. Provide high-quality feedback. Individualize instruction. From Oxford, 2008

11 What is an Optimal Learning Environment? Student-centered Comprehensible (but challenging) input Active participation (comprehensible output) Meaning first, but do not forget form Community of learners

12 Method Sample: purposeful sampling selection Procedure Send invitations to purposefully selected groups Conduct an online survey using SurveyMonkey (thirteen questions) Follow-up questionnaire (fourteen questions) Data Analysis: constant comparative methods NCSSFL (National Council of State Supervisors for Languages) NCLCTL (National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages) NADSFL (National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages) ACTFL (Special Interest Groups) STARTALK 2012 programs

13 Q: What is your role in the program? Total respondents: 72 Other positions specified but not shown in the graphic: Coach Supervisor Teacher mentor

14 Q: What is the educational level of your program? Total respondents: 72

15 Q: Who is the provider of the online courses? Total respondents: 71

16 The Nature and Format of Online Language Courses Total respondents: 69 Summary of the academic year: Online language courses included French, Spanish, Chinese, Cambodian, Japanese, Korean, German, Polish, Turkish, Haitian, Arabic, Hindi, Latin, and Russian Format varied from hybrid/blended to fully online Target audiences included K-16 students and language teachers Proficiency level ranged from beginner (e.g., French 101) to advanced (e.g., Chinese V)

17 Q: Why do you offer online courses? Total respondents: 69 Other reasons given but not shown in the graphic: Provide more language learning opportunities for students Fulfill state/district virtual school requirements Offer professional development for teachers

18 Total respondents: 65 Materials Summary of the academic year: Language learning materials found in online teaching and learning platforms (e.g., Blackboard, textbook publisher websites, and Wimba Classroom) Textbooks (both print-based and electronic versions) In-house, self-developed materials Communication tools (e.g., Skype video conferencing)

19 Q: What is the ratio of tutor/coach to students in your courses? Total respondents: 65

20 Q: What types of communication do you use when tutoring students? Total respondents: 65

21 Q: What platforms do you use in your online language courses? Total respondents: 63 Other platforms specified but not shown on the graphic: Media tools: Voice Thread, Google apps, Skype, Adobe Connect Social network sites/social media: Facebook, Blogger, Edmodo Online learning: Schoology, Brainhoney, Sakai, Liveclassroom, Educere, Elluminate Teacher-developed websites

22 Q: Do you provide preprogram training/professional development for your online language instructors? Total respondents: 60 Yes: 52 (87 percent) A teacher training session A professional development course for online teaching Only trained in a short session where technology was the focus

23 Questionnaire Agreed to participate: 49 ed back responses: 11 Ten were teachers or teacher educators who had experience teaching or designing an online language course Student enrollment ranged from seven (French I) to seventy (Spanish I).

24 Components of a Typical Online Class A typical online class included: An introduction session (vocabulary building) An online tutoring session (synchronously or asynchronously) Aconversation practice session (conducted using Adobe Connect, Skype, phone, or personal websites) Average course length was six weeks in the summerand fifteen weeks in regular semester Time commitment expected of students ranged from four to twelve hours per week Formative assessments (i.e., comprehension check, online chat/discussion) Summative assessments (i.e., quizzes, tests, projects, products) Target language use ranged from 10 percent to 100 percent of the instruction time

25 Attitudes About Online Language Learning Face-to-Face (3 respondents) It is important for the students to see an instructor... to observe important paralingual means of communication such as gestures, mimicking... to receive instant assistance if needed. Hybrid/Blended (5 respondents) I favor the hybrid approach that we use in all of our classes. Online (2 respondents) I think online language program can be a good tool for student s language and help them sustain it throughout the year. AM9

26 Slide 25 AM9 Can you please double check this quote? Should it be "I think an online language..." or "I think online language programs can..." Also, it should be "students'" but if this is a verbetim quote, it'd be okay not to change it. Alicia McCarty, 3/5/2013

27 Q: What do you feel are some challenges to language learning in an online language learning program? Categories Participants responses Access Students not having updated computersor ample bandwidth in their schools or homes to view videos and listen to audio in the course Software and hardware(and infrastructure) needs for both instructors and students Motivation Lack of daily motivationcoming from a teacher in a regular face-to-face class Motivation and self-direction for students Teacher support Not having support teachers/assistants at the local site to deal with technology problems and to help the high school students stay on track Lack of immediate feedback from teachers The individual feedback that comes with dealing with a real live person Not enough visual/audio cueing Technology skills Technology skills for both instructor and student Effective use of tools for meeting outcomes

28 Q: What conditions/characteristics do you believe are most important for an online language program/course to be effective? In other words, if you had your own dream program for online language learning, what would its features be? Categories Teachers Instruction/Pedagogy Participants responses Teachers participation, availability, and feedback An effective teacher who is knowledgeable in content and pedagogy(world languages and online education) Plenty of visual and audio input Exercising the four skills Building a sense of community(teacher/student andstudent/student) 1:10 student/teacher ratio Adaptive exercises that would target a specific student s particular problems, not trap for global errors Standards-based instruction Design/Technology Infrastructure/Access Administration Thoughtful and careful design of look and content Totally interactive technology to allow for intelligent conversation mirroring that would mirror real conversation as opposed to instructional conversations No firewalls at public and private schools The ability for students to use phones in the classroom Administrative support for language learning Supportive and forward-thinking administration

29 Comments & Questions

30 References Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2011). Going the distance: Online education in the United States, 2011.Retrieved from Quahog Research Group, LLC and Babson Survey Research Group website: Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy(2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Chapelle, C. (1998). Multimedia CALL: Lessons to be learned from research on instructed SLA. Language Learning and Technology, (2), 1: Throughout the paper this name is spelled with two ps. Can you please double-check this spelling and fix the inconsistency? Ellis, R. (2005). Instructed second language acquisition: A literature review. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Ministry of Education. Gass, S. (1997). Input, interaction, and the second language learner. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. International Association for K-12 Online Learning (inacol). (2011). The online learning definitions project. Retrieved from Oxford, R. (2008). Conditions for second language (L2) learning. In N. Van Deusen-Scholl & N.H. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Language and Education (2nd ed., Vol. 4.), Second and foreign language education (pp ) Watson, J., Murin, A., Vashaw, L., Gemin, B., & Rapp, C. (2011). Keeping pace with K-12 online learning: An annual review of policy and practice. Retrieved from Evergreen Education Group website: Zhao, Y. & Lai, C. (2007). Technology and second language learning: Promises and problems. In L.A. Parker (Ed.), Technology-based Learning Environments for Young English Learners: In and Out of School Connections. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

31 Thank you!