Integrating Digital Technology in an Intensive, Fully Online College Course for Japanese Beginning Learners: A Standards-Based, Performance-Driven Approach.

• Autores: Eriko Sato, Julian Cheng Chiang Chen, Sarah Jourdain
• Localización: Modern language journal, ISSN 0026-7902, Vol. 101, Nº 4, 2017, págs. 756-775
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen

  • The development of distance learning courses for less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) oftenmeets with instructional challenges, especially for Asian LCTLs with their distinct non-Roman characters and structures. This study documents the implementation of a fully online, elementary Japanese course at Stony Brook University. The curriculum was designed around the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages's (ACTFL)World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages; performance-driven assessments; and task-supported, technology-enhanced principles. Asynchronous and synchronous tools were incorporated to facilitate task delivery and reduce the virtual isolation of learners. A simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) was conducted for the online students in order to compare their oral performance with that of the face-to-face (F2F) cohort in the preceding semester. Quantitative results show that online students outperformed their F2F counterparts in most of the Integrated Performance Assessment's scoring criteria, with a statistically significant difference in the criterion "Communication strategies." Survey results indicate students' positive attitudes toward language gains and corroborate the qualitative results gleaned from student learning journals and survey responses: Students' sense of isolation was replaced by a sense of co-presence. We conclude that developing an online LCTL course, though challenging, is feasible and maximizes outcomes through the synergy of multimodal digital platforms, and a standards-based, task-driven curriculum design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]