Eurocall ConferenceColeraine, 5-8 September 2007
ICT as a tool to support learner autonomy
more opportunities for oral skills training outside classroom hours
Alessandra Corda, Annemiek Wegman
Faculty of ArtsLeiden University
Contents of this presentation
• General background• The INTUIT project• Pilots at Leiden University• The European Language Portfolio• Technical issues• Evaluation• Conclusions• Further experiments
General background
• English: language of instruction in almost all MA courses in the Netherlands
• Great demand for academic English courses (both students and staff)need for differentiation (foreign students) focus on speaking and writing
• Required level for MA: C1
• Average reading skills level at the end of secondary school: B2
Average reading skills level
Distribution of scores and cut-off scores vwo examination 2004 (upper secondary school, pre-university) in English
Average listening skills level
Distribution of scores and cut-off scores vwo examination 2005 (upper secondary school, pre-university) in English
Dialang test results
Leiden University Language Centre
Vocabulary Languagestructures
Listening Reading Writing
N = 219 N=219 N=218 N=213 N=215
A1 0 0 0 0 0
A2 1 2 3 1 10
B1 3 9 9 18 35
B2 111 108 52 66 100
C1 81 78 83 102 63
C2 23 22 71 26 7
The INTUIT project (I)
• 1-1-2006 – 01-04-2008
• 6 university language centres
• Development of an ICT enriched learning environment to support English for academic purposes
• No distance learning
• 2006: 12 pilot projects, 2007-2008: large scale implementation
The INTUIT project (II)
• Pedagogical aims: implementation Common European Framework and autonomous language learning
• Pilots:
Diagnostic testing (Dialang and Set 10)Language practice (Ellips and Academic Word
List)Guidance (web based version of the European
Language Portfolio, ELP: www.europeestaalportfolio.nl)
• Blackboard courses
English courses at the
University Language Centre
• Short-term courses (13 weeks, 3 hours per week)
• Target group: both Dutch and foreign students
• Dialang test as placement test, ELP
• Focus on productive skills (speaking and writing)
• Two pilots, March-June 2006 and September-December 2006
Pilots’ description
• Aims: Make students more aware of their English
speaking skills level Provide them with knowledge and instruments to
autonomously improve their English speaking skills
• Structure: Students assess their oral competence skills
(ELP) Students record and upload monologues Teacher provides written feedback
Self assessment through the ELP
• Dutch online version of the European Language Portfolio (validated in 2007)
• Demonstration (English version)
Student language portfolio Teacher language portfolio
How did students record the monologues?
• Sanako digital recorder in the language lab
• Odeo (freeware, web based), Audacity (downloadable)
• Mp3 players with recording function
Pilots with students and with staff:technical issues
• Problems in uploading audio files in the ELP, the programme was less user friendly than expected
• Different approach to technology; generation gap
• Reluctancy
Results of the students’ evaluation (I)
• 14 respondents
• Students are positive about the monologues and the feedback.
• Greater awareness of their strong/weak points, better knowledge about how to improve their English
• Students who did not use Dialang are negative about self-assessment through the ELP
• Students who used Dialang are more positive about the self-assessment through the ELP
Results of the students’ evaluation (II)
• Students found the ELP not so user friendly
• Students prefer online coaching in combination with regular lessons
Conclusions
• Most innovative aspect
speaking skills training is no longer restricted to classroom hours
• Positive points
Speaking skills training is longer and more intensive
Students repeat until they are satisfied and send their best recording
No relevant increase of teacher’s work
What next?
• New pilot with Blackboard, Dialang, SET 10 (oral skills telephone test) and ELP
• ELP only for self assessment, not for file exchanging and feedback (through Blackboard)
• A look into the new course
Text of presentation
http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/pdf/icto/eurocall2007_oralskillstraining.ppt
References
• Noijons, J. & Kuijper, H. (2006), Mapping the Dutch Foreign Language State Examinations onto the Common European Framework of Reference, CITO report http://toetswijzer.kennisnet.nl/html/cef/cito2006cefr.pdf
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