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Eurocall Conference Coleraine, 5-8 September 2007 ICT as a tool to support learner autonomy

Eurocall Conference Coleraine, 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 Arts Leiden University. Contents of this presentation General background

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Eurocall Conference Coleraine, 5-8 September 2007 ICT as a tool to support learner autonomy

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  1. Eurocall Conference Coleraine, 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 Arts Leiden University

  2. Contents of this presentation • General background • The INTUIT project • Pilots at Leiden University • The European Language Portfolio • Technical issues • Evaluation • Conclusions • Further experiments

  3. Generalbackground • 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

  4. Average reading skills level Distribution of scores and cut-off scores vwo examination 2004 (upper secondary school, pre-university) in English

  5. Average listening skills level Distribution of scores and cut-off scores vwo examination 2005 (upper secondary school, pre-university) in English

  6. Dialang test results Leiden University Language Centre

  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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. How did students record the monologues? • Sanako digital recorder in the language lab • Odeo (freeware, web based), Audacity (downloadable) • Mp3 players with recording function

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. Results of the students’ evaluation (II) • Students found the ELP not so user friendly • Students prefer online coaching in combination with regular lessons

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. Questions? Alessandra Corda a.corda@let.leidenuniv.nl Annemiek Wegman a.wegman@let.leidenuniv.nl

  19. Text of presentation http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/pdf/icto/eurocall2007_oralskillstraining.ppt

  20. 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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