Gamification in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to Support Chinese Language Learning

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Hosny Saleh Metwally ◽  
Wang Yining
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Chinese Language Learning

A Comparative Study on Various Vocabulary Knowledge Scales for Predicting Vocabulary Pre-Knowledge

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Zou ◽  
Haoran Xie ◽  
Yanghui Rao ◽  
Tak-Lam Wong ◽  
Fu Lee Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Learning Resources ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Knowledge Levels

The world has encountered and witnessed the great popularity of various emerging e-learning resources such as massive open online courses (MOOCs), textbooks and videos with the development of the big data era. It is critical to understand the characteristics of users to assist them to find desired and relevant learning resources in such a large volume of resources. For example, understanding the pre-knowledge on vocabulary of learners is very prominent and useful for language learning systems. The language learning effectiveness can be significantly improved if the pre-knowledge levels of learners on vocabulary can be accurately predicted. In this research, the authors model the vocabulary of learners by extracting their history of learning documents and identify the suitable vocabulary knowledge scales (VKS) for pre-knowledge prediction. The experimental results on real participants verify that the optimal VKS and the proposed predicting model are powerful and effective.

scholarly journals LMOOC para la integración de personas desplazadas

2021 ◽  
pp. 463-477
Author(s):  
Mercedes Sanz Gil
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Displaced People

Uno de los principales retos a los que se enfrentan las personas desplazadas es hacer frente a las barreras lingüísticas y culturales que supone el desconocimiento, en la mayoría de los casos, de la lengua y de la cultura del país de destino. Actualmente, y gracias a las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación, existen numerosos recursos y aplicaciones que pueden ayudar a paliar dichas carencias, antes o durante el periodo en el que se desarrolla la movilidad. En este artículo presentamos algunos de ellos. En concreto nos centramos en el formato MOOC (Cursos masivos abiertos en línea, por sus siglas en inglés) para el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras (LMOOC). Analizaremos dos LMOOC de aprendizaje del Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE) destinado principalmente al colectivo de personas inmigrantes y refugiadas y tres de aprendizaje del Francés como Lengua Extranjera (FLE) destinado principalmente a personas desplazadas por motivos laborales o educativos. One of the main challenges faced by displaced people is dealing with the linguistic and cultural barriers that arise from the lack of knowledge, in most cases, of the language and culture of the destination country. At present, thanks to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), there are numerous resources and applications that can help to alleviate these deficiencies, before, or during the period in which mobility develops. In this article we present some of them. More specifically, this article focuses on the MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) format for foreign language learning (LMOOC). We will analyze two LMOOCs for learning Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL) aimed mainly at migrants and refugees; and three for learning French as a Foreign Language (FFL) aimed mainly at people displaced for work or educational reasons. L'un des principaux défis auxquels les personnes déplacées sont confrontées est celui de faire face aux barrières linguistiques et culturelles qui découlent du manque de connaissance, dans la plupart des cas, de la langue et de la culture du pays de destination. De nos jours, et grâce aux Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (TIC), il existe de nombreuses ressources et applications qui peuvent contribuer à pallier ces lacunes, avant, ou pendant la période de mobilité. Dans cet article, nous en présentons quelques-unes. Nous nous concentrons en particulier sur le format MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) pour l'apprentissage des langues étrangères (LMOOC). Nous analyserons deux LMOOC pour l'apprentissage de l'Espagnol comme Langue Étrangère (ELE) destinés principalement à des personnes migrantes et réfugiées et trois pour l'apprentissage du Français comme Langue Étrangère (FLE) destinés principalement aux personnes en déplacement pour des raisons professionnelles ou éducatives.

The Structural and Dialogic Aspects of Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs)

2016 ◽  
pp. 10-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Teacher Instruction ◽  
Online Language Learning ◽  
Learner’S Perspective ◽  
Structural Aspects

This case study contributes to the growing body of research on Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs) by examining their structural aspects (i.e., layout and format) and dialogic nature (i.e., interaction and negotiation) from the language learner's perspective. This exploratory study draws on data from 15 student teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language at a private graduate institution on the East Coast of the U.S. As required by their technology elective, participants who were enrolled in a beginner-level LMOOC of their choice kept a log of their learning process/progress over a period of eight weeks. At the end of the course, they were invited to fill out a post-project questionnaire to reflect on their overall experience. The goal of the project was to educate student teachers on the pedagogical underpinnings of LMOOCs while exposing them to online language learning. In this study, the focus was primarily on self-reported system interaction and profile data since the Author was not involved in the design of any of the LMOOCs. Data collection instruments included a needs analysis, weekly LMOOC logs, and a post-LMOOC questionnaire. According to the questionnaire results, student-teachers' motivation was “satisfactory,” and only four out of 15 student teachers completed their LMOOCs. Results further showed that structural aspects (i.e., content, materials, and procedures) rank higher than dialogic aspects (i.e., scaffolding and feedback). This questions the over-reliance on content transmission and instructivist (or teacher-instruction) approaches in LMOOCs, especially since MOOCs enrolment numbers rely heavily on learner's self-motivation to sign up and complete a course.

scholarly journals A survey on the pedagogical features of language massive open online courses

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy Tak-ming Wong
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThis paper examines the pedagogical features of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for language learning–known as language MOOCs. The mainstream pedagogy of MOOCs typically involves the provision of short videos and reading materials for self-study; discussion forums, mostly for peer-to-peer interaction on course content; and machine-graded quizzes for self-assessment. For language learning, which has been conventionally understood as skill development, the pedagogical features of relevant MOOCs have yet to be comprehensively surveyed.Design/methodology/approachThis study surveyed a total of 123 language MOOCs from the major MOOC platforms. The pedagogical features shown in these courses were identified and categorised according to the types of course materials and learning activities as well as the participation of learners and instructors.FindingsEnglish was the most common language taught in the courses. Over 80% of the courses took not more than six hours to complete. Most of these courses followed the typical approach of xMOOC delivery, with video watching, reading and auto-graded assessment being the most common learning activities. Less than half of the courses included discussion as part of learning, and instructors were involved in less than 30% of the discussion.Originality/valueThe findings show that, despite the technological advances in course delivery, current language MOOCs do not differ substantially from conventional distance language learning. Yet, the utilisation of computer-assisted language learning technology and the massive student base of MOOCs for creating a virtual social community are opportunities for developing learners' language proficiency on this learning environment.

scholarly journals Review of ‘Exploring English: Language and Culture’

2015 ◽  
pp. 138-141
Author(s):  
Judith Buendgens-Kosten
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Large Numbers

The popularity of MOOCs – massive open online courses, i.e. online courses that can be used by large numbers of learners without formal entrance requirements – has skyrocketed in recent years, with a broad range of courses made available by major MOOC platforms such as Coursera, Udacity or EdX, but also by smaller providers. At the same time, very few MOOCs cover language learning. This review will discuss one MOOC – ‘Exploring English: language and culture’ – that attempted to close this gap, and will describe the specific challenges that language learning poses for MOOCs.

The Structural and Dialogic Aspects of Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs)

2019 ◽  
pp. 1540-1562
Author(s):  
Carolin Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Teacher Instruction ◽  
Online Language Learning ◽  
Learner’S Perspective ◽  
Structural Aspects

This case study contributes to the growing body of research on Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs) by examining their structural aspects (i.e., layout and format) and dialogic nature (i.e., interaction and negotiation) from the language learner's perspective. This exploratory study draws on data from 15 student teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language at a private graduate institution on the East Coast of the U.S. As required by their technology elective, participants who were enrolled in a beginner-level LMOOC of their choice kept a log of their learning process/progress over a period of eight weeks. At the end of the course, they were invited to fill out a post-project questionnaire to reflect on their overall experience. The goal of the project was to educate student teachers on the pedagogical underpinnings of LMOOCs while exposing them to online language learning. In this study, the focus was primarily on self-reported system interaction and profile data since the Author was not involved in the design of any of the LMOOCs. Data collection instruments included a needs analysis, weekly LMOOC logs, and a post-LMOOC questionnaire. According to the questionnaire results, student-teachers' motivation was “satisfactory,” and only four out of 15 student teachers completed their LMOOCs. Results further showed that structural aspects (i.e., content, materials, and procedures) rank higher than dialogic aspects (i.e., scaffolding and feedback). This questions the over-reliance on content transmission and instructivist (or teacher-instruction) approaches in LMOOCs, especially since MOOCs enrolment numbers rely heavily on learner's self-motivation to sign up and complete a course.

scholarly journals Online Programming Language Learning Using Massive Open Online Courses in Saudi Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-131
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Programming Languages ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Massive Open Online

Severalstudies stated that Computer Science (CS) students at Saudi Arabia universities face difficulties in programming languages learning (PLL) and need more assistance. Fortunately, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been recognized as modern meansthat could be acceptable amongst CS learners. This piece of research aims to clarify the importance of enhancing PLL via MOOCs in Saudi Arabia. This research applied a quantitative research approach that utilized questionnaire as a research instrument. The survey was distributed among CS students to illustrate the current situation of the students’ need and acceptance of MOOCs on PLL. The investigation included 132 participants from different departments in the faulty of Computer Science (CS) at Umm Alqura University and Taif University in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire results show that 98% believe that they need additional courses in PLL and 94% are accepting the idea of utilizing MOOCs on PLL, on the other hand, the results also show that 77% of the participants have not attended a single PLL course via MOOC. Other results and future research are discussed as wel

Education and the Relation to the Outside: A Little Real Reality

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Savat ◽  
Greg Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Transformative Teaching ◽  
Control Society ◽  
Brave New World ◽  
Radical Transformation

One of the more dominant themes around the use of Deleuze and Guattari's work, including in this special issue, is a focus on the radical transformation that educational institutions are undergoing, and which applies to administrator, student and educator alike. This is a transformation that finds its expression through teaching analytics, transformative teaching, massive open online courses (MOOCs) and updateable performance metrics alike. These techniques and practices, as an expression of control society, constitute the new sorts of machines that frame and inhabit our educational institutions. As Deleuze and Guattari's work posits, on some level these are precisely the machines that many people in their day-to-day work as educators, students and administrators assemble and maintain, that is, desire. The meta-model of schizoanalysis is ideally placed to analyse this profound shift that is occurring in society, felt closely in the so-called knowledge sector where a brave new world of continuous education and motivation is instituting itself.

cMOOCs and Global Learning: An Authentic Alternative

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Yeager ◽  
Betty Hurley-Dasgupta ◽  
Catherine A. Bliss
Keyword(s):  
Online Courses ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
Open Educational Resource ◽  
Educational Resource ◽  
Global Learning ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Definition Of

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) continue to attract press coverage as they change almost daily in their format, number of registrations and potential for credentialing. An enticing aspect of the MOOC is its global reach. In this paper, we will focus on a type of MOOC called a cMOOC, because it is based on the theory of connectivism and fits the definition of an Open Educational Resource (OER) identified for this special edition of JALN. We begin with a definition of the cMOOC and a discussion of the connectivism on which it is based. Definitions and a research review are followed with a description of two MOOCs offered by two of the authors. Research on one of these MOOCs completed by a third author is presented as well. Student comments that demonstrate the intercultural connections are shared. We end with reflections, lessons learned and recommendations.

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