scholarly journals Digital Platforms in the Emergency Remote Education: the Students’ Preferences

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-36
Author(s):  
Mishal H. Al Shammari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Remote Education ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
King Saud University ◽  
Distant Learning ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
English Major

One positive side of the Covid-19 pandemic is the unprecedented opportunity it has offered to the Higher Education Institutions to experience digital learning like never before. During the pandemic, Distant Learning platforms, including Learning Management Systems and Video Conferencing Platforms, have been ubiquitous, and no single institution survived without them during the pandemic. Hence, one of the critical lessons that should be learned is the students’ experiences with these platforms. This study aims to investigate the digital platform preferences of English major students in the College of Language and Translation at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia during the Emergency Remote Education due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Its significance lies in the fact that it underscores and addresses students’ needs and preferences with regard to the digital platforms to be used for language learning, a pragmatic examination of which has been carried out in the following pages. It focuses on reasons for the preferences of the two leading digital platforms used in King Saud University: Blackboard and Zoom. A Survey with open-ended and closed-ended questions was designed to answer the questions of the study: which digital platforms do students prefer to use during Emergency Remote Education, and what were the reasons behind students’ preferences? A total of 300 students from both male and female campuses at different levels of study participated in the study. The results showed that students preferred the Zoom to Blackboard. Reasons of preferences were mainly the ease of use, followed by supporting smartphones, then having an app for smartphones. The thematic analysis of the open-ended question showed that technical problems and connection latency were the main reasons behind students’ preferences of the Zoom. The findings also indicated gender differences in reasons of preferences.

scholarly journals Digital Platforms in the Emergency Remote Education: the Students’ Preferences

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mishal H. Al Shammari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Remote Education ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
King Saud University ◽  
Distant Learning ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
English Major

One positive side of the Covid-19 pandemic is the unprecedented opportunity it has offered to the Higher Education Institutions to experience digital learning like never before. During the pandemic, Distant Learning platforms, including Learning Management Systems and Video Conferencing Platforms, have been ubiquitous, and no single institution survived without them during the pandemic. Hence, one of the critical lessons that should be learned is the students’ experiences with these platforms. This study aims to investigate the digital platform preferences of English major students in the College of Language and Translation at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia during the Emergency Remote Education due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Its significance lies in the fact that it underscores and addresses students’ needs and preferences with regard to the digital platforms to be used for language learning, a pragmatic examination of which has been carried out in the following pages. It focuses on reasons for the preferences of the two leading digital platforms used in King Saud University: Blackboard and Zoom. A Survey with open-ended and closed-ended questions was designed to answer the questions of the study: which digital platforms do students prefer to use during Emergency Remote Education, and what were the reasons behind students’ preferences? A total of 300 students from both male and female campuses at different levels of study participated in the study. The results showed that students preferred the Zoom to Blackboard. Reasons of preferences were mainly the ease of use, followed by supporting smartphones, then having an app for smartphones. The thematic analysis of the open-ended question showed that technical problems and connection latency were the main reasons behind students’ preferences of the Zoom. The findings also indicated gender differences in reasons of preferences.

scholarly journals EFL students’ preferences on digital platforms during emergency remote teaching: Video Conference, LMS, or Messenger Application?

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 362-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fakhrurrazi M. Amin ◽  
Hanna Sundari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Group Participant ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Learning Management ◽  
Face To Face Learning

The use of technology in language learning has extensively expanded in line with the advancement of technology itself. However, the investigation into the implementation of video conferences, learning management systems, and mobile applications, particularly during the emergency remote teaching/the Covid-19 pandemic, is still lacking. This paper presents survey data from three groups of Indonesian EFL students using three different digital learning platforms: Cisco WebEx Meeting video conferencing, Google Classroom learning management system (LMS), and WhatsApp mobile messenger application. The purpose of the study was to determine the students’ preferences including their perception and point of views on using the platforms and application during the remote teaching situation. There were 140 EFL students from two universities/institutes in Jakarta and Aceh to take part as the participants. The instrument was a questionnaire based on criteria of CALL evaluation, and descriptive analysis using percentages and thematic analysis was applied. The findings show that the Cisco WebEx Meeting, Google Classroom, and WhatsApp gained highly positive agreement on all criteria. Specifically, the Cisco WebEx meeting got the highest scores on authenticity and meaning focus. Meanwhile, for GC and WhatsApp, the criteria on language learning potential, meaning focus and authenticity achieved the highest scores. Moreover, WhatsApp is the most preferred among others in meaning focus, learner fit, positive impact, and practicality.  However, the three digital platforms received the lowest score on a positive impact at each group-participant. It seemingly indicates that they thought the full online digital learning system they experienced during ERT is less preferable than face-to-face learning.

scholarly journals ULearnEnglish: An Open Ubiquitous System for Assisting in Learning English Vocabulary

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 1692
Author(s):  
Letícia Garcia da Silva ◽  
Eduardo Gonçalves de Azevedo Neto ◽  
Rosemary Francisco ◽  
Jorge Luis Victória Barbosa ◽  
Luis Augusto Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Communication Problems ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Ubiquitous System ◽  
Acceptance Model

Language learners often face communication problems when they need to express themselves and do not have the ability to do so. On the other hand, continuous advances in technology are creating new opportunities to improve second language (L2) acquisition through context-aware ubiquitous learning (CAUL) technology. Since vocabulary is the foundation of all language acquisition, this article presents ULearnEnglish, an open-source system to allow ubiquitous English learning focused on incidental vocabulary acquisition. To evaluate our proposal, 15 learners used the developed system, and 10 answered a survey based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Results indicate a favorable response to the application of incidental learning techniques in combination with the learner context. ULearnEnglish achieved an acceptance rate of 78.66% for the perception of utility, 96% for the perception of ease of use, 86.5% for user context assessment, and 88% for ubiquity. Among its main contributions, this study demonstrates a possible tool for ubiquitous use in the future in language learning; additionally, further studies can use the available resources to develop the system.

scholarly journals Attitudinal Factors Affecting Wiki Group Collaboration for English Writing

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chwen Jen Chen ◽  
Kee Man Chuah ◽  
Jimmy Tho ◽  
Chee Siong Teh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Group Collaboration ◽  
Construction Joint ◽  
Attitudinal Factors ◽  
And Performance

Abstract Wikis, being one of the popular Web 2.0 tools, have impacted students’ engagement and performance particularly in the aspects of second and foreign language learning. While an increasing number of studies have focused on the effectiveness of wiki in improving students’ writing skills, this study was conducted to examine the attitudinal factors that influence English as a Second Language (ESL) students’ group collaboration in using wikis for a writing task that was divided into three phases: pre-writing, individual-construction, joint-constructions. Data collected from these students after completing this task was analyzed based on three attitudinal aspects: motivation, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. The findings reveal high mean scores for all aspects. Further multiple regression analysis reveals that motivation is the most important factor associated with group collaboration, indicating the need to boost students’ motivation to encourage effective collaboration in completing wiki writing tasks.

scholarly journals Evaluieren und Prüfen in DaF / DaZ

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Grein ◽  
Ann-Katrin Fierus ◽  
Nina Jehle ◽  
Virginia Sánchez Anguix ◽  
Joshua Ziegler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Inverted Classroom ◽  
General Didactics ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
New Research ◽  
Further Development

Consistent evaluation is an important prerequisite for quality assurance and continuous further development in the area of DaF/DaZ. With a focus on virtual learning, this volume deals with the evaluation of the Inverted Classroom Model for the training of teachers of German as a foreign language and specifically with language learning apps. A second focus is on the evaluation of exams and tests. In addition to the medical language examination and the qualification tests of future teachers, the focus here is on examiner qualifications. The critical discussion will present suggestions for solutions as well as new research approaches. This volume does justice to the claim that theory and practice are closely intertwined. Christina Maria Ersch studied German and Scandinavian Studies in Göttingen and German as a foreign language in Mainz, where she is a research assistant. She has been teaching German as a foreign language for several years, is a certified telc examiner and conducts advanced training courses in neurodidactics and action-oriented learning. Her research interests are, among other things, in general didactics with a focus on competence-oriented, digital learning and in intercultural communication.

scholarly journals Stylistics, Literary Criticism, Linguistics and Discourse Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Saleh Ahmed Saif Abdulmughni
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Clear Distinction ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
English Major ◽  
Similarities And Differences

There is confusion regarding the differences between linguistics, stylistics, literary criticism, and discourse analysis (DA) among teachers and learners of the English Major due to their overlapping natures, blurred boundaries, and analysis approaches. Therefore, the present study examines the similarities and differences of these four fields to make a clear demarcation between them. A descriptive and comparative approach using exemplary text was used in the study and the stylistics were thoroughly investigated, analyzed and exemplified in small-scale (one phrase, clause or sentence) or wider-scale (a paragraph). Finally, value judgments on the importance and value of the stylistics were furnished. This research enhances the prospects of pedagogical studies of different language learning and teaching of these four fields. This has opened the window for teacher-oriented studies and presented valid and genuine analytical and diagnostic studies of the related issues to enhance the accessibility of a clear distinction of the above stated fields.

scholarly journals Artful Inquiry in the E-learning Journal

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Grushka ◽  
Aaron Bellette
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Learning Journals ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Participatory Inquiry ◽  
Learning Journal ◽  
Participatory Research Methods

E-learning is transforming the learning landscape. This paper focuses on photomedia participatory inquiry in an e-feed learning culture. It harnesses the bene ts of artful inquiry and elaborates on interactive re ective opportunities when using participatory research methods. Student e-learning journal examples and the teacher re ective voice demonstrate how artful inquiry accommodates critical and re ective actions for new creative outcomes. The methods described and analyzed may have relevance to educators considering applying multi-semiotic learning approaches within e-learning journals as digital platforms become central to digital learning and communication of ideas.

scholarly journals ONLINE LANGUAGE TEACHING EFFICIENCY IN COVID-19 ENVIRONMENT

2021 ◽  
pp. 220-225
Author(s):  
Iryna Navrotska ◽  
Alla Pavliuk ◽  
Iryna Kalynovska ◽  
Iryna Kuzhel
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Distant Learning ◽  
National University ◽  
Learning Platforms

The article represents the results of the survey conducted among the group of university and high school teachers to establish the specific tendencies in online language teaching and learning within the COVID 19-affected environment. The study hypothesis presupposed verification of the thesis that language learning needs adjustment to new circumstances. During 2020-2021, the major platform adopted by Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University has been MS Office. It provided the participants of learning process with necessary tools such as calendar planning, lecture and seminar moderation, data submission and storage as well as assessment options and statistics. Incorporating the platform required tutorials for teachers since there were certain issues with registration and running the MS Office programme on various gadgets. At the initial stages alternatives were allowed to be used for online classes. The survey was conducted and analysed by means of quantitative and descriptive methods and on the basis of continuous academic discussions. It was concluded that the teachers treated the challenges of new learning environment differently. Namely, the respondents were invited to rate the general effectiveness of constant online language or language related subject learning, characterise institutional support, specify the prioritised digital platform and share feedback regarding their satisfaction with the educational process within late 2020 – first half of 2021. The majority of the respondents denoted the satisfactory effectiveness of online English language system. The educational institution was reported to provide sufficient support on distant learning platforms. Roughly one third of the answers pointed at the use of several distant learning platforms. Zoom has been defined as the main teachers’ preference probably due to simplicity of installation and running flexibility on various gadgets for both sides. The most burning issues of online learning during the COVID-19 period were associated with internet connection and access.

scholarly journals EXPLORING LANGUAGE INPUT OF THE READING TEXTS IN NORTHSTAR TEXTBOOKS FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HUE UNIVERSITY

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (6B) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuong Ngoc Quynh Tran
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
Text Input ◽  
Language Difficulty ◽  
English Major ◽  
Language Input ◽  
Reading Texts

There are many studies on English Language Teaching materials evaluation, but very few investigate the language input of reading materials though text input is considered a primary factor for successful foreign language learning. This research explored the language input of reading texts in a book series used in teaching reading for first-year English-major students at a foreign language university in central Vietnam. It aimed at investigating text topics, genres, length, language difficulty level and students’ as well as teachers’ perceptions of the studied texts in an attempt to facilitate students’ reading comprehension. Thirty-two reading texts were studied using a descriptive analytical approach. Individual and focus group interviews were implemented with 15 students and 7 lecturers. The findings showed the textbooks incorporated a wide variety of topics which are interesting and familiar to students. Article was the most popular text genre. The text length and language difficulty level proved to be appropriate to students’ levels. The lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of the texts also supported the textbook analysis findings. These findings implicated the selected textbooks should be kept in the curriculum but need further adaptation. Besides, some suggestions were made to help ELT lecturers modify the text input effectively.

scholarly journals Autonomous English Language Learning Beyond the Classroom: Indonesian Tertiary Students’ Practices and Constraints

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 194-213
Author(s):  
Daflizar Daflizar
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Major ◽  
Attention To Students

. In response to the interest in learner autonomy in recent years, educational research has been increasingly paying attention to students’ out-of-class autonomous learning activities. This study aims to (1) describe the extent to which Indonesian tertiary students engaged in autonomous English language learning outside the class, (2) explore their perceived constraints in practicing autonomous learning, and (3) examine whether there are any significant differences in the autonomous learning activities between female and male students and between the English major students and non-English major students. Employing the explanatory mixed-method design, a total of 402 first-year students completed a questionnaire, and 30 of whom were interviewed. The questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests, and the interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results showed that the students did engage in several out-of-class English learning activities, however many of the activities were more receptive than productive. The interviews echoed the questionnaire results, and the students claimed that they were not autonomous in their learning due to several constraints. The results also revealed that there is no significant difference in the level of practice of autonomous out-of-class activities based on gender but a significant difference was found concerning majors of study. Practical implications for the Indonesian context are put forward.

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