Design Principles of Online Resources for Second Language Teaching Courses

Jingyi Lyu

Jilin International Studies University,Changchun,China

Email:857866202@qq.com

[Abstract] On account of the rapid development of communicative applications and emerging technologies,blended second language teaching and online language learning courses are becoming increasingly popular for language learners with various needs (Lee,2016).In this paper,the design principles of online resources for blended second language teaching courses will be analyzed from perspectives including choices of platforms,interaction paradigms,underpinning language learning theories,choices of materials,learner autonomy and accessibility.Also,possible limitations and defects will be included.

[Keywords] online resource design;language resource;second language teaching

Introduction

In the twenty-first century,the rapid upsurge of online communication applications,online interactive software and changing needs,characteristics and requirements of language learners together encourage the transformation and introspection of current global language learning situation(McLoughlin&Lee,2010).To face the challenges,teachers are experiencing the pressing need to rethink and ameliorate traditional approaches to language teaching.Along with the shift from teacher-dominant approaches to learner-centered,personalized and multi-dimensional approaches to teaching (Sun,2011),learners also identify demands of more individualized,socialized and content-advanced language learning approaches.Therefore,the design of online language resources requires careful thinking and deliberate execution by teachers.

Communication Elements and Interaction Paradigms

The online resources of online or blended second language courses are platform-based,the principle of selecting the platforms are informed by Moore's(1989)proposition of three types of interaction in the learning process.As one essential component in traditional classrooms,interaction also exerts important effects in online language learning(Lin,Zheng &Zhang,2016).According to Moore (1989),the first type of interaction that takes place in language learning is learner-instructor interaction.Weiner (2003) explores that in online learning,learner-instructor interaction can improve the completion rate of the course,create a positive environment for learners as well as strengthen their learning motivation.Thus,the platform should allow learner-instructor interactions.

The second type of interaction is the learner-content interaction,in this kind of interaction;learners read learning materials,listen to audios,watch the videos and participate in task-oriented activities,which has become one basic interaction type of online language learning (Jung et al.,2002).According to Moore and Kearsley (2011),video presentations,link to resources and discussion forums are all pertain to learner-content interaction,which potentially strengthens learners' awareness and creativity of knowledge they learn.Various possibilities should be provided for learners to interact with content by the platform.

The last interaction type is learner-learner interaction.Also,informed by a sociocultural view of language learning,learners are active co-constructors of their own learning experience,which they shape through their choices of learning aims and practices,language learning is about the form and reform of communicative elements in activities and tasks they participate in (Lantolf &Throne,2006).In the light of sociocultural view of language learning,the learner-learner interaction has a salient positive effect on learners'cognitive development and also motivates learners in language learning process.Research also finds that learner-learner interaction helps learners in deeper thinking in language learning and increases their learning achievements (Lin,Zheng &Zhang,2016).Long (1980) also suggests that learners are active partners in language learning rather than merely receivers of input.Therefore,when choosing proper platforms to carry out the teaching activities and content,teachers should provide many possible chances for EFL learners to engage in learner-learner interaction.

Methodology,Activities and Materials

Swain(1985)asserts that language learners need comprehensible language input and also need to generate output in the target language for them to promote their communicative abilities.According to Willis (1996),task-based language teaching (TBLT) methodology provides opportunities for learners to produce extensive output in the target language by participating in the negotiation of meaning and performing communicative tasks that are principally focusing on meaning and process of language learning.Nunan (2006) defines a pedagogical task as it has innate communicative features and can stand alone as one communicative act.The TBLT methodology gives learners chances to use language in meaningful context extensively.In the process of negotiated and communicative interaction,language acquisition of learners can be facilitated by attending certain task outcomes (Anderson,2000).In online language learning environment,the capabilities of extensive access and rich multimedia facilitations enable TBLT methodology to exert its optimal influences on language learners.Certain tasks should be included to create a contextualized,motivating,communicative and meaning-focused online language learning course.

The materials,activities and tasks contained should also be selected adhere to the criteria of Computer Assisted Language Learning(CALL)task appropriateness developed by Chapelle(2001).The first criterion is language learning potential,which refers to the extent to which materials and tasks promote a beneficial focus on form(Ibid,2001).Readings,videos and audios should be included with emerging patterns of forms for learners to notice forms of language deductively.The notice process can facilitate learners'internalization and acquisition of these forms as implicit knowledge(Ellis,2002).

The second criterion is learner fit,which refers to the extent to which materials and tasks are appropriate for linguistic ability level and non-linguistic characteristics of target language learners (Chapelle,2001).Certain materials and tasks can be selected to provide learners with opportunities to work with a range of target language structure appropriate to their proficiency.Also,different learning styles are taken into account where learners can choose to approach the materials in ways they find useful(e.g.learners can choose to infer meanings for unfamiliar words they encounter in the lesson or seek them up in dictionaries immediately).

The third criterion is meaning focus,which refers to the situation where learners'primary attention is devoted to the meaning of language in performing tasks (Chapelle,2001).The materials selected aim to build learners' way towards the meaning-focused tasks by providing certain background information to enrich as well as activate learners'schematic knowledge to prepare and pre-organize their thoughts before the task cycle(Beglar&Hunt,2002).

The fourth criterion is authenticity,which refers to the degree of correspondence between activities,resource in CALL and target language activities out of the language learning environment (Chapelle,2001).The resource and tasks contained have real-life correspondence to provide authenticity for learners' language learning.Learners can practice language skills they may have to use outside of language learning context and at the same time learn about culture on their own.

The fifth criterion is positive effect of activities that exert on language learners,the resources are adopted to promote learners' awareness in culture diversity to facilitate learners' pragmatic communication abilities,which potentially have a positive impact beyond language learning(Chapelle,2001).

The last criterion is practicality,which refers to the adequacy of resources and platforms provided to learners for them to perform certain tasks(Ibid,2001).

Furthermore,according to the SAMR model,the tasks and materials,to a great extent,are augmentations to traditional learning activities with functional improvement because of the support of the technology (Puentedura,2006),for instance,learners can explore and draw on many resources available online to write up their commentaries,which will not be made available to them in traditional classroom settings.These resources can encourage students to connect to the information that can help them in learning and task completion(Romrell et al.,2014).Although they may be able to draw on the help of related books,the inclusivity and scope of online resources still provide learners with significantly improved help.The resources take up different forms including texts,audios,videos,pictures and so on.Moreover,different platforms with different functions also enable learners to perform tasks in various and handy means.

Learners'Autonomy and Accessibility Support

According to Benson (2013),the autonomy of learners refers to the self-directed,self-regulated and independent learning through which learners grasp initiatives in their learning,monitor their learning progress and evaluate learning performance.Many studies show that the digital technologies offer the great possibility for language development as well as autonomous learning,among these benefits,Kim(2014)discovers that asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) allows learners to take initiative of their own learning and study in autonomous methods in interacting in the target language and constructing relevant knowledge.The delayed nature of communication between learners and learners as well as learners and teachers give learners enough time to engage in autonomous cognitive development and reflection to interact,which will encourage learners to engage in certain autonomous learning.Furthermore,with online resources,learners are given the freedom of choices in performing tasks and activities,also they are encouraged to share their choices and thoughts with peer learners and teachers,Lee(2011)considers this effort to be beneficial for learners'autonomy.The feedbacks from teachers and peer learners might also attract learners'attention to language forms,and the constant attention on learners' progress from them will also encourage autonomous learning(Ibid,2011).

The Web Accessibility Initiative (2005) of the World Wide Web Consortium defines accessibility as ensuring equivalent user experiences for people with disabilities and age-related impairments.It also defines web accessibility as ensuring people with disabilities can perceive,understand,explore and interact with websites and tools,and they can contribute equally without hinders (Ibid,2005).If necessary,certain efforts should be made to improve accessibility for potential learners with disabilities.For instance,the videos in lessons should have captions for hearing-impaired learners to access.For learners who use screen readers,all photos should be annotated with describing text for them to access the information.The font size of the online content can be changed by using"Ctrl"and"+"or"Ctrl"and"-"on the keyboard to cater to different needs of learners.In addition,the descriptive headers should be integrated into lessons and resources to allow learners to skim the course and find needed information quickly (Betts et al.,2013).

Conclusion

The enthusiasm for online language learning is growing for very valid reasons.In this increasingly globalized world,the online language learning courses provide learners with extensive opportunities to study collaboratively with learners all over the world,access to abundant resources and draw on multi-media facilitations in their language learning.In order to promote benefits of online language learning to its utmost,developers should appropriately balance the advantages and limitations of online language resources.Most importantly,the potential performance of learners and long-term benefits added to them with these resources should be obsessions of course designers and instructors which override other considerations.

Acknowledgements

This paper is a project research result of the 2019 School-based Teaching and Research Project of Jilin International Studies University—The Design of the Mobile Phone App-assisted Blended CECL Course Teaching in the Mobile Learning Environment.