DATE: 03/06/2009 10:40:51 / MOOD: technology and esl

To be considered literate in the information age, students must develop functional, academic, and computer skills. On the basis of a needs assessment, a computer literacy questionnaire and an English proficiency test, an ESP course was designed for graduate students majoring in art education. Since the students had no access to a computer lab or internet, a small computer network was built in the classroom. The study describes how the small computer network was installed and configured, what internet searching skills were integrated in the ESP course, what training and assessment methods were used, in addition to students’ views on the training module.

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:40:04 / MOOD: technology and esl

While thousands of students and instructors in developed countries are using the Internet and computer assisted technologies to teach language skills, literature or target culture, in some developing countries use of technology in instruction is not yet known, due to insufficient numbers of PC’s, lack of internet connectivity, lack of trained instructors, lack of administrative support and insufficient funds. Despite the many obstacles, students and instructors in no-tech environments can still use their PC's and internet connection from home or may set up a small network using few PC's and a phone line. Instructors and students can make use of the many tools and resources available on the net such as e-mail, newsgroups, discussion forums, mailing lists, language websites, online dictionaries, online encyclopedias, authoring tools, online quizzes and online courses to supplement classroom instruction. Many research findings have shown that use of technology in EFL instruction has resulted in significant gains in achievement and positive attitudes towards learning, because use of CALL provides additional practice, a self-paced and non-threatening learning environment, integrates sound, pictures, motion, color, and different skills. The students enjoy using the internet, find it useful and fun, and consider it a new way of leaning and doing homework. It heightens their motivation and raises their self-esteem. It creates a warm-climate between the students and instructor and among the students themselves. They can use it any time and as many times as they need. Despite the glamour of technology, its use does not guarantee students’ success in learning nor higher levels of achievement than traditional classroom techniques. The effective use of technology depends on how it is used, what is being taught, and for how long. Its use is always associated with problems such as: bad connection, slow browsing, some students do not post any responses if not prompted by the instructor and if the instructor does not post new topics, post a sample response, and give marks. Some students do not take online instruction seriously. Using the internet as a learning tool may not be part of some students’ culture. Some are so used to traditional instruction that depended on the book. The instructor may not have sufficient time in the classroom to brainstorm topics, provide training and give instructions. The content and difficulty level of the material available on the net may be inappropriate for the students' proficiency level and course objectives. The online course design may be too basic or too complicated for the students. Teaching with technology does not cancel the teacher's role. It poses new challenges and requires enthusiasm, some training and perseverance. In CALL, the teacher serves as a facilitator. He/she has to provide the students with technical support, train them, respond to individual students’ needs, comments, and requests, look for relevant websites, post questions, discussion topics and online activities, write model responses, send public and private messages, and design exercises and quizzes every week. Examples and webpages will be provided.

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:38:42 / MOOD: technology and esl

 Due to latest development in communication and information technology, the number of schools and colleges using computers in the classroom is increasing. Smart classroom are being used at many universities in developed countries. Smart classrooms are classrooms equipped with PC’s and other types of multimedia and projection devices connected to the internet and the university LAN. This study will define smart classrooms, describe their equipment, set-up, types, specifications, design principles, how they are operated, their schedule, what uses can be made of them, how they can be utilized in foreign language teaching and learning, what language and translation internet resources can be integrated, the instructors’ role, training of faculty, the smart classroom operation manual and significance of technical support. 

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:37:24 / MOOD: technology and esl

I taught 4 types of EFL courses to undergraduate students online: Grammar, writing, culture and study skills using Blackboard and Nicenet. Online instruction was used as a supplement to traditional in-class instruction. Significant differences were found between pre- and post-test scores in writing, grammar and culture but not in study skills. The achievement level was higher among active participants who posted threads and shared in the discussion than passive participants who were just browsers and did not write anything, and between members of the latter group and those who were not registered in the online courses at all. 

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:35:38 / MOOD: research

Technology is not currently used in ESP classrooms at the College of Home Economics. Therefore an attempt was made to use online learning in ESP instruction from home, in addition to traditional classroom instruction. Comparisons of pre- and posttest scores of ten graduate students revealed significant differences in students’ achievement. Results showed that in learning environments where technology is unavailable to ESP students and instructors, use of technology from home and even as a supplement to classroom techniques helps motivate ESP graduate students and enhance their mastery of English.

Prof. Reima Al-jarf, <a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:34:26 / MOOD: research

The study aimed at finding out whether electronic courses are currently used at Saudi higher education institutions, in which majors such courses are offered and which delivery systems are used. All Saudi university websites were searched for electronic courses and delivery systems used such as WebCT and Blackboard. In addition, a sample of college deans, vice deans, and faculty members at some universities were interviewed to find out the factors that impede use of electronic courses. It was found that only 3 universities (23%) are currently offering online courses using WebCT. The amount and type of e-courses offered are not proportionate with the number of colleges, departments and faculty number at those universities. The current use of WebCT and Blackboard is not cost-effective. Instructors were classified into 4 categories in terms of their use and attitude towards online instruction. It was found that lack of online teaching skills, lack of training in technology integration, inadequate infrastructure, faculty workload and lack of administrative support contribute to lack of motivation and to the insufficient use of online instruction. Since integration of technology in higher education is inevitable, and since the successful implementation and use of online instruction cannot be achieved if faculty members do not possess the basic skills to teach online, training in online teaching is a prerequisite for the efficient use of e-courses. Therefore, this study proposes a model for training faculty in online instruction and technology integration. The training should introduce instructors to online delivery systems, creating a course, online course components and how they are used, and training methods. 

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

 

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:32:46 / MOOD: research

Results of an exploratory study with graduate and undergraduate students have revealed that fewer than 4% can search electronic databases. Therefore, this study recommends that an electronic searching course be offered by Saudi colleges and universities to graduate and undergraduate students as part of the university requirements. Training in electronic searching is strongly recommended since most of the electronic databases are in English and most college students are not proficient in English, because of the variety of electronic databases and the complexity of the searching process itself. The proposed course should focus on electronic searching basics and strategies, electronic searching commands and terminology, and abbreviations used in citations, abstracts and full-text articles. The study also recommends that the content of research methodology courses be updated to keep up with the latest developments in library science and information technology.

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:31:53 / MOOD: research

150 female graduate students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were interviewed. Since most students are not proficient in English, they are required to take an ESP course when admitted to the M.A. and Ph. D. programs, as locating information in specialized journals is required for their assignments, term papers and theses. Results indicated that 13% of the students use search engines like Google and AltaVista to locate information and fewer than 1% can search the ERIC database. Although the main library at King Saud University has 28 full-text databases and 30 databases on CD-ROM, no training programs or short courses are offered by the library, Computer or Language Center. Female graduate students have expressed a desire and a need to acquire electronic searching skills. Therefore, this study recommends that a program be especially designed to train ESP students in electronic searching. Components of the training program such as electronic searching course content, training requirements, scheduling, training methods, funding, trainers, and assessment are described.

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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DATE: 03/06/2009 10:30:54 / MOOD: technology and esl

2 groups of freshman students participated in the study. They were both enrolled in their first writing course in ESL. Before instruction, both groups were pre-tested. They wrote a paragraph. Results of the mean comparisons of the pre-test scores showed significant differences between both groups in their writing ability. The control group outperformed the experimental group. The experimental group made too many errors and showed many writing problems. Both groups completed all the exercises and writing assignments in the textbook assigned by the department. During the class session, the instructor monitored students’ work and offered individual help to students in both groups. She pointed out few errors only (those related to rules or skills under study). She encouraged students to write and gave extra credit for good paragraphs. In addition, the experimental group used a coursesite with Blackboard Corporation that she developed. The control group did not use the internet at all. The experimental group used the internet from home as it was inaccessible from campus. She sometimes started a thread on the “discussion board” and listed sites in the “external links” related to the writing skills and grammatical structures covered in the course. The students posted their own threads and wrote short paragraphs. They posted stories or poems that they read and liked to share with others. They located information related to themes covered in the book from sites like “Yahoo movies” and “webMD”. They word-processed their paragraphs and checked their spelling. At the end of the course, both groups were post-tested. They wrote a long essay. Comparisons of the post-test mean scores showed significant differences between both groups. The experimental group outperformed the control group. They became more competent, made few errors and could communicate very easily. Fewer students failed the course.

Prof. Reima Al-jarf,<a href="http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf">http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf</a>

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