Languages, Blended Learning and Virtual Environments: Students’ Experience and Lecturers’ Role
The precarious situation of Modern Foreign Languages in Higher Education in the United Kingdom has been reported by various organisations such as the National Centre for Languages (CILT), the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), and more recently in the Worton’s report (2009) commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). At the same time, various initiatives have been launched at national level for Languages (such as “Routes into Languages”) and e-learning (such as the ten-year e-learning strategy launched in 2005, and revised in 2009, by HEFCE).
Today, institutions of Higher Education in the United Kingdom make an increasing use of learning technologies both in and out of the classroom, for various purposes, and Virtual Learning Environments are an important feature of these developments. In this context, the quality of students’ experience and the necessary evolution of pedagogical practices are key issues on the agenda.
In agreement with policies adopted at national and institutional level, the targeted institution runs an Institution-Wide Language Programme which offers students of the university and members of the general public accredited modules in blended learning format, a package of face-to-face lessons and regular use of the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Students of French for beginners took part in a survey conducted by means of self-completion questionnaires and follow-up interviews, providing feedback on their experience of Blackboard and highlighting the role to be played by lecturers.
The poster presents preliminary findings of the survey and makes recommendations regarding the necessary normalisation of the VLE.
Click here to view the poster.
Student self-completion questionnaire
Interview questions
References