Integrating Digital Technology in an Intensive, Fully Online College Course for Japanese Beginning Learners: A Standards-Based, Performance-Driven Approach

• Published in: The Modern language journal (Boulder, Colo.) Vol. 101; no. 4; pp. 756 - 775
• Main Authors: Sato, Eriko, Chen, Julian Cheng Chiang, Jourdain, Sarah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley-Blackwell 01-12-2017
• Subjects: Conventional Instruction; Distance Education; Educational Technology; Interpersonal Relationship; Interviews; Japanese; Language Proficiency; Online Courses; Oral Language; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Statistical Analysis; Student Surveys; Technology Uses in Education; New York
• ISSN: 0026-7902
• DOI: 10.1111/modl.12432/abstract

The development of distance learning courses for less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) often meets with instructional challenges, especially for Asian LCTLs with their distinct non-Roman characters and structures. This study documents the implementation of a fully online, elementary Japanese course at Stony Brook University. The curriculum was designed around the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages's (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages; performance-driven assessments; and task-supported, technology-enhanced principles. Asynchronous and synchronous tools were incorporated to facilitate task delivery and reduce the virtual isolation of learners. A simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) was conducted for the online students in order to compare their oral performance with that of the face-to-face (F2F) cohort in the preceding semester. Quantitative results show that online students outperformed their F2F counterparts in most of the Integrated Performance Assessment's scoring criteria, with a statistically significant difference in the criterion "Communication strategies." Survey results indicate students' positive attitudes toward language gains and corroborate the qualitative results gleaned from student learning journals and survey responses: Students' sense of isolation was replaced by a sense of co-presence. We conclude that developing an online LCTL course, though challenging, is feasible and maximizes outcomes through the synergy of multimodal digital platforms, and a standards-based, task-driven curriculum design.