Beksaeva N.A.

Participatory roles in e-learning

In a rapidly globalizing world, it is evident that English is the de facto international language of international communication today. The dominance of English serves to facilitate globalization. In situations where English dominates, non-English-speaking people are inevitably disadvantaged. They become, in a sense, deaf and mute and cannot fully participate in communication. In contrast, speakers of English are in a position to control communication to their own advantage, while those who cannot speak English fluently may be seen as incompetent or even inferior. Although this linguistic discrimination and social inequality cannot be ignored, reality dictates the use of one language over another in international communication.

Technology is transforming our lives, including our lives as teachers. Application of new information technologies in teaching foreign languages has led to a greater interest in autonomous learning and self-access language learning (SALL).

Approaches that help learners to move from teacher dependence towards autonomy are described as self-directed learning, self-instruction, independent learning, and self-access learning. Self-access is the most widely used term for an approach to encouraging autonomy. According to Dickinson, self-access language learning, is learning a language through the use of a self-contained learning environment which provides an independent study programme with readily accessible materials, makes available a form of help-either through answer keys or through counseling, and possibly offers the latest technology. The introduction of self-access language learning changes the roles of learners and teachers. It’s the transition from teacher-centered to student-centered environment. That is, learners are offered an environment in which they are active participants rather than passive recipients of information. Research done in different countries indicates the effectiveness of moving towards student decision making rather than teacher decision-making.

Self-access learning is very flexible. It can be conducted in a classroom, in a self-access centre or elsewhere. It can be part of a language course but learners who are not taking this course can also use it. It allows different levels of independence and individualization.

Self-access learning in a self-access centre has advantages over traditional classroom-based learning. It is more efficient to use the limited number of hours: 2, 3 or 4 hours a week for face to face interaction with a teacher in a classroom. In any classroom teaching situation all group learners have different needs and levels and it is not easy for a teacher to cater for these different needs in the classroom and the purpose of self-access learning is to give learners an opportunity to work in their preferred mode which encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning, thereby helping them to move toward autonomy. It is easier to implement individualization in a self-access centre. Its capacity provides individual learners with resources to do what they want and when they want. That is why it is important to know as much as possible about the learners: their needs, wants, learning, styles, attitudes, abilities. Such collection of information relating to an individual learner is called a learner profile.

Creating and using profiles of learners is very useful for facilitating the learning process and developing self-access learning. These profiles will help learners to know more about themselves, take a greater responsibility for their learning. As self-access learning becomes more relevant to individual learners they will be more motivated in their studies. Teachers will be better able to help learners to achieve their objectives.

Effective foreign language learning depends on the capacity of the learner to take on the responsibility to learn independently from the teacher. The students should recognize their difficulties and fulfill their needs. To realize it the teacher should promote opportunities to develop the capacity of the student to think independently, self manage his/her learning, identify his/her weaknesses, evaluate his/her learning. To obtain this degree of autonomy, the student must be prepared by the teacher. Any innovation in teaching and learning requires a shift in beliefs and attitudes for both teachers and learners. Especially at the beginning but not only then, a positive attitude to self-access learning should be developed.

Student centered learning becomes crucial. Students should be more aware of their central role. Learners’ attitudes toward self-access may be affected by the following main influences: their teachers, the university they study in, their peers and society. Learners bring their own beliefs, goals, attitudes and decisions to learning and they influence how they approach their learning. Sometimes teachers discourage learners from using learning strategies of their choice. Self-access learning provides individualization which encourages learners to develop those strategies that they find useful. Teachers’ beliefs are also very important because they have a strong influence on the learning environment.

How can we get past our own biases when we design an e-leaning course? Participatory design is the answer.

In the participatory design process, you involve an end-user in the design and writing process for your e-course. For example, if you are designing a supporting course for a third-year language course, you might hire two students who have just completed the course or who are going to be students in the course in the next term as your writing partners. Who better to represent the expectations and needs of their peers?

Through participatory design, users move out of roles such as observer or approver and into the roles of:

• Peer co-designer

• Design co-owner

• Expertise contributor

• Self-advocate

Involving a student as a co-designer moves him/her from ‘other person as problem’ into ‘other person as partner.’

When you are designing online learning for an audience, you need to know:

• Who they are

• Where they are

• How they like to learn

• The kinds of learning experiences they have had

• How their day is organized

• How learning activities will fit into the schedule

• What access they have to technology

• What kind of technical assistance is available to them Needs Assessment audience characteristics?

Can you think of other questions you would like to ask a potential learner or reader?

You might be able to design a survey or questionnaire for potential ‘clients’ before designing the course.

While pedagogical goals and the specific needs of individual learners are the most important factors in considering self-access learning materials and milieus, we made a survey of students’ needs and wants.

Teachers and students should be prepared for a change of habits. It is not easy and requires a hard and lengthy work in raising awareness and adaptation. This preparation must begin in the class-room and can be part of the teaching strategies used by teachers. Most teachers know techniques which could promote learner independence in the class and use them. By discussing and demonstrating self-access approaches to language learning, the teacher can encourage students to move towards independent learning in a SAC. When preparing learners in the classroom for the shift to independent learning individual differences of the learners have to be taken into account.

There are various reports in the literature about learner resistance towards autonomy. The research done in SACs of different countries showed a high degree of satisfaction with self-access facilities and most of the learners considered self-access learning effective. Those were the learners who had been trained for self-access learning. The teacher can help learners become aware of their language learning potential and use it effectively.