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Question: Review the short course and compare the experience to your current/future workplace context, including recommendations for improvement or adaptation.

‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’ is an online Italian e-learning course produced by Italian media group ‘RAI International’ in conjunction with E-learning web knowledge company ‘Didael’. The course is structured into four topics and provides learners with hours of structured language instruction incorporating elements of multimedia, which reflect the latest educational initiatives of moving towards online language instruction (Grenier-Winther 1999).

This essay will review the Italian language e-learning course ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’ and compare this course to the current context of online language learning. Recommendations on how to improve the course will also be addressed and the issue of course integration will be examined.

‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’ provides Italian language learners with the opportunity to extend their knowledge of the Italian language through a functional model of language learning. As stated by function linguist Halliday (1985) the aim of this model of education is to teach students to use language in a way that fulfils a number of social functions within social contexts (Halliday 1985 in Burns & Joyce 1997). This e-learning course therefore provides students with phrases and grammatical points that arise when one finds himself/herself in a certain situation. For example when searching for an apartment, students are provided with words, phrases and grammatical structures which according to Burns and Joyce (1997) for the “resources” (Burns & Joyce 1997 p. 48) which students can then “use to make meanings in social contexts”. In all modules of the course, all learning is based around topics related to social contexts and exercises streaming from these topics encourage students to “construct connected discourse rather than random sets of sentences” (Burns & Joyce 1997 p.48).

Although the approach to teach students through a functional model is good in theory, the design of the course lacks adequate evaluation and assessment. According to Allison (1999) language assessment must test some or all aspects of the language ability of students (Allison 1999) however, within ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’, the lack of a facilitation means that students cannot receive any “informed guidance on how to come to grips with what they hear and read” (Allison 1999 p.36). Although reliance on a facilitator can often result in students becoming less able to do “independent evaluative interpretations” (Allison 1999 p.36), lacking facilitation can be just as damaging and according to Allison (1999) the facilitation should never be discarded.

‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’ focuses on spelling accuracy (orthography) however according to Allison (1999) a student can still start to produce meaningful texts even without the accurate control of orthography (Allison 1999). The online form of language assessment evident in this e-learning course unfortunately only corrects the learner’s orthography. All answers are preset and responses to questions can only be either right or wrong. There is no element of interpretation to determine the students’ linguistic level of writing ability (Allison 1999).

According to Donaldson and Haggstrom (2006) the language classroom context has become more realistic, authentic and fluid (Donaldson & Haggstrom 2006). The role of the teacher has lessened with the introduction of online language learning and teachers now find it hard to remain in control of the learning process (Donaldson & Haggstrom 2006). In the modern language department of Carnegie Mellon University, Spanish courses called ‘Language Online (LOL)’ have been offered as a solution for distance education students (Chenoweth, Jones & Tucker 2006). The eight level courses are now well integrated into the department and all material is web based. Unlike ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’, LOL offers more formal online tutorials and provides students with a wider range of course materials (Chenoweth, Jones & Tucker 2006). Similarly in the Italian Language Department of the University of Technology, Sydney, second life has been incorporated as a learning and technology platform (Vanni & De Vincenti 2008). The technology infrastructure unlike LOL and ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’, allows students to practice Italian with native Italian speakers and develop cultural awareness while engaging with others in a virtual world. The presence of a facilitator is transferred to this online location and remains a dominant influence in the instruction method while still granting students adequate independence and flexibility in learning.

According to Lyons (2004), online courses are “increasingly becoming an accepted part of college teaching” (Lyons 2004 p.447). In America, 56% of colleges offer distance education classes (US Department of Education 2000-2001 in Lyons 2007). The Alliance for Lifelong Learning (Alllearn) is a joint project formed between the universities of Yale, Stanford and Oxford that offers online classes for all alumni students. The University of Phoenix in America now even promotes itself as being a learner in online learning. At the Washington State University, the subject ‘French for reading proficiency’ is being taught online in English and caters to a wide range of students (Grenier-Winther 1999). In ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’, instruction was also done in English however the skill of reading was not assessed.

This example alone with all the others mentioned above, make up the current environment of language education and all courses cater to students who have elementary knowledge of a language other than English. All examples, although not perfect in all aspects, possess elements that if incorporated into ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’, would benefit its effectiveness to make it provide a more enhanced learning experience to students. Some of the recommendations that could be incorporated into the course include providing a facilitator to assist in computer-generated instruction by giving feedback and assessing written work. Also perhaps including a form of technology infrastructure that encourages sociability by either introducing chat or another form of synchronous technology such as second life. More materials could also be available for students to access and the level of interactivity could be included by providing the opportunity for students to respond to stimulus using more than just the two skill areas of writing and listening. If speaking and reading were to be incorporated then the course would cater to students’ needs in developing all skill areas when learning a language.

In conclusion it should be noted that ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’ does in no way provide students with complete Italian language training. ‘Dentro l’Italiano 4.0 Corso Elementare’ instructs through a functional model focusing on orthography and situational discourse to provide the learner with ‘resources’ that they can then use in situations. Although this practical method covers one area, it does not reflect all the current emerging trends in language education occurring in colleges and universities. The course must therefore adopt further material, infrastructure and trainer presence to enhance the learning experience for the learner and stay up to date with other current online language education courses.

References:

Allison, D. 1999, Language Testing and Evaluation: An introductory course,
Singapore University Press, Singapore.

Burns, A. and Joyce, H., 1997, Focus on Speaking, National Center for English
Language Teaching and Research, Sydney.

Chenoweth, N.A. Jones, C. M. & Tucker, G.R. 2006, in Donaldson, R. P. &
Haggstrom, M. A. (eds.), ‘Language Online: Principles of Design and Methods of Assessment’, Changing Language Education Through Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Routledge, New York, pp. 147-168.

Donaldson, R. P. & Haggstrom, M. A. 2006, Changing Language Education Through
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Routledge, New York.

Grenier-Winther, J. 1999, ‘Real Issues in the Virtual Classroom’, The French Review,
vol. 73, no. 2.

Lyons, J. F. 2004, ‘Teaching U.S. History Online: Problems and Prospects’, The
History Teacher, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 447-456.

Vanni, I. & De Vincenti, G. 2008, ‘Second Italy: Teaching in-country study and
Italian language and culture in Second Life, UTS Teaching and Learning Forum, Institute for Interactive Media and Learning, University of Technology, Sydney,
http://www.iml.uts.edu.au/learnteach/forum/forum08/vanni.html