E couse a task based approach for the teaching and learning general english at da lat university

The purpose of this study was to apply an e-course as a reference for teaching general English and find out how the e-course does to improve teaching and learning quality at Dalat Univer

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF LINGUICTICS AND LITERATURE

DINH THI NGOC HA

‘E-COURSE’ – A TASK-BASED APPROACH FOR THE TEACHING AND LEARNING GENERAL ENGLISH AT DALAT UNIVERSITY

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER IN TESOL

SUPERVISOR: CAO THI QUYNH LOAN, M.A

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF LINGUICTICS AND LITERATURE

DINH THI NGOC HA

‘E-COURSE’ – A TASK-BASED APPROACH FOR THE TEACHING AND LEARNING GENERAL ENGLISH AT DALAT UNIVERSITY

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER IN TESOL

SUPERVISOR: CAO THI QUYNH LOAN, M.A

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled:

‘E-COURSE’ – A TASK-BASED APPROACH FOR THE TEACHING AND LEARNING

GENERAL ENGLISH AT DALAT UNIVERSITY

in terms of the statements of requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs

issued by the Higher Degree Committee

Ho Chi Minh City, 2008

Dinh Thi Ngoc Ha

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, Dinh Thi Ngoc Ha, being the candidate for the degree

of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s theses deposited in the University Library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited

in the University Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research,

in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library

for care, loan or reproduction of theses

Ho Chi Minh City, 2008

Dinh Thi Ngoc Ha

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Loan Thi Quynh Cao, M.A, who

has given me a lot of helpful advices and enthusiastic instructions on my thesis

I am really grateful to all the lecturers of the 2003-2006 Tesol course at Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities who have given me many useful, interesting

lectures and professional, enthusiastic guidance

I also would like to thanks the teachers and my students at Dalat University for their assistance in the completing the questionnaires and contributing valuable comments on the

teaching and learning in this school

Finally, I want to show my special thank to my mother in law who has encouraged me

a lot as well as all my family’s members If there was not their encouragement, I would hardly

finish my thesis

To my beloved son

The purpose of this study was to apply an e-course as a reference for teaching general English and find out how the e-course does to improve teaching and learning quality at Dalat University

The method in this study includes a survey with questionnaires, interviews and observation, tests and an experiment of an e-course at Dalat University

The results from the study revealed that contemporary methods of teaching and learning general English at Dalat University show low quality and do not meet the high demands of students However, very few authentic and meaningful tasks or technological aids have been used to improve teaching and learning quality Therefore, there is a high demand of

a new enjoyable, motivating and effective way of teaching and learning, and e-courses are a more effective way of teaching and learning general English at Dalat University than the current methodology

Although there were some difficulties when implementing the e-course, there are solutions, too

In conclusion, Task-based Approach is suggested to be applied in teaching and learning general English at Dalat University, and e-courses are an effective implementation of Task-based Approach E-courses are not only suitable for teaching and learning general English at Dalat University but also other subjects at other schools

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 AIM OF THE STUDY

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.3 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION APPROACH

2.2 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

2.3 THE TASK-BASED APPROACH

2.3.1 AUTHENTIC TASKS – AUTHENTIC LANGUAGE – AUTHENTICITY

2.3.2 THE “COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT” THEORY

2.3.3 THE INTERACTIONAL HYPOTHESIS

2.4 E-LEARNING AND E-COURSES

3.3.2 QUESTIONNAIRE DESCRIPTION

3.3.3 TEST DESCRIPTION

3.3.4 ‘E-COURSE’ DESCRIPTION

3.4 THE CURRENT BACKGROUND

3.4.1 THE COURSE AND THE SYLLABUS

3.4.2 THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS

4.1.2.1 THE PRE TEST

4.1.2.2 THE POST TEST

4.1.2.3 THE ORAL TEST AND FINAL TEST

4.1.3 THE E-COURSE

4.1.3.1 READING TEXTS AND PRESENTATIONS

4.1.3.2 DISCUSSIONS

4.1.3.3 THE WEBSITE

4.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.2.1 CONTEMPORARY METHODS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH SHOW LOW QUALITY AND DO NOT MEET THE HIGH DEMANDS OF STUDENTS

4.2.2 VERY FEW AUTHENTIC AND MEANINGFUL TASKS OR TECHNOLOGICAL AIDS HAVE BEEN USED AT DALAT UNIVERSITY

TO IMPROVE TEACHING AND LEARNING QUALITY

4.2.3 THERE IS A HIGH DEMAND FOR A NEW ENJOYABLE, MOTIVATING AND EFFECTIVE WAY OF TEACHING AND

LEARNING

4.2.4 ‘E-COURSES’ ARE A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING GENERAL ENGLISH AT DALAT UNIVERSITY THAN THE CURRENT METHODOLOGY

5.1.2 ‘E-COURSES’ ARE A METHOD OF TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING

5.2 SOLUTIONS TO OPERATE E-COURSES

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A (Questionnaire A for students)

APPENDIX B (Questionnaire B for students)

APPENDIX C (Questionnaire C for teachers)

APPENDIX D (The Pre test)

APPENDIX E (The Post Test)

APPENDIX F (The E-course)

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1: Questionnaire A

Table 4.2: Students’ background

Table 4.3: Aims of learning English

Table 4.4: Frequency of practicing English by the students

Table 4.5: Frequency of using the internet by the students

Table 4.6: Frequency of using the school library by the students

Table 4.7: Questionnaire B

Table 4.8: Rating scale of preference to new ways of teaching and learning

Table 4.9: Questionnaire C

Table 4.10: Age of teachers

Table 4.11: Teaching experience

Table 4.12: Methodology

Table 4.13: Frequency of using extra tasks by the teachers

Table 4.14: Frequency of using aids by the teachers

Table 4.15: Frequency of using internet by the teachers

Table 4.16: The effectiveness of using the internet by the teachers

Table 4.17: Teachers asked students to use the internet

Table 4.18: The effectiveness of using the internet by the students

Table 4.19: The four tests

Table 4.20: The Pre-test results

Table 4.21: The Post-test results

Table 4.22: The mean of the Pre-test and Post-test results

Table 4.23: The mean of the Oral test and Final test results

Table 4.24: Score of presentations

Table 4.25: Topics of discussions

Table 4.26: Students of discussions

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1: Aims of learning English

Figure 4.2: Students’ background of learning English

Figure 4.3: Mean of the Pre-test

Figure 4.4: Approach of teaching at Dalat University

Figure 4.5: ORAL test & FINAL test result

Figure 4.6: Mean of the Post-test

Figure 4.7: Frequency of using extra tasks by the teachers

Figure 4.8: Frequency of using aids by the teachers

Figure 4.9: Frequency of using internet by the teachers

Figure 4.10: Effectiveness of using internet by the teachers

Figure 4.11: Teachers asked students to use the internet

Figure 4.12: The effectiveness of using the internet by the students

Figure 4.13: Aims of using the Internet by the students

Figure 4.14: Aims of using the school library by the students

Figure 4.15: Frequency of practicing English by the students

Figure 4.16: Preference of the e-course

Figure 4.17: Rating scale of preference to new ways of teaching and learning

Figure 4.18: Age of teachers

Figure 4.19: Teaching experience

Figure 4.20: Score of presentations by the experimental group

Figure 4.21: Topics of discussions

Figure 4.22: Number of discussions

Figure 4.23a: Mean of the Pre test & Post test

Figure 4.23b: Mean of the Pre test & Post test

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Since English is the dominant language used for information exchange between countries, many aids have been developed to help improve the quality of teaching and learning English including revisions of syllabuses and applications of new methodologies

In this study I would like to look into the effect of the application of methodologies in the teaching and learning general English in my teaching environment, Dalat University, Vietnam

As Dam, T Phap (*) said, the Grammar Translation Method, which only focuses on grammar and translation competence, dominated English classes before 1975 It is because English, at that time, was just a another foreign language comparable to French and Chinese English use was at the beginning stage and was much less common than French and Chinese Moreover, the lack of teachers and teaching competence caused Grammar Translation Method

to be the preferred method for teaching and learning English in Vietnam

In the 1990s, with the adoption of the Doi Moi or renovation policies for the economy, the demand of learning English greatly increased as it was needed for a multitude of activities, such as for exchanging information with foreign firms, communication with foreigners, and studying or working abroad In other words, English had become increasingly common, necessary and useful The teaching of English also had to change to meet the changed demands of learners English was no longer just an academic course, but was viewed as an

( * ) Dam, T Phap: an old student of Tran Luc high school in Saigon before 1975 He is now a Linguistic Professor

of Texas Woman’s University The note is from his lecture at the conference “Making Connections for Academic Success” held by Texas Education Agency in Austin in June 28 th -29 th , 2001 in which he was the key-note speaker

- http://www.tranluc.net/docs/hoctienganh.html

important tool to communicate and exchange information To meet these new, increased demands, a number of diversified and flexible courses and syllabuses were developed Reading and translating of literature works was reduced to a secondary need of learning English Therefore, the Communicative Approach has become the most popular method for English instructions

However, another approach to the teaching and learning English which has been recently drawing more and more attention is the Task-based Approach

To some extent, this approach is not much different from the Communicative Approach Both focus more on meaning than language Both try to develop communicative competence And both use authentic tasks to achieve their goals However, even with the most communicative approach, English classes are limited in their ability to develop learners' communicative competence due to the limited time for using or practicing the language; very few opportunities for interacting with native speakers; and limited exposure to the variety of functions, genres, speech events, and discourse types that occur outside of the classroom (*) Without knowledge of and experience with the discourse and socio-cultural patterns of English, learners are likely to rely on the strategies and expectations acquired as a part of their first language development, which may be inappropriate for English settings and may lead to formulaic utterances, communication difficulties and misunderstandings even when they are master of grammar competence That is why Rebecca Belchamber (**)(La Trobe University Language Centre, Melbourne, Australia) thinks we should give up the support for CLT

Task-based Approach is a way of teaching and learning in which teachers expose learners to different discourse patterns in different texts and interactions In another word, teachers can include the study of discourse in English classroom by letting students be discourse analysts themselves Learners can benefit from using discourse analysis to explore what language is and how it is used to achieve communicative goals in different contexts Thus discourse analysis can help to create an English learning environment that more

( *) Elite Olshtain, Marianne Celce-Murcia 2005 Discourse Analysis and Language Teaching (Deborah Schiffrin,

Deborah Tannen, Heidi E Hamilton The Handbook of Discourse Analysis , Pages707 – 724) Blackwell

Publishers Ltd

( **) Rebecca Belchamber The Advantages of Communicative Language Teaching - The Internet TESL Journal,

accurately reflects how language is used and encourages learners toward their goal of proficiency in English

According to the Asian EFL Journal (http://www.asian-efl-journal.com), e-courses have all strengths of Task-based Approach methodology For this reason, I have explored how

my designed e-course helps improve the teaching and learning General English quality at Dalat University

1.1 AIM OF THE STUDY

During my years of working and teaching at Dalat University, I have observed that the teaching and learning English as a general subject is boring and ineffective Neither teachers nor students seem to be interested in their teaching and learning due to the course book design and content, the course objectives and the pedagogical methods This study just looks into the pedagogical methods used at Dalat University and their effects on the teaching and learning general English quality and then propose a new way of teaching and learning via e-learning and e-courses

E-learning, in the recent years, is an emerging method of teaching and learning that has been tested in many universities in Vietnam As I have known e-courses are a kind of e-learning incorporating the Task-based Approach which focuses on meaning rather than form

by exploring natural English use in authentic environments through authentic tasks that helps learners acquire the language naturally

In this study, I would like to answer the question “Does e-course enhance students’ performance or interest in the learning process?” by analyzing tentative results of an experiment carried out in teaching and learning methodology The goal of the experiment is to examine, compare and elicit results to identify the differences, if any, in learning outcomes between the two classes One class was taught using an e-course; and the other class was taught by the same instructor with identical course syllabi and textbook, but using the Communicative Approach

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To achieve the aim presented above, the study focuses on answering the following

questions:

- How do students study English at Dalat University?

- What are the difficulties and needs of the students?

- What does the e-course do to help solve those difficulties and meet those needs?

1.3 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS

The thesis is organized in six chapters

• Chapter 1 introduces the content, the aim and states the research questions of the study

• Chapter 2 reviews the literature, related definitions and theoretical background

• Chapter 5 presents the suggestions and solutions

• Chapter 6 is the conclusion of the study

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

There have been several language teaching approaches and each has its own advantages as well as disadvantages This chapter reviews and compares three models for teaching English as a foreign language in Vietnam: the Grammar-Translation Method, the Communicative Approach, and E-courses which follows the Task-based Approach

2.1 THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION APPROACH

As it is defined in A Handbook of English Language Teaching Terms and Practice

(Brian Seaton, 1982), Grammar Translation Method aims at providing an understanding of the grammar of the language, and at training students to read and write the target language, rather than mastering the oral and aural skills

Brown (1994) (Adapted from Prator and Celce-Murcia) (*) also shows the features of classes using Grammar Translation Method of teaching:

(1) Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with little active use of the target language

(2) Much vocabulary is taught in the form of lists of isolated words

(3) Long elaborate explanations of the intricacies of grammar are given

(4) Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and instruction often focuses on the form and inflection of words

(5) Reading of difficult classical texts is begun early

(6) Little attention is paid to the content of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis

(7) Often the only drills are exercises in translating disconnected sentences from the target language into the mother tongue

(8) Little or no attention is given to pronunciation

( * ) http://eshraf.taifedu.gov.sa/en/5.htm

In the world, language teaching was initiated because of the necessity of learning Latin

and Greek to read and understand classic texts and the Bible in 18th century (Rivers, 1968) (*)

Thus, language learning was based upon reading and writing rather than speaking the

language Therefore, the Grammar Translation Method was developed to meet that requirement

In Vietnam, before 1875, the Grammar Translation Method dominated all English

classes, due to the lack of teachers and teaching competence as well as the low demand of

English use (Adapted from Dam, T Phap - http://www.tranluc.net) This method of teaching,

however, is still used in many classes, especially at high schools The reason is that the aim of

learning English in Vietnam is mainly to pass a variety of compulsory written tests because

tests of grammar rules and of translations are easy to construct and can be objectively

scored Many standardized tests such as the school finals, university entrance examinations,

national certification examinations of English still do not focus on communicative abilities, so

students have little motivation to go beyond grammar analogies, translations, and rote exercises Otherwise, the Grammar Translation Method does not require much time, energy

and specialized skills of teachers Last but not least, many teachers are unaware of what

method to apply, just do what they follow the others (Adapted from Vietnamnet)

2.2 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

It has been said that the Grammar Translation Method was developed for the study of

"dead" languages and to facilitate access to classical literature and the Bible (David Johnson)

(**) English, however, is certainly not a dead or dying language Therefore, another approach

was developed to replace the Grammar Translation Method in teaching English which is

called Communicative Approach or Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

According to Wikipedia dictionary (http://www.wikipedia.org), CLT is an approach to

the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means

and the ultimate goal of learning a language In other words, CLT emphasizes on helping students use the target language in a variety of contexts, and places great emphasis on learning language functions

This means that successfully learning a foreign language is assessed in terms of how well learners have developed their communicative competence, which can loosely be defined

as their ability to apply knowledge of both formal and sociolinguistic aspects of a language with adequate proficiency to communicate

Besides, David Nunan (1991) also lists five basic characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching:

(1) An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

(2) The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation

(3) The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on the language but also on the learning process itself

(4) An enhancement of the learner's own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning

(5) An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom

These five features are claimed by practitioners of CLT to show that they are very interested in the needs and desires of their learners as well as the connection between the language as it is taught in their class and as it is used outside the classroom Under this broad umbrella definition, any teaching practice that helps students develop their communicative competence in an authentic context is deemed an acceptable and beneficial form of instruction Thus, in the classroom CLT often takes the form of pair and group work requiring negotiation and cooperation between learners, fluency-based activities that encourage learners to develop their confidence, role-plays in which students practice and develop language functions, as well

as judicious use of grammar and pronunciation focused activities (Adapted from Wikipedia)

Today CLT seems to be the most dominant approach in English classes due to the policies of Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the lack of awareness by teachers of other methods (Adapted from Vietnamnet)

2.3 THE TASK-BASED APPROACH

While the Grammar Translation Method and Communicative Approach have their rightful place in language teaching, another approach which is drawing more and more attention is the Task-based Approach

As David Nunan (1999) has said, task-based language teaching is an approach to the design of language courses in which the point of departure is not an order list of linguistic items, but a collection of tasks

In his 1989 book, Nunan suggested that “tasks” are pieces of classroom work which involve learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention principally focuses on meaning rather than form such as the rehearsals of making reservations, writing letters, asking for information, finding street destinations in a director; or non-rehearsals of solving a problem in a small group, discussions, presentations

In other words, the tasks mean goal-oriented activities with clear purposes, and present those purposes with which language learning is in the form of a problem-solving negotiation between knowledge that the learner holds and new knowledge learners work to complete a task

The Task-based Approach, as with content-based instruction, aims to provide learners with natural contexts for language use Therefore, learners have abundant opportunities to interact with each other as well as the teacher and the content Such interaction is thought to facilitate language acquisition, as learners have to work to understand each other and to express their own meaning Learners also have opportunities to listen to language which may

be beyond their present ability, but is assimilated into their knowledge of the target language for use at a later time (Adapted from Wikipedia)

In other words, teachers expose learners to different discourse patterns in different authentic texts and interactions and allow the students themselves to study language, that is, to make them discourse analysts By exploring natural language used in authentic environments, learners gain a greater appreciation and understanding of the discourse patterns associated with a given genre or speech event as well as the sociolinguistic factors that contribute to linguistic variation across settings and contexts

2.3.1 AUTHENTIC TASKS – AUTHENTIC LANGUAGE – AUTHENTICITY

The term authenticity and authentic have sparked off a lot ofdiscussions in the fields

of linguistics, materials design, andlanguage learning However, there is not a consensus to a precise definition

Authenticity and authentic are often used to describe language samples – both oral and

written – that reflect the naturalness of form, and appropriateness of cultural and situational

context Throughout the history of English language teaching, authenticity is taken as being

synonymous with genuineness, realness, truthfulness, validity, reliability, undisputed credibility, and legitimacy of materials or practices (Tatsuki, 2006) (*)

In Taylor’s point of view (**), we have to deal with three kinds of authenticity: authenticity of language, authenticity of task, or authenticity of situation And Michael Breen (***) subdivides authenticity of language as authenticity of the texts used as input data for learners, and authenticity of the learners own interpretation of such texts, restricts authenticity

of task to the tasks conducive to language learning; and refers authenticity of situation to authenticity of the actual social situation of the language classroom

Nunan (1988) (****) has defined authentic materials as those which have been produced for purposes other than for teaching the language

( * ) Tatsuki, 2006 Authentic Communicatio Proceedings of the 5th Annual JALT Pan-SIG Conference

May 13-14, 2006 Shizuoka, Japan: Tokai University College of Marine Science (p 1 - 12)-

Authentic materials may mean different things for different people such as materials generated by native speakers and for native speakers (Rogers & Medley, 1988) Therefore,

copies of personal letters, novels, academic articles, and narratives as well as excerpts from natural audio-taped materials (Dunkel, 1995) are considered as authentic materials in genre-based syllabuses (Adapted from Nematullah Shomoossi and Saeed Ketabi)(*) When a writing activity is truly communicative, as e-mail projects are, the language is authentic The students are not going through the motion of artificial exercises They are communicating because they need and want to communicate Most of the information on the World Wide Web has been written in English by native speakers The Web is, therefore, a rich source of authentic reading materials in English.(**)

According to Tatsuki (2006), authenticity has also been a major feature in syllabus design, task-based approaches, materials development and the main focus of the Communicative Language Teaching in the past However, materials development and syllabus

design historically have largely relied on the arrangement of materials and activities rather

than authenticity For instance, syllabus types such as English for Academic Purposes, English for Special Purposes, synthetic, linear, structural, notional-functional, situational, atomistic,

genre-based, text-based, procedural all have in common the concern about how the content is arranged and organized There have been sporadic attempts to authenticate these syllabus

types

2.3.2 THE “COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT” THEORY

The “comprehensible input theory” of Krashen states that the way we acquire (not learn) a language is through comprehensible input - that means we focus on the message not

on the structure Through the understanding of the message, students learn vocabulary and grammar That is the most natural way to acquire a language, the same way as we acquire our

mother tongue

( *) Nematullah Shomoossi and Saeed Ketabi 2007 A Critical Look at the Concept of Authenticity Electronic

Journal of Foreign Language Teaching Vol 4, No 1, pp 149-155 Centre for Language Studies National

University of Singapore - http://e-flt.nus.edu.sg/v4n12007/shomoossi.htm

( **) Christine Meloni.2008 The Internet in the Classroom A Valuable Tool and Resource for ESL/EFL Teachers

According to this theory, the learner knowledge is often at some level supposed to be

at ‘i’, then acquisition takes place when s/he is exposed to 'comprehensible input' that belongs

to level 'i + 1' Thus, that learner improves and progresses along the 'natural order' when s/he receives second language 'input' that is one step beyond his/her current stage of linguistic competence If the level of input is at i+1 the learner will make progress, however, if it is too high, for instance i+7, the learner will be unable to acquire it (Krashen, 1985) (*)

Krashen has said that language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drills Acquisition requires meaningful interactions in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding The best methods are, therefore, those that supply “comprehensible input” in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear These methods which do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are “ready”, recognizes that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production In the real world, conversations with sympathetic native speakers who are willing to help the acquirer understand are very helpful (Ricardo Schiz, 2007)(**)

2.3.3 THE INTERACTIONAL HYPOTHESIS

According to the Interactional Hypothesis, language is acquired as learners actively engage in attempting to communicate in the target language The hypothesis is consistent with the experiential philosophy of “learning by doing” Acquisition will be maximized when learners engage in tasks that “push” them to the limits of their current competence (Nunan 1999)

2.4 E-LEARNING AND E-COURSES

2.4.1 E-LEARNING

The quick development of technology in storage, distribution, and production of multimedia via computers and the internet has created new sources for English language teaching and learning Students have easier access to English through the internet There are all sorts of different soft-wares and internet sites to teach and learn English The teaching and learning via computer and internet is called “e-learning”

However, e-learning is neither fully understood nor properly applied due to the existence of different definitions and views on learning objectives To help clarify this situation, we will examine some definitions

According to Kristina Schneider (*), e-learning (abbreviation of Electronic Learning) is

a human performance improvement initiative that employs electronic technology By this definition, consulting an Internet-based dictionary to find out the meaning of a word is a form

of e-learning, and any kind of learning which occurs to improve performance by the means of

an electronic technology though it is incidental and informal, falls within the parameters of learning Thus, there are 3 assumptions about e-learning:

e-(1) E-learning is about putting content online (2) E-learning is essentially classroom training online (3) E-learning uses a wide variety of media will accommodate individual learning styles

VietTotal (http://www.viettotal.com) has also defined e-learning to be a term to modify

an approach of teaching and learning through IT (abbreviation of Information Technology which refers to the internet, intranet, graphics, websites…), and clarifies many kinds of learning such as ‘formal learning’, ‘informal learning’, ‘online learning’, ‘web-based learning’, ‘computer-based learning’, ‘synchronous learning’, ‘asynchronous learning’…

‘Formal Learning’ modifies the way of learning in a traditional way with teacher being the center of the

class and students following strictly an available course

( *) Kristina Schneider What is eLearning ? - Resources for On-Line Learning and E-Course Management –

‘Informal Learning’ modifies the way of learning individually For example a student who is to do a

research, a plan…can exchange the information with another student or counselor, collect information from the internet, ask an expert for a help…

‘Computer-based Training’ modifies the way of learning through CD-ROMs

‘Web-based Training’ modifies the way of learning through internet sites

‘Synchronous Training’ modifies the way of learning online at a specific time All students and teacher

log in at the same time and exchange information with each other directly Examples include Video/audio conferencing, Chat room, TV/radio live broadcast

‘Asynchronous Training’ modifies the way of learning through the internet, e-mail, and forum

‘Online Learning’ modifies the way of learning through the internet/intranet/ LAN/WAN excluding

CD-ROM

Formal Learning, Informal Learning are not shorts of e-learning, where as based Training, Web-based Training, Synchronous Training, Asynchronous Training, Online Learning are shorts of e-learning

Therefore, e-learning can be organized into three different levels:

Level 3 Virtual class

Level 2 Online class with teacher instruction

Level 1 CBT – WBT – Self study without teacher

Level 1: Computer-based Training and Web-based Training (CBT and WBT)

In this level, learners use CD-Rom and Websites and study by themselves without teachers

Learners need a CD-player, some CDs, and the Internet at home They can study what they want when they like Up to now it has been the easiest and most common way of learning

Level 2: Synchronous Learning, Online Learning

Learners study online under the management of the teacher with the support of the internet, using LMS (Learning Management System)

In this level, teachers and learners can communicate with each other Teachers can ask and answer questions, give marks, access learners’ ability and manage the class with the support of the LMS; and learners can exchange information, discuss, debate and raise issues

The teaching and learning simultaneously occur at a fixed time

Virtual class (Asynchronous learning)

Level 3:

Like classes of level 2, teachers and learners can communicate with each other; teachers can ask and answer questions, give marks, assess learners’ ability, and manage the class with the support of the LMS; learners can exchange information, discuss, debate and

respond to a ‘case study’ The difference is that learners can study offline This means the

teaching and learning does not have to occur simultaneously at a fixed time Teachers and learners can participate in virtual classes when it is convenient for them

E-learning has developed unequally throughout the world It has developed most rapidly in North America and Europe, but less so in Asia

In America, e-learning and teaching has been approved since the late 1990s According

to ASTD (The American Society for Training and Development), in 2000 about 47% of American universities and colleges had designed distance learning models with about 54,000 online courses IDC (The International Data Corporation) said that at the end of 2004, about 90% of universities and colleges had had e-learning courses with an average of 33% increase

in number of learners every year from 1999 – 2004 (Adapted from the Bulletin of Hanoi National University - http://bulletin.vnu.edu.vn/btdhqghn)

E-learning has been applied widely not only by universities but also by companies, enterprises and many other individuals And e-learning has brought back big benefit

To meet that demand, an increasing number of enterprises have begun to develop solutions for e-learning, such as Click2Learn, Global Learning Systems, Smart Force

In Europe, besides the individual development of e-learning, there has been cooperation between many countries to improve and set up several e-learning communities EuroPACE is a case in point EuroPACE is a network of the top 36 universities of Denmark, Holland, Poland, England, and France This network provides e-courses about sciences, arts and humanities that are suitable for the need of under or post-graduate learners and researchers

in Europe

In Asia

E-learning is beginning to be used in Asia Traditional and radical practices and regulations, the number of different languages in the region, and the inadequate infrastructure are barriers to e-learning But these are just temporary drawbacks among the advantages of e-learning

Some of the more advanced Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, and Singapore, are now starting to adapt e-learning However, e-learning has mostly been used by companies and enterprises for training staff

In Vietnam

E-learning was still new and strange in Vietnam before 2002 However, from late 2003

it began to attract more attention and gradually e-learning has been a hot issue in conferences and seminars of Information Technology and Education The conference “The Development and Application of E-learning” held by the Information Technology Institute of Hanoi National University and The Information Technology Department of Hanoi Polytechnic University in March 2005 was the first e-learning conference in Vietnam (Adapted from the Bulletin of Hanoi National University - http://bulletin.vnu.edu.vn/btdhqghn)

Now, several Vietnamese universities are beginning to examine and develop learning’ and have received positive feedback Hanoi National University of Technology, the Information Technology Institute of Hanoi National University, Hanoi Polytechnic University, HCM National University… all have had their own e-courses

‘E-Moreover, Vietnam has joined the Asia E-learning Network (AEN, elearning.net) This shows that the development and application e-learning is making progress

www.asia-Recently, the Computer Center of Ministry of Education and Training has opened an learning portal which supplies information about e-learning development and application in the world and a fully worked out e-learning system software following international standards That e-learning system software, Moodle, is an open source for all schools who want to adapt e-learning Danang University of Economics (http://www.due.edu.vn) was the first one who applied e-learning training course with Moodle’s support Hanoi Open University (http://www.dhm-hnou.edu.vn) and Can Tho University (http://www.ctu.edu.vn) have also exploited Moodle and built their own experimental e-courses, too Besides, there are many private e-courses available on the internet such as

e-http://www.elearning.com.vn, http://www.ewaygo.net/jla/, http://globaledu.com.vn/vietnam, http://hocngoaingu.com,

http://www.hoctructuyen.net, http://www.hp-vietnam.com,

http://www.cleverlearn.edu.vn, http://www.goldenkey.edu.vn, http://www.tienganh.com.vn/vi/index.php

At Dalat university

Although the infrastructure is good, with computers available for teaching and learning, a modern and well-equipped library, and the encouragement of leaders towards the development and application of new technology into teaching and learning, few teachers are familiar with e-learning at Dalat University

Hopefully in near future, Dalat University, will have e-courses due to the above objective conditions

2.4.4 MY ‘E-COURSE’:

My designed e-course was a kind of e-learning which followed the Task-based Approach

• My designed e-course was a kind of e-learning because

- The course used content online via local website and email

Virtual

- The class was trained online as a class (Asynchronous learning) with

teachers and students communicating with each other via emails Teachers asked

and answered questions, gave marks, accessed students’ ability, managed the class

with the support of the LMS; students studied offline- exchanged information,

discussed, debated, replied a ‘case study’ via emails, too Teachers and students

managed the timetable while attending virtual class

- The course used a wide variety of media which accommodated individual learning styles such as reading texts (via Word, PowerPoint, Acrobat files or URL links),

emailing of discussions, chatting, graphics, images, sound…

• My designed e-course followed Task-based Approach because

Firstly, the e-course included several authentic tasks which provided authentic input and exploited authentic output Authentic input was provided via songs, games, conversations, short stories, reading texts, articles and situations about grammar points which selected from the internet, newspapers, magazines Authentic output was exploited via presentations, discussions, e-mailing, chatting and testing

Secondly, the e-course included interaction tasks when reading tasks, presentations, discussions, e-mailing, chatting were truly communicative speaking and writing exercises using authentic language The students were not just going through the motions of artificial exercises, they were communicating because they needed to and wanted to communicate

Lastly, the e-course included comprehensible tasks The language used in the tasks were slightly in advance of the performer’s level in terms of degree of difficulty, thus it was able to attract students’ interest and encourages them to progress Students explored the language by themselves and were able to learn the language naturally When the students reproduced the language, it was comprehensible, too

To sum up, my e-course provided authentic, comprehensible and interactional tasks which followed four conditions for the optimal input and output that are: comprehensible, interesting and relevant, not form-focused and quantitative

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 PURPOSES OF THE STUDY

Although the Communicative Approach is encouraged to be used widely to teach general English at Dalat University, the English language proficiency of students is still low

The purposes of this study were:

- To find out how general English is taught at Dalat University

- To identify the needs and difficulties of students in learning general English at Dalat University

- To test the use of an e-course and develop some solutions for these problems

3.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To achieve the purposes presented above, the study focused on answering the

following questions:

- How did students study general English at Dalat University?

- What were the needs and difficulties of the students?

- What did e-course do to help solve those difficulties and needs?

3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN

I conducted this study in the first semester of the school year 2007-2008 at Dalat University and primarily used questionnaires, tests, and an experiment of an e-course which was used as a reference for general English classes, for the analysis of its effectiveness on the

teaching and learning quality

Additionally, I also used other types of instruments such as existing information, observations, and interviews to support the findings and discussion so that they must be valid and reliable

3.3.1 SUBJECTS

3.3.1.1 THE STUDENTS

The participants were first year students, mainly of the Chemistry (control group) and Tourism (experimental group) Departments There were also a few from other Departments

teaching experience is about 15 years

3.3.2 QUESTIONNAIRE DESCRIPTION

Three questionnaires (see Appendix A, B, C for detail) were used for eliciting the needs to set goals and objectives for an e-course All were in Vietnamese for accurate understanding and answering of all questions

- The Questionnaire A was for the students and was carried out at the beginning

of the course

Question 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 asked about the background, interest, aims, habits, difficulties

of students in learning English

Question 7, 8 asked about their frequency of using the internet and school library which can imply some conclusion about their motivation and consideration about e-learning

Question 9, 10 asked about their needs to improve their English which can imply whether they welcome e-learning or not

- The Questionnaire B was also for the students but was carried out in the end of

Question 1, 2, 3 asked about personal information which might imply some trends of teaching

Question 4 was to determine whether the teacher is teaching or had ever taught general English (New Headway) at Dalat University

Question 5 was to find out what approach is used widely to teach general English at Dalat University

Question 6, 7, 8, 9 asked about teachers’ habits of teaching and using the internet in order to determine what they had done and would do to improve teaching and learning quality with the support of computer and internet

Besides, I also interviewed most of the students and teachers for detailed information and observed them learning and teaching

3.3.3 TEST DESCRIPTION

There were four tests:

• The Pre-test was carried out at the beginning of the course (see Appendix D)

• The Post-test was carried out in the end of the course (see Appendix E)

Both tests had five sections, each of which had about twenty questions:

- Tenses: There were thirty questions to test grammar competence

- Word forms: There were ten questions to test how students use appropriate

word in sentences

- Social expressions: There were twenty questions to test speaking ability

- Reading: There were nine T/F questions, six WH-questions to test reading

ability

- Writing: Students had to write a paragraph of about 80-100 words to test

writing ability

There was no section for listening due to the policy of the school

Each right answer scored one point, excluding the writing part which was based on five criterions: length, grammar, spelling, linking words and ideas (maximum mark for each criterion is 20)

These tests were to compare the effectiveness of the e-learning and Communicative Approach

• The Oral test took place at the end of the course to access student’s ability of speaking

• The Final test which would provide more objective results, was a multiple choice

paper test and was the same for all general English classes The content was from the test bank of the school

3.3.4 ‘E-COURSE’ DESCRIPTION

The e-course was developed to examine, compare and elicit results to identify the differences in learning outcomes between the two classes - one class was taught using an ‘E-course’; and the other class was taught by the same instructor with identical course syllabi and textbook, but using Communicative Approach

The e-course was a reference course whose contents were based on the student’s book

“New Headway” of John and Liz Soar (from unit 5 to unit 13 – Pre-intermediate level)

The e-course has 8 parts (see also Appendix F for detail)

Part 1: Grammar Review

There were PowerPoint files which summarized grammar points

Part 2: Reading Texts

There were PowerPoint files which provided more information on the reading texts in the student’s book Besides, there were some articles provided by students

Part 3: Vocabulary

There were Microsoft Word files which provided list of new words (which were selected from each unit in student’s book) in order to help students understand reading texts more easily

Part 4: Grammar Practice

There were 4 types of situational exercises for students to practice grammar points: matching, multiple choice with unique answer, multiple choice with multiple answers, filling

in the blanks Students were able to get the results immediately and do the exercises as many times as they wanted

Part 5: Word Form Practice

There were 4 types of situational exercises for students to practice using word form: matching, multiple choice with unique answer, multiple choice with multiple answers, filling

in the blanks Students were able to get the results immediately and do the exercises as many times as they wanted

Part 6: Discussion Board

This was a special part which was designed as a mail box Students could discuss, debate

or share their opinions with the whole class Besides, there might be some other topics raised

by students

Part 7: Everyday English

This part was linked to the website “www.oup.com/elt/headway” and some other links Students were able to listen to and imitate native English speakers

3.4 THE CURRENT BACKGROUND

3.4.1 THE COURSE AND THE SYLLABUS

Dalat University is one of the two universities in the Highlands of Vietnam There are about 50 departments and sections offering many types of training as regular and in-service training, general and pedagogy training, secondary certification training and crash courses Every year, more than 3500 newcomers enter the school All non-English major students have

to take English course as an obligated subject with two levels; B3 and B4 are for general English, and ESP (English for specific purposes) The main textbook for B3 and B4 is Pre-

intermediate “New Headway” written by Soar Liz and John, and published by Oxford University Press

The B3 course lasts for 75 periods (45 minutes for each period) and has 9 units which focus mainly on Grammar, Vocabulary and Reading Speaking, Writing and Listening receive little emphasis According to the policy of the Department of Foreign Languages of Dalat University, teachers spend about eight periods on each unit, for a total of 72 periods, with the remaining three periods used for revision, the mid-term test and make-up classes So, with limited time and space, it is challenging for teachers to teach thoroughly all the sections in the book as well as for the students to sharpen all skills

Thus, to improve the education quality for a large number of students in a short time with a great deal of knowledge, teachers need to be flexible and innovative

3.4.2 THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS

All students who participated in the survey and experiment were freshmen, thus they were able to draw upon recent experiences about what they had studied at high school Moreover, this was the first time they had been exposed to the university way of teaching and learning, so they were able to give the truest response towards the new approach without having been influenced by their past experiences

However, the mixing of students who have studied English for three years with students who have studied English for seven years, as well as the large number of students in English classes cause several difficulties in teaching and learning

Moreover, at Dalat University, the Communicative Approach is still the most common methodology used and e-learning is still being studied A lot of language teachers and learners

do not have a clear idea of what the Task-based Approach or e-learning is and how they are used in language classes As observation showed, many teachers just used methodologies designed for other contexts, even if they were not necessarily practical at Dalat University

3.4.3 THE SCHOOL

The school has a good policy welcoming all new contribution which improves the teaching and learning quality

Moreover, there is a modern e-library with hi-tech facilities, a local area network and about 50 computers available for use There is also an experienced staff to help make e-courses So, it was a good opportunity for me to evaluate the use of an e-course at Dalat University

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the findings and analysis of data collected from three questionnaires and four tests are presented and the following shortfalls of English language instruction are discussed:

- Contemporary methods of teaching and learning English do not meet the needs of students

- Very few authentic and meaningful tasks or technological aids have been used at Dalat University to improve teaching and learning quality

- There is a high demand for a new enjoyable, motivating and effective way of teaching and learning

- E-courses are a more effective way of teaching and learning general English at Dalat University than the current methodology

4.1 DATA COLLECTION

4.1.1 THE QUESTIONNAIRES

4.1.1.1 QUESTIONNAIRE A

Of a total of 200 questionnaires given out, 160 ones were returned

Group/ questionnaire out in

only studied at high school had additional classes at

foreign language centers

self studied

52.5% 35.63% 11.87%

Table 4.2: Students’ background

- Students’ aims of learning English

for

communication

for finding a good job

for examinations for reading

foreign documents

for entertainment

Table 4.3: Aims of learning English

- Students’ frequency of practicing English

dependent on free

time

everyday (about 1-2 hours)

every week (about

3-4 hours)

left blank

51.25% 28.13% 18.13% 2.49%

Table 4.4: Frequency of practicing English by the students

- Students’ using the internet

75% have had experience in using internet, 25% have never used the internet before

Aims:

for chatting for e-mailing for searching information

38.75% 21.88% 61.25%

Table 4.5: Frequency of using the internet by the students

Although 61.25% used the internet for searching for information, it was usually for

other subjects and mainly in Vietnamese

- School library use

58.75% used the school library and 41.25% did not use the school library

Aims:

for chatting for e-mailing for searching for for having a place to

information learn their lessons

11.25% 6.88% 43.75% 13.75%

Table 4.6: Frequency of using the school library by the students

Although 43.75% used the school library for searching for information, it was usually

for other subjects and mainly in Vietnamese

- Students’ difficulties

According to the students, because they thought they did not have the ability to learn

English or English was difficult Therefore, 30% did not like learning English and 81.88% did

not like the way of teaching and learning English while at high schools

Their most difficult challenges were listening skill (100%) and speaking skill

(81.88%) Reading and word form were the secondary problems The others were

pronunciation, social expression and writing skills

- All of them expected a new interesting, motivating and effective way of teaching

and learning at university

4.1.1.2 QUESTIONNAIRE B

Of a total of 87 questionnaires given out, 87 ones were returned

Group/ questionnaire out in