Some developments in the distance MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL programme Dr Pamela Rogerson-Revell School of Education University of Leicester, UK

Introduction Pedagogy v technology driven Equality of provision –campus v distance learning – ‘digital divide’ Developing expertise –staff, students, ‘digital natives’ v ‘technophobes’, time & resources Eurocall 2011, Nottingham

Student Numbers

MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL Running since 1995 Campus and distance modes Distance programme – approx 220 students intake: Sept - 45 students, March – 48 students Many similar MA programmes in UK and abroad Moved distance MA entirely online in Sept modules – 6 monthly intervals Approximately 30 tutors/ markers

Common distance programme delivery challenges enabling flexible modes of study accommodating diverse access to technology encouraging interactive and collaborative learning providing motivating, engaging materials limited variety in teaching approaches need for mobility & flexibility -many students work & travel a lot

Recent funded research project: DUCKLING - Delivering University Curricula: Knowledge, Learning & Innovation Gains JISC-funded project 2 years, ending Oct 2010 Work-based distance learners in: Online MA in TESOL & Applied Linguistics MSc in Occupational Psychology MSc in Psychology of Work

Four technologies: Podcasting E-book readers Second Life voiceboards

Podcasting – example

Podcasting – findings so far Students appreciate: – Increased flexibility and mobility – using iPhones, MP3 players and e-readers – Increased interaction and personalisation of learning Tutors appreciate: – ‘Design once, deliver many times’ with minimum adaptation (online and campus)

Wimba Voiceboard

Voice Board pilot on Blackboard

E-tivity 2: Adam’s post

Second Life

Second Life – Some findings Small number of volunteers but all engaged enthusiastically. Participants felt it increased opportunities for learners to talk to native speakers and people around the world All appreciated opportunity to try out new technology. Participants who signed up but did not complete the project had technical or time-zone problems. Some did not see direct relevance of SL to their studies.

Second Life – student comments “I was introduced to this technology that I wouldn’t have otherwise been introduced to. It got my creative juices flowing about the future of ESL and the myriad of tools out there that a practicing teacher (reliant on texts and traditional mediums of teaching) would rarely be exposed to.” “I lost interest in visiting because I couldn’t really connect the usefulness of SL to my real life. I saw people wandering around but didn’t engage with them (Why would I?) In the end, I found it very time consuming and more of a pass time that anything that had academic or professional benefit to me. ” “Perhaps for future sessions, you might want to include SL activity as one of the structured activities in one of the modules of the MA to encourage higher participation”. Avatar Languages

E-readers – the study Trialling Sony Reader PRS 505 – now discontinued Two groups of distance students All module materials from VLE uploaded, including podcasts Students can upload journal articles as PDFs One textbook made available (Routledge)

What students like about e-readers Portability: e-readers are used at home, on commute, in public places, while travelling Bookmarking and ‘continue reading’ function Accessing VLE materials offline No eye strain (‘e-ink’) Long battery life

E-readers: challenges Many students still prefer to read on paper. Many students want to underline, highlight and make notes Flickering and delays while turning pages Formatting documents for e-readers is time- consuming and fiddly Publishers give blanket refusals to pre-loading copyrighted materials onto the e-readers. However: – Cost of e-reader: +-£150 – Cost of ordering printouts of materials: £250

E-books: summary of benefits

Summary Fig 1. Learning technologies and the challenges they addressed

Cost/impact of new technologies Rogerson-Revell, Armellini & Nie (2012)

Recent developments E-tivities New voiceboards – eg Voicethread, Voxopop Open Educational Resources (OER)

Gilly Salmon’s E-tivities Stages

E-tivity sample Eurocall 2011, Nottingham

VoxopopVoxopop – audio

s– Phonology module, MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL 

References Dabbagh, N. and Bannan-Ritland, B. (2005) Online learning: Concepts, strategies and application Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ pp ACM Press, New York — [Electronic version]. Retrieved January 23, 2006, from Arneberg,P, Guardia, L, Keegan, D, Lossenenko, J, Mazar, H, Michels, P. F., Paulsen, M F, Rekkedal, T, Sangra, A, Toska, J. A., Zarka, D. (2007) The Provision of e-Learning in the European Union: the Megatrends Project, NKI Publishing House. At: accessed 5th Feb Boulos, M.N., Hetherington, L. and Wheeler, S ‘Second Life: an overview of the potential of 3-D virtual worlds in medical and health education’. Health Information and Libraries Journal 24: Edwards, P., Dominguez, E. and Rico, M ‘A second look at Second Life: Virtual role-play as a motivational factor in higher education’ in K. McFerrin et al. (eds.). Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Rogerson-Revell, P, Armellini, A. And Nie, M. (2012) ‘A cost benefit analysis of voice boards, e- book readers and virtual worlds in distance education’ Open Learning, vol 27, (2): A cost benefit analysis of voice boards, e- book readers and virtual worlds in distance education Salmon, G E-tivities: The Key to On-Line Learning. London and New York: Routledge. *DUCKLING website – (

Literature in English Language Teaching online option 