Using Sakai to teach Phonetics Initial experiences Francisco Lacerda and Magnus Tagesson Stockholm University SWEDEN

Stockholm University Stockholm University is a centre for higher education and research, organized into four faculties: natural sciences, humanities, social sciences and law. Its 37,000 students and permanent employees make Stockholm University one of Sweden's largest educational establishments as well as one of the largest employers in the Stockholm area.

Sakai Configuration Cluster with 2 Linux servers MySQL Sakai Melete Forum and private messages Local modifications Default skin with Stockholm University logo Pubcookie SSO LDAP provider

Phonetics Integrates knowledge on: –Speech communication –Anatomy and physiology –Physics (acoustics, mechanics) –Mathematics (spectral analysis, signal processing, speech synthesis)

Course - Structure General issues on communication Anatomy and physiology of speech production and speech perception Acoustic analysis of speech

Course participants Between 20 and 100 Majority with humanistic formation Speech therapists (about 40) Some students from speech technology or natural sciences

Pedagogical benefits Continuous monitoring of Students’ progress Practice, individual training Group cohesion Transparency in assignments, submissions, grades, etc. Efficient grade reporting

Most used Sakai tools Announcements Schedule Chat room Assignments Test & Quizzes Grade book

Additional Sakai tools Resources Question pools Management of participants

Main issues – Resources Currently not possible to make resources partially accessible to the students Currently linked to the worksite –All links have to be edited when using questions from the question pool in an examination, during which the course’s regular site is closed for the students

Main issues – Tests & Quizzes Fill in the blank questions should have a general syntax like –Possibility to define response intervals –Use of wildcards –Calls to external Java, C or other programs –Easy linkage to materials in the resources

Main issues – Grade book Flexible grade definition –Grades according to the ECTS –Possibility of non-additive conditional grading –Calls to external Java, C or other programs

Some Minor Issues IPA fonts (Lucida Sans Unicode) Definition of screen width in Tests & Quizzes, pictures, etc. Presentation of questions in Question Pools and listings (Title, subject) Resource permissions and links Date and time formats in Schedule, settings, etc

Experiences - Teachers Problems with settings in T&Q (especially in Sakai 2.0 feedback and statistics in an exam situation). Want to be able to grade according to the ECTS- scale (Bologna, European Credit Transfer System, based on predefined course goals). Time consuming to upload many files individually in Resources (security issues with WebDAV).

Problem with the UI, particularily in T&Q. One student said she felt like a guinea pig  Teacher replies, ”No, you are an advanced expert pilot user!” Some said that they prefer to write a final exam on paper as opposed to using Sakai T&Q and Assignments. Clear need for introduction and written support documents (in Swedish) to get students started and to support the learning process. Experiences - Students

A challenge getting teachers interested in the pilot. Positive and enthusiastic teachers (a must in experimental pilots like this!). The need for written support documents (in Swedish) for the teacher to get started, course creation, tool selection and supporting the teaching process. Experiences – Pilot and Support

Student Survey 2 courses 44 answers Upgrade of Sakai (2.0.1  2.1.0) in between No apperent differences in result

Student Survey, cont. Do you feel like Sakai has helped you on the course? Question on 4 specific tools (Discussion, T&Q, Resources and Schedule) –”How well has the following tools worked (can for instance mean ’quickly solved the task’, ’without any frustration’, ’fast and simple’, ’intuitively’, ’without bugs’ etc.)”

Student Survey, cont. What has worked well in Sakai? What has not worked as expected? Do you have experiences with simular tools like Sakai? If so, what tool? Do you have any suggestions for improvements, for instance, do you miss some tool? How is the functionality in current tools, what can be improved? Other opinions?

Survey - Discussion A = Very good B = Good C = Not so good D = Bad E = Did not use

Survey – Test and Quizzes A = Very good B = Good C = Not so good D = Bad E = Did not use

Survey - Resources A = Very good B = Good C = Not so good D = Bad E = Did not use

Survey – Schedule A = Very good B = Good C = Not so good D = Bad E = Did not use

Our Main Interests in Sakai Development The Bologna process; ECTS-compatible grade book; expanded grade scale capabilities. Course evaluation Jabber integration of Presence and Chat. Calendar (CalDAV, private, shared, course schedules,…) Stockholm University look and feel.

Suggested Discussion Sakai in Language teaching Implementation (central, faculty) User support Functionality wish list The future - where do we go from here?

Contact Division of IT and media Stockholm University SE Stockholm Sweden Department of Linguistics Stockholm University SE Stockholm Sweden