Student Learning in Hybrid French and Spanish Courses

An Overview of Language Online

Authors

  • N. Ann Chenoweth University of Texas--Pan American
  • Eiko Ushida University of California
  • Kimmaree Murday Indiana University-Purdue University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v24i1.115-146

Keywords:

Online Courses, Computer-assisted Language Instruction, Computer-mediated Communication, Assessment, Online Learning

Abstract

This paper summarizes the assessment results of the Language Online project at Carnegie Mellon University. The study investigated the effectiveness of online language courses for students' learning outcomes in four hybrid online language courses (elementary and intermediate levels) and their counterpart conventional (offline) courses from Spring 2000 through Spring 2002. Eleven teachers and 354 students were involved in this study, which included five semesters and 34 sections (13 online and 21 offline). Multiple measurements were used to compare learning between online and offline students in oral production, written production, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, grammar knowledge, and vocabulary. Student and teacher feedback, reflecting attitudes and experiences with the online courses, were used to better understand the comparative results. The results from this study indicate that the hybrid online language courses have been reasonably successful: the students in most online courses made progress in their L2 performance similar to that of the students in the equivalent offline courses. Statistical analyses identified two online courses in which the offline students outperformed the online students on several of the learning measures. The qualitative data suggest that students need instructor guidance and that both students and instructors need ongoing technical support for the successful implementation of online language courses.

Author Biographies

  • N. Ann Chenoweth, University of Texas--Pan American

    N. Ann Chenoweth is currently Assistant Professor of English at the University of Texas-Pan American. Her research interests include second language discourse processing, writing across the curriculum, and course assessment.

  • Eiko Ushida, University of California

    Eiko Ushida (Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition, Carnegie Mellon University, 2003) teaches Japanese at University of California, San Diego. Her research interests include application of technology in teaching and learning languages, Japanese language pedagogy, and materials development.

  • Kimmaree Murday, Indiana University-Purdue University

    Kimmaree Murday (Ph.D., Second Language Acquisition from Carnegie Mellon University, 2004) is Assistant Professor of Spanish at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Her research interests include the use of technology in language learning, study abroad, and K-12 language program development.

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Published

2013-01-14

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 1 (2007)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Chenoweth, N., Ushida, E., & Murday, K. (2013). Student Learning in Hybrid French and Spanish Courses: An Overview of Language Online. CALICO Journal, 24(1), 115-146. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v24i1.115-146