Postgraduate Course: Online Language Learning (EDUA11212)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education and Sport |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | In today's digitally advancing world, the role of technology in language learning and teaching has become pivotal. This course aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between digital technology and online language learning and teaching. It is designed to equip you with the necessary tools, theoretical frameworks, and practical strategies to leverage technology effectively in language teaching, to critically assess existing affordances and challenges, and to develop your own online language course. |
| Course description |
This course will give you the opportunity to explore and critique existing technologies that can support, facilitate, and enhance language learning and teaching. You will be tasked to engage with a range of state-of-the-art tools, applications, and digital technologies and evaluate their potential for language education. We will explore how technology can be used effectively for developing different language skills and communication, in what ways it can inform, facilitate, and enhance language assessments, and what material-design principles should be adopted when designing online language courses. Importantly, you will develop the skills to critically evaluate existing technologies and get the chance to try out existing evidence-based practices.
The assessment will allow you to apply the above knowledge and skills through providing you the opportunity to design, (part-)build, and evaluate your own online language learning course. To aid you with this, the lectures and workshops will focus on (specific topics covered in the lectures may change):
- Current research on educational technology in language learning/teaching
- Data-driven language learning
- Corpora in language classrooms
- The potential of AI for language learning
- Virtual and extended reality for language learning
- MOOCS and other online language learning opportunities
- Language assessment and technology
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2025 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 8,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 16,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Students will complete one assignment for this course, equivalent to 4000 words. The assignment addresses all the learning outcomes and requires students to critically engage in online language course development and evaluation.
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| Feedback |
Formative assessment will include moderated small and whole group discussion, guided reading, reflection, and self-directed exploration. Students will be expected to engage in peer support and peer-assessment. Workshop tutors will also provide regular feedback during the sessions.
Students will receive personalised feedback on the summative assessment in writing.
|
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the main issues, principles, theories and concepts of language learning with online technology
- Apply this knowledge appropriately to design an online language learning course which contains elements of creative professional practice
- Consider the complex issues related to language learning and online technology, and developed suitable explanations of the choices made in the design using these features
- Use a range of online technologies to provide materials and support for language learners
- Justify the choices made in the development of an online language learning course, including critical reflection of the role of the tutor
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1. The course will develop core knowledge and understanding of the fields of language learning and technology in education. Participants will be encouraged to read and evaluate research in cutting-edge research in these fields, and to develop their own areas of interest as applied to the practical decisions made in syllabus design. It is expected that participants will take issues from the course to develop in their own future research design.
2. The course and assessment requires a high degree of self-discipline, and participants will be encouraged to reflect on and evaluate their own personal and professional progress in developing learning autonomy. They will use this growing self-awareness to develop suitable materials for learners. They will also consider the benefits of giving learners choices as fundamental to an understanding of providing fully-accessible education for all
3. Complex issues surrounding communication, culture, pragmatics and discourse as part of language learning will be discussed and encouraged. Participants will be required to justify decisions in course design based on sound principles of language and technology use in education.
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| Special Arrangements |
Resource requirements:
Participants will be required to have regular access to a networked computer, and will be responsible for providing their own computing equipment and consumables |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
8 lectures (+ 1 for summative assessment support) and 8 workshops, with supported reading and discussion groups.
Lectures: Students will be assigned reading and other tasks to do prior to each lecture.
Workshops: During the 2 workshops the tasks set will depend on the readings and will be based on the lecture content, and, wherever possible, this will encourage engaging with various technology or designing materials.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Csaba Szabo
Tel:
Email: cszabo@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Ethan Williamson
Tel: (0131 6)51 6265
Email: Ethan.Williamson@ed.ac.uk |
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