Developing
Web-Based Pre-Instruction Chinese Course Modules
Hsiang-Ting Wu, Language and Culture Instructor; Adjunct faculty
Foreign Service Institute, Department of State; University
of
Description:
This presentation is about the development process and the end product of
two web-based pre-instruction Chinese course modules, using the Instructional
System Design ADDIE model in combination with CALL, Computer-Assisted Language
Learning technology. The modules and evaluation results will be demonstrated.
Theme:
Technology
Content:
The instructional goal of these course modules is to provide adult learners
wanting to study Chinese with linguistic and cultural knowledge about the
language before they start their actual course, to enhance their eventual
language and culture-learning performance. The first module content includes
basic Chinese language concepts, including phonological rules, syntactic structures,
and grammar principles. These fundamental concepts explain important characteristics
of Chinese and compare them to English. The second module is about Chinese
culture, which includes Chinese geography, food, and philosophy. These two
modules serve as an orientation framework to which students can relate during
their later learning stages.
The modules are self-instructional computer-based training, or CBT. The course
contains multimedia elements to enhance the computer-assisted language learning
experience, along with self-assessment sections so learners can check their
understanding of the materials. A one-hour face-to-face training serves as
a follow-up intervention to check and reinforce this self-instruction.
Method:
A PowerPoint file will be used to introduce the entire development
process of the CBT modules. Then, the end product, the CBT modules themselves,
will be demonstrated and explained; this is the major part of the session.
A follow-up face-to-face intervention for reinforcing the CBT modules’ content,
using a PowerPoint template in the format of a popular game show, will also
be shown, along with the evaluation results of the CBT modules. Time will
be reserved at the end for a discussion on self-instructional CBT material
development.