Foreign language teaching in distance education is administratively and pedagogically challenging; research on the perspectives of novice practitioners’ online teaching is also relatively scarce. This study explores how a novice Japanese teacher navigated and negotiated her professional development in a two-way virtual practitionership during her first online teaching. Data were collected from ongoing dialogue journals between the novice and her mentor followed by a semi-structured interview. Qualitative results indicate that pedagogically-sound and personalized digital tools can not only reduce the psychological distance between the teachers and students, but facilitate online teaching and learning via a performance-driven, standard-based curriculum. Informed by Action Research, the study reveals how both practitioners de/reconstructed their teacher identities and achieved professional empowerment through robust supervision and reciprocal teacher evaluation in a virtual environment. It further demonstrates the extent to which this evidence-driven and research-oriented approach can better address the genuine concerns of a foreign language program in distance education. Specifically, this context-responsive study indicates the improvement of online course delivery, teacher training and program sustainability in its own right.

The development of distance learning courses for less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) often meets with instructional challenges, especially for Asian LCTLs with their distinct non‐Roman characters and structures. This study documents the implementation of a fully online, elementary Japanese course at Stony Brook University. The curriculum was designed around the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages's (ACTFL) World‐Readiness Standards for Learning Languages; performance‐driven assessments; and task‐supported, technology‐enhanced principles. Asynchronous and synchronous tools were incorporated to facilitate task delivery and reduce the virtual isolation of learners. A simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) was conducted for the online students in order to compare their oral performance with that of the face‐to‐face (F2F) cohort in the preceding semester. Quantitative results show that online students outperformed their F2F counterparts in most of the Integrated Performance Assessment's scoring criteria, with a statistically significant difference in the criterion “Communication strategies.” Survey results indicate students’ positive attitudes toward language gains and corroborate the qualitative results gleaned from student learning journals and survey responses: Students’ sense of isolation was replaced by a sense of co‐presence. We conclude that developing an online LCTL course, though challenging, is feasible and maximizes outcomes through the synergy of multimodal digital platforms, and a standards‐based, task‐driven curriculum design.

Objective We report our first experience of using a case‐specific three‐dimensional (3D) hologram for tumor resection in otolaryngology to show the proof of concept. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to assess the usefulness of the mixed reality technique in otolaryngology. Methods A case‐specific 3D hologram was developed from enhanced images of dynamic computed tomography, with reference to contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance images, and used for preoperative planning and intraoperative image reference. To evaluate the usefulness of the 3D hologram with head mount displays (HMDs), 18 attendings and resident otolaryngologists completed a questionnaire with the Likert scale. Results The case‐specific 3D hologram on HMDs was successfully used by means of easy gesture‐handling without any monitors preoperatively and intraoperatively. The experience of picturing the tumor localization and evaluating the surgical approach was statistically better using the 3D hologram on HMDs than using the computer images (P < .01). Similarly, the holograms were observed to be better for intraoperative application and surgical education than computer images (P < .01). Conclusion We demonstrated the use of a case‐specific 3D hologram for tumor resection in otolaryngology. The technology may be useful for preoperative planning and intraoperative image reference, especially for challenging cases, and surgical education. Level of Evidence NA.

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