Integrating Digital Technology in an Intensive, Fully Online College Course for Japanese Beginning Learners: A Standards‐Based, Performance‐Driven Approach

Abstract

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.

Rise to the occasion: The trajectory of a novice Japanese teacher’s first online teaching through action research

“…Throughout the course, students were more used to GH and preferred using this synchronous tool to have their inquiries promptly addressed by TAs or Hana in real time, than waiting for the reply via email or the asynchronous discussion board. Hana reflected on how her GH sessions not only helped her troubleshoot student concerns in comprehending content materials, but also shortened the psychological distance typically experienced in distance learning (Nielson, Gonzalez-Lloret, & Pinckney, 2008; Oliver et al, 2012; Shea et al, 2005; Warriner-Burke, 1990; Sato et al, 2017): ‘Unit 1 Review [GH office hours] was very useful because I could understand the points that they [were still struggling with] … I could see all students who are working on the course, finally’ (journal, 06/11/2017). That said, Hana had inferred from students’ attendance patterns that since they usually had their questions answered in GH meetings with a TA (three times per week), ‘sometimes no one turned up’ in her regular office hours unless the session was about the unit review for assignments (journal, 06/23/2017).…”

“…Noriko’s self-guilt over her failure of clearly conveying to Hana ‘the nature and the purpose of ACTFL 5Cs and the oral exams’ before the course started indicates that Noriko had internalized ACTFL standards to the extent that she overlooked Hana’s unfamiliarity with implementing the 5Cs during online supervision. It is particularly the case when technical aspects would impact the effectiveness of tasks grounded in 5Cs and delivered fully online (Sato & Chen, 2017). Mentoring a novice teacher framed in AR had offered Noriko a precious opportunity to critically reflect on the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’ of standard-based, performance-driven, and technology-enhanced teaching, thus reinvigorating her own teaching and mentoring practices (Allwright, 1997; Edwards & Burns, 2016a).…”

“…Thus, teaching Japanese demands more pedagogical attention, let alone teaching in an online setting. Research on online Japanese instruction ranges from satellite/televised Japanese instruction (Kataoka, 1986; Kubota, 1999; Yi & Majima, 1993), multimodal tool applications for online college Japanese courses (Chen & Jourdain, 2015; Sato et al, 2015, 2017) to the effectiveness of digital technology for teaching kanji characters (Mori, Omori, & Sato, 2016; Nesbitt & Muller, 2016).…”

“…VoiceThread (VT) or mobile applications – to enhance telepresence and copresence – i.e. the sense of being there together – while minimizing the psychological distance (Sato, Chen, & Jourdain, 2017). Furthermore, studies on the training of online instructors of foreign languages are also quite limited (see Guichon, 2009; Jimenez & O’Shanahan, 2016).…”

The trends and developments of L2 Japanese research in the 2010s

“…Similarly, other forms of non-traditional instruction, such as distance learning and self-instruction, by means of synchronous and/or asynchronous communication tools, are being sought as efficient language instruction delivery methods, especially in the case of less commonly taught languages (Blake, 2013; van Deusen-Scholl, 2015). Sato, Cheng, and Jourdain (2017), for instance, reported how a fully online, elementary Japanese course, offered as a summer course at an American university, yielded a successful outcome. At the completion of the course, which was designed in accordance with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL, 2015), including various task-based activities, a simulated Oral Proficiency Interview was conducted to assess the students’ oral performance.…”