Towards a Blended Programme for Arabic and Other Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) in the South African Higher Education Context

Abstract

Disruptive technologies are widely used in education today. They aim to develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies of students. The field of applied linguistics, in general, and foreign language teaching, in particular, have benefited immensely from the developments taking place in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). However, meaningful learning cannot be achieved by using technology indiscriminately; an understanding of educational theories and key instructional design models is urgently required. The present study argues that the adoption of established instructional design models will yield effective learning materials not only for the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) but also for language classrooms in general. It investigates the use of ADDIE instructional design model for designing and developing a blended syllabus for teaching Arabic as a foreign language in South African institutions of higher learning. The study also deals with the attitudes of the students towards the designed blended syllabus. The proposed syllabus is based on a wide range of web-based tools and e-learning specifications such as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) and Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). This study serves as a guideline for developing instructional materials for teaching Arabic, as well as other languages.