Schedule: 2009-09-12 (12:45 - 13:30)
Parallel Session 4 (Room A-24)

Title: Methodology in CALL: students’ survey
Authors: Mar Gutierrez-Colon Plana, Elisabet Pladevall Ballester
Abstract: The present study is based on a previous pilot study (Gutiérrez-Colon, 2008) which presented and analysed the answers of 63 students to a general opinion questionnaire about methodological teaching practices in blended virtual courses, that is to say, in courses which included face-to-face classes as well as virtual platforms such as Moodle or the virtual campus. The pilot study focused on two groups of students from the same Spanish university (Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona). Both groups were registered in an English language blended virtual course and constituted two very different kinds of students from two distinct knowledge fields, which had an influence on their perception of virtual environments.
The present study aimed at widening the scope of the pilot study and increased the sample size in number of participants, degree courses and number of universities. This time, four Spanish universities were involved, namely Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona) (URV), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the number of participants was 197, who were registered in English Philology (N=72), Business Studies (N=36) and Mechanical Engineering (N=89). They were all registered in blended virtual courses, as in the pilot study, where the use of e-mail, virtual campus and Moodle is part of the teaching of the course.
The data gathered from the questionnaires were organised into four main areas which describe the essential methodological teaching practices that are present and should/should not be avoided in blended virtual courses according to the interviewed students: a) Management of the subject, b) Students’ perception of the subject, c) Design of the course and the documents, d) Feedback from the teacher. The students’ opinions on these four areas and the results obtained in the questionnaires will be described and discussed in this paper.
Keywords: methodology, CALL, e-learning, blended courses, virtual environment,

Main topic: Pedagogical change in technology integration

Biodata: Dra. Mar Gutierrez-Colon : B.S degree in English Philology from Rovira i Virgili University in 1995. Ph.D. in 2002. Lecturer in SLA and ELT Methodology, at the English and German Department at the University Rovira i Virgili and at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Main fields of research: new technologies / methodologies for SLL. Dra. Elisabet Pladevall: Assistant Lecturer in the Departament de Filologia Anglesa i Germanística in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. MA in Linguistics (University College London) and an MA in English Studies in Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. PhD in 2007. Main fields of research: L1 & L2 acquisition and syntax.
Type of presentation Paper presentation

Paper category Research

Target educational sector Higher education

Language of delivery English

EU-funded project No

Schedule:	2009-09-12 (12:45 - 13:30) Parallel Session 4 (Room A-24)
Title:	Methodology in CALL: students’ survey
Authors:	Mar Gutierrez-Colon Plana, Elisabet Pladevall Ballester
Abstract:	The present study is based on a previous pilot study (Gutiérrez-Colon, 2008) which presented and analysed the answers of 63 students to a general opinion questionnaire about methodological teaching practices in blended virtual courses, that is to say, in courses which included face-to-face classes as well as virtual platforms such as Moodle or the virtual campus. The pilot study focused on two groups of students from the same Spanish university (Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona). Both groups were registered in an English language blended virtual course and constituted two very different kinds of students from two distinct knowledge fields, which had an influence on their perception of virtual environments. The present study aimed at widening the scope of the pilot study and increased the sample size in number of participants, degree courses and number of universities. This time, four Spanish universities were involved, namely Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona) (URV), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the number of participants was 197, who were registered in English Philology (N=72), Business Studies (N=36) and Mechanical Engineering (N=89). They were all registered in blended virtual courses, as in the pilot study, where the use of e-mail, virtual campus and Moodle is part of the teaching of the course. The data gathered from the questionnaires were organised into four main areas which describe the essential methodological teaching practices that are present and should/should not be avoided in blended virtual courses according to the interviewed students: a) Management of the subject, b) Students’ perception of the subject, c) Design of the course and the documents, d) Feedback from the teacher. The students’ opinions on these four areas and the results obtained in the questionnaires will be described and discussed in this paper.
Keywords:	methodology, CALL, e-learning, blended courses, virtual environment,
Main topic:	Pedagogical change in technology integration
Biodata:	Dra. Mar Gutierrez-Colon : B.S degree in English Philology from Rovira i Virgili University in 1995. Ph.D. in 2002. Lecturer in SLA and ELT Methodology, at the English and German Department at the University Rovira i Virgili and at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Main fields of research: new technologies / methodologies for SLL. Dra. Elisabet Pladevall: Assistant Lecturer in the Departament de Filologia Anglesa i Germanística in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. MA in Linguistics (University College London) and an MA in English Studies in Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. PhD in 2007. Main fields of research: L1 & L2 acquisition and syntax.
Type of presentation	Paper presentation
Paper category	Research
Target educational sector	Higher education
Language of delivery	English
EU-funded project	No