• e-mail – for asynchronous writing activities;
• chat room – for real-time communication exercises;
• computer-aided grammar practice;
• web-based cultural expansion modules, emphasising reading Spanish.
A principle Rogers and Wolff (p. 47) used in deciding on the kinds of technologies they would use was that ‘less is best’:
realising that, with each additional computer-based activity introduced into the curriculum, we were substantially raising the complexity of the course, the probability for technology-based frustrations, and the possibility of instructional failure.
More hi-tech elements were combined with a conventional cassette-tapeand- workbook approach to build listening comprehension skills. Rogers and Wolff acknowledge that in the end they decided to de-emphasise spoken Spanish, because options such as Internet-based audioconferencing were not sufficiently reliable or well-developed to meet the benchmarks they had established for providing quality learning experiences.
Of course had the technology met their benchmarks there would still be a host of additional challenges for teachers and learners in learning to work within and derive benefit from what would be a new learning environment. Rogers and Wolff were also cautious in the way they piloted the course: given that this was a very new undertaking for staff and students, they decided to try it out with a group of students resident at Penn State, so they could change to face-to-face classes if they encountered unexpected difficulties. The lessons they learned from the pilot study were that developing and implementing a distance language learning course requires a substantial commitment of time, energy and money, that technology fails – often when least expected – and the diverse capabilities and shortcomings of students’ own computers provided significant
limitations on the way and extent to which they participated in the activities.
In addition, Rogers and Wolff (p. 51) note that:
The already steep learning curve inherent in studying a second language became significantly steeper with each new technology that students had to master in order to complete their assignments.
In turn, this added pressure increased the probability for learner frustration and failure.
Among the more positive findings were that students, administrators and even future employers expect that available technologies should be part of the delivery of high-quality learning experiences, and they had gone some way to meet the challenge. The team approach they used in developing the course and carrying out the pilot study was rewarding, and also effective ‘in anticipating and resolving problems, and . . . it assured the variety of perspectives necessary to create a positive learning experience for both the instructors and the students’ (p. 52).
Learning to work within a team-based approach is a requirement in most distance language courses, and this, together with the scale of detailed planning required in advance of course delivery, are important areas of adjustment for language teachers new to the distance mode. Based on their experience Rogers and Wolff see the greatest challenges in distance language learning as reduced opportunity for cohort-based learning and immediate, personalised feedback.
Read More : A technology-based course in intermediate Spanish
