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0014 SP: Worlds of Learning
Effective use of an asynchronous online voice system
on Moodle in blended language learning
Authors
Terumi Miyazoe
Terry Anderson
Theme
Making things happen
Tags
earlyResearch, learningDesign,
voiceInteraction
Interactive online voice interactions promise to enrich and add social
presence to the text interactions that currently define online education
systems. Reliable and easy-to-use online voice systems for teaching tools are
scarce, and whether or how these online voice tools bring positive effects
on the learning process is not known. This presentation reports on an
empirical study that examined the effects of the systematic application of an
asynchronous voice recording system integrated into the Moodle LMS. The
study was conducted in a foreign language education context in which oral
training is an essential component of the expected learning outcomes.
The online voice activities were implemented over one semester at a
university in Tokyo in two undergraduate English course classes comprising
Engineering and Science major students (n = 127). The students were
required to do two kinds of online voice recording, namely, reading a short
text and reading a mini-speech aloud, as weekly out-of-class assignments.
The asynchronous voice mode was designed to achieve the same results as
were expected in synchronous oral communication in face-to-face classes.
Pre- and post- course online questionnaires to evaluate this intervention
were conducted. The survey included questions that rated the system
usability using the System Usability Scale (Brooke, 1996) and asked about
changes in attitudes towards speaking English. Quantitative and qualitative
analyses of the data indicated that the students found the voice system to be
usable enough to meet course objectives. The online voice assignments were
associated with positive changes in the perceptions of the students with
regard to speaking English. However, from a human-computer interaction
perspective, half of the students were reluctant to use an online program,
whereas the rest were willing to do so.
The study concludes that asynchronous online voice activities can
effectively support beginner-level foreign language learners in developing
their oral abilities. The study also suggests the needs for improving specific
areas of online voice systems such as sound quality and connectivity
problems, as well as seamless integration into a learning management
system such as the use of a stable linkage to the grading function and a
friendly interface design.
References
Anderson, Terry, and Randy Garrison. 1998. Learning in a networked world: New roles and
responsibilities. In Distance learners in higher education., ed. C. Gibson, 97-112. Madison, WI: Atwood
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Brooke, J. 1996. SUS: A quick and dirty usability scale. In P. W. Jordan, B. Thomas, B. A.
Weerdmeester & I. L. McClelland (Eds.), Usability evaluation in industry (no page number). London:
Taylor & Francis.
Millard, Mark O. 2010. Analysis of interaction in an asynchronous CMC environment. Paper presented at
Proceedings of the WebSci10: Extending the Frontiers of Society On-Line, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Miyazoe, Terumi, and Terry Anderson. 2010. Empirical research on learners’ perceptions: Interaction
equivalency theorem in blended learning. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, www.
eurodl.org/?article=397.
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