The demand for training in linguistic skills is increasing, given that learning requirements and command of languages are vital in higher education due to internationalisation and professional development in a globalised world. It has been proven that the use of a language lab for teaching alongside language universities courses, make all the difference.  Language teaching in public and private universities has become without a doubt an investment which directly and deeply affects students’ integration into the labour market, as well as the quality, reliability and prestige of the university. 

Furthermore, it is not just the students who must earn credits for their studies who benefit from the implementation of a language learning methodology; but also the human team who may take advantage of this opportunity by obtaining linguistic skills which will also prepare them for international demand.

Language training in its different forms, such as in the classroom or language lab, blended learning or 100% online learning (e-learning) is increasingly broad, professional and customised both in the educational and professional sectors.

 

 

Language lag. Students learning languages with e-learning

 

THE CHALLENGE

 

An international university, with 24 degree courses and 15 postgraduate and advanced courses, as well as 1,300 students from all over the world in its student exchange programme each year, required a solution for language teaching. The priority of this university was to find an innovative educational solution through an effective methodology for teaching its students in English, Spanish, French and German, as it only offered English and finding native speaker teachers was becoming increasingly complicated.

Its main objective was firstly to increase its provision of language teaching, thus increasing its internationalisation and opening doors to other countries; and secondly to prepare both national and international students in several languages depending on their needs, ability and dedication. Seeking an offline educational solution in classrooms or language laboratories which would allow students not only to attend the obligatory classes of their chosen language, but also to use extracurricular hours to perfect their linguistic skills in said language or start learning another language. Additionally, it offered students and the human team the possibility of preparing in languages at different levels to sit official exams such as TOEFL, First or Advanced, among others.

 

THE SOLUTION

 

Before implementing the most suitable solution for this university, the CAE team deeply analysed its needs, based on the volume of students and places in the classroom, to first examine the scale of the project.

The university had 5 fully equipped computer classrooms, each with 30 computer stations; a total of 150 places.

CAE designed a specific language training plan for higher education adapted to the 4 languages that the university wanted to implement: English, Spanish, French and German; also including an online educational platform which allowed the education centre to fully and effectively manage everything related to the Dexway language courses.

 

  • A very intuitive platform for both students and the human team of the university. It incorporates an integrated tool in the platform which allows both teachers and administrators to create groups, assign tutors, respond to queries, correct and evaluate exercises, as well as create reports to carry out detailed monitoring of the progress of each student in the different lessons and linguistic competencies, as well as by language and student group. It is a platform for multi-device learning, which also allows students to create conversation groups between other university classmates, thus facilitating collaborative learning as a learning support in the language lab.
  • In the 5 classrooms available in the university, CAE implemented 5 local accesses for 150 students without needing the Internet, only requiring it for installation and annual updating. The  language laboratories were , two in English, one in Spanish, one in French and one in German. It is a comprehensive tool designed for university students to learn a language in a presential format through a full linguistic immersion, interactively, encouraging the participation and interaction of students in the language during the class, essential for mastering the language.

 

RESULTS

 

Once the solutions designed by Dexway were implemented for language learning at the university, the following improvements were achieved:

  • Improvement in quality and variety of language learning by incorporating 3 new languages for national and international students.
  • Adapting the language learning plan to the new study plans and standards of excellence required by a 21st century university.
  • Responding to a greater number of students both within the school day and outside of school hours for students who wish to improve or learn a new language.
  • Offering a quality training in languages with content adapted to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
  • Effective and orderly management of a large volume of students through the educational platform, also facilitating their communication, as they can access it from any device.
  • Offering a language solution not just to students but also to the human team of the university, organising training plans in classrooms or in the language lab.

 

At Computer Aided E-Learning (CAE) we are specialised in the development of solutions for synchronous and asynchronous online training. With over 42 years’ experience, we continue to innovate, developing latest-generation content and applications so that our clients enjoy the most comprehensive and advanced services, following the highest quality standards. Our specialised division in languages, Dexway, is a success story, based on structured content which address all linguistic competencies and follows the CEFR.  The courses are developed within a dynamic educational environment in which the student has everything at their disposal. This method has been used to train over 2 million students worldwide, with over 3,000 hours of interactive content for progressive learning which includes additional multimedia activities to practice in our language laboratory.

 

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