Technology, Your Partner In Language Learning
U.S. COMMUNIT Y COLLEGES
USE TECHNOLOGY TO
INDIVIDUALIZE LANGUAGE
INSTRUCTION AND IMPROVE
STUDENT OUTCOMES
STEVE HIX/GLOW IMAGES
COURTESY OF
Technology is winning over language instructors at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC)—not because Web-based courseware and streaming media happen to be trendy, but because educators say these resources increasingly deliver impressive student outcomes.
How impressive? When the college compared the before and after
performance of more than 500 students in a beginning Spanish course,
it found that online courses helped boost comprehension and other
key skills by more than 80 percent. Results like these have convinced
CCBC’s department heads to integrate technology into the entire
language curriculum, which spans eight languages, including Spanish,
French, Arabic, and Chinese. Some classes are fully online while others
blend online learning with traditional classroom teaching.
“Students can access course materials outside of class, communicate with
instructors, watch lectures, complete their homework assignments, create
presentations, read about other cultures—all whenever they have the time
and an Internet connection,” says Soumaya Long, assistant professor and
co-coordinator of world languages at the college. >>
