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Student Training in the Use of an Online Synchronous Conferencing Tool Student Training in the Use of an Online Synchronous Conferencing Tool SARAH HEISER URSULA STICKLER CONCHA FURNBOROUGH The Open University, UK ABSTRACT Parallel to the increase of online language teaching, teachers’ training needs have long been established and researched. However, the training needs of students have not yet been fully acknowledged. This paper focuses on learner training as preparation for language classes where online synchronous conferencing is used. It presents an action research cycle consisting of planning and conducting training sessions, analysing evaluative feedback, reflecting on changing needs, re-designing the provision and reiterating the sessions. The research focuses on three iterations of the learner training conducted over a 21-month period, drawing on almost 500 completed student feedback responses. The findings show that students considered the training sessions helpful in establishing how online language classes operate and in gaining confidence to participate actively. Specifically, they benefited from using their L1 to practice techniques for projecting their social presence in an online communicative situation, where they needed to compensate for the absence of non-verbal communication that characterizes face-to-face encounters. As for their teachers, the research demonstrated a need for them to reflect on the terminology they use to explain computer mediated communication (CMC) tools. It also indicated the feasibility of modifying the functionality of the tools. The article concludes with good-practice recommendations for the provision of learner training in online language classrooms. KEYWORDS Online Language Learning, Video Conferencing, Learner Training, Online Synchronous Conferencing INTRODUCTION Whereas the need for training teachers in the use of online tools for language teaching has long been established and researched, students’ need for training has not been fully acknowledged. As a result, students have often had to rely on their pre-existing knowledge and competence in information and communications technology (ICT) when operating in an online language learning environment. This paper reports on the provision of a large-scale learner training program at the Open University (OU) in the UK which has been at the forefront of developing and implementing innovative approaches to distance language learning since 1997, including online synchronous conferencing for language classes (see Appendix A for a glossary of terms used in this paper). The study follows an action research cycle of establishing the training program, collecting evaluative feedback, and redesigning the provision and reflective re- iterations of the program. The authors were involved as trainers, organizers, negotiators, and change initiators. In view of our need to understand what constitutes effective learner training in the online learning context, an action research approach was determined to be CALICO Journal, 30(2), p-p 226-251. doi: 10.11139/cj.30.2.226-251 © 2013 CALICO Journal 226 CALICO Journal, 30(2) Sarah Heiser, Ursula Stickler, and Concha Furnborough the most appropriate for the study. It enabled us to explore how best to support learners in the online learning environment by collecting evidence as a basis for instigating change, and for improving our practice and our learners’ training experience. This study shows that learners can benefit from training to make the most of online learning environments, and that such learner training benefits from systematic evaluation and updating. The literature review sets the study in the context of online synchronous language teaching and learning. It is followed by a presentation of the background and context of online teaching and learning at the OU, and a description of the aims, content and organization of the training program for using the online conferencing tool. Then, following an outline of the action research approach, and changes introduced in response to the evaluation phase, the findings from the surveys are presented and discussed. Finally, in our conclusion we draw together findings and improvements, and make best practice suggestions for further use in the wider area of online language teaching and online learner training. LITERATURE REVIEW The benefits of using synchronous spoken communication over the internet have been acknowledged for some time (see e.g., Kenning, 2010; Stockwell, 2007; Wang, 2004; Wang & Chen, 2007, 2009). For example, the Open University, which is at the forefront of systematically introducing and researching the use of synchronous online tuition in language classes, has used a variety of online tools for teaching and allowing students to practice speaking in real-time. The first of these tools, Lyceum (see Buckingham Shum, Marshall, Brier & Evans, 2001), was developed in-house. Some studies focused on the comparison of online Lyceum classes with the more traditional face-to-face methods (Duensing, Stickler, Batstone & Heins, 2006; Heins, Duensing, Stickler & Batstone, 2007; Stickler, Batstone, Duensing & Heins, 2004, 2007) and found that many features are comparable, although the online interaction has more pauses and demands more explicit instructional presence from the teachers. Other studies have dealt with the benefits of audio-graphic conferencing using the example of Lyceum (Hampel & Hauck, 2004; Hassan, Hauger, Nye & Smith, 2005; Rosell-Aguilar, 2006), finding some specific tasks and strategies more suitable than others to online learning. Researchers have long acknowledged the need for language teachers to receive adequate training for new online teaching environments in the face of rapid technological developments (Baumann, Shelley, Murphy & White, 2008; Beaven et al., 2010; Compton, 2009; Ernest, Heiser, & Murphy, 2013; Guichon, 2009; Hampel & Stickler, 2005; Wang, Chen, & Levy, 2010). Research focusing on online teacher training has developed from an initially explanatory stage (e.g., Berge, 1995; Harasim, 1990), presenting the novelty of tools and functionalities, to an instructional “How-to” stage (e.g., Almeida d'Eça & Gonzáles, 2006; Salmon, 2004), giving guidance to potential users of the new technologies. Recently, ever more diverse and specific training suggestions for the online language teacher (Hauck & Stickler, 2006; Lewis, 2006; Wang, 2004), focusing on pedagogy and interaction rather than technology, have been investigated. Research projects have been designed to evaluate the best ways of training online language teachers (Comas-Quinn, 2011; Ernest et al., 2012; Stickler et al., 2010) and the use of multimodal audio-graphic online environments has received specific attention (Hampel & Hauck, 2004; Hampel & Stickler, 2012; Stickler & Hampel, 2010; Wang & Chen, 2007, 2009). For many years, learners’ training needs were seen as a practical challenge but generated little relevant research. Institutions, and to some extent teachers, relied implicitly on the existence of a “net-generation” of so-called “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) and their pre- existing knowledge and digital competence (van Deursen, van Dijk & Peters, 2011). However, this presumed digital competence does not guarantee successful online learning skills (Cole, 2009; Coleman, Hampel, Hauck & Stickler, 2010). At least two aspects are 227 CALICO Journal, 30(2) Online Synchronous Conferencing Tool Training crucial in achieving the greatest benefits for online language learning: technical skills on the one hand and an ability to project and interpret social presence in online communication on the other. The technical challenges might be more pronounced in synchronous multimodal environments for language learning. Even students who are “digital natives” are not necessarily able to use online tools proficiently and to their best advantage for the purpose of learning (Jeffrey et al., 2011; Thorne, 2003), either because they are complacent about their existing skills or because the way they use the digital tools is not necessarily conducive to language learning. Acquisition of technical skills, e.g., conducting sound checks, using textchat, speaking and dealing with audio problems, are necessary but not sufficient conditions for online language learning. The second element in ensuring the success of technology-mediated communication is social presence: “the degree of salience of the other person in the interaction and the consequent salience of the interpersonal relationships…” (Short, Williams, & Christie, 1976, p. 65). Being aware of others in an online space as individuals is a consequence of social presence (Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997). This can be influenced by the affordances of the medium, e.g., a video image can project more social presence than a still image (see Yamada & Akahori, 2007); by the user employing online communication skills to deliberately project his/her social presence (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison & Archer, 2001; Kehrwald, 2008), e.g., using emoticons in email; and also by an awareness of the recipient and the expectations of the interlocutors regarding specific online media, e.g., the knowledge that image transfer will be slightly delayed in online video. This understanding of social presence is particularly relevant for language learning as communicating in an L2 (second language) means having to compensate for a lack of vocabulary and fluency. Communication mediated (Vygotsky, 1978) not only by a foreign language (Lantolf, 2000) but also by technology (Wertsch, 2007) is prone to a loss of social presence. For
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