1

Presessional Example Report

Use of a Writing Web-Site by Pre-

Masters Students on an English for
Academic Purposes Course.

Jane Gilbert

3056 EAP Course Design

24th May 2003

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
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Contents

1. Abstract 3

2. Introduction 4

3. Method 4

4. Results 5

5. Discussion 7

6. Conclusion 8

7. References 9

8. Appendices 10

Diagrams

Figure 1: Student Nationalities 6

Figure 2: Subjects Studied 6

Figure 3: Mean percentile scores 6

on UHELT: Writing

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 3

1. Abstract

During the last 10 years, use of the World Wide Web for educational purposes has
increased dramatically. However, very little empirical research has been carried out to
determine the effectiveness of this use. The aim of this study was therefore to
investigate the effectiveness of using the World Wide Web on an EAP writing course.
Two groups of students were taught writing by two different methods: one group was
taught by a teacher in a traditional classroom, while a second group included use of an
online website in their course. The two groups were assessed in the same way after a
twelve week period of instruction. Results of the assessment showed significant
differences between the two groups, the group that used the online web-site
performing much better on all aspects of the test. This suggests that the use of
computer assisted learning programmes for at least some of the teaching time
available can be recommended for EAP writing courses.

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 4

2. Introduction

During the past 10 years, the availability of computers in educational institutions has
increased dramatically (James 1999). Progress in computer development has been
made to the point that powerful, inexpensive computers with large capacities are
available in many classrooms and libraries for student use. Many students have also
purchased and are purchasing computers for their own use at home. Most studies seem
to agree that the microcomputer will continue to hold an important role in education in
the future. For example, James (1999) and Smith (2000) suggest large increases in the
numbers of computers both in educational institutions and the home in the near future.
As far as education is concerned, Shaw (2001) identified three main uses of
computers: the object of a course, an administrative tool, and a means of providing
instruction. Fish and Cheam (2002) cite four uses of computers as a means of
providing instruction: exercise, tutorial, simulation and problem solving. A wide range
of computer programmes are now therefore available in all these areas for individual
and classroom use.

However, even though many studies have reported an increased use of computers in
education, there has been very little research reported on the effectiveness of such use.
The purpose of the present study is therefore to ascertain the effectiveness of using
computer-assisted instruction as compared to traditional classroom instruction in an
EAP writing class. The study has limitations because it will not be able to cover all
nationalities and all academic study subjects. Instead it will focus on select range
detailed below.

3. Methodology

Two groups of Students in Higher Education on a one year Pre-Masters English for
Academic Purposes course, each comprising 50 students were taught academic
writing by different methods and compared. In each group there were 50 students
from five different academic departments - computer science, business, engineering,
life sciences and law - and four different countries - China, Japan, Korea and
Thailand. The subjects were selected from the second semester - Semester B - of the
University of Hertfordshire International Bridging Programme in the 2004-2005
academic year. This programme accepts only students from a narrow English
Language Proficiency band (IELTS 5 - 5.5). Thus, comparable language level among
the test subjects was insured.

The subjects were selected from the 250 students on the International Bridging
Programme on the basis of performance at a satisfactory level in the Semester A
examination. Students who had performed below the minimum level on the Semester
A examination were excluded. This criterion was employed to ensure competent
understanding of the tasks and adequate motivation.

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 5

One group - Group A - studied English writing in the traditional way in a class with a
teacher. This class met for 2 hours each week in a classroom for 12 weeks and was
supplemented with written homework assignments given by the teacher each week.
The second group - Group B - met together in a class with a teacher for one hour per
week for 12 weeks and were assigned a homework task of spending one hour per
week doing exercises from the UEfAP web-site (Gillett 2005).

The test instrument employed in this study was a revised version of the University of
Hertfordshire English Language Writing Test (Rogers 1997), which permits the
assessment of academic written language performance. It consists of an academic
reading text and comprehension questions, followed by a discursive essay on the
subject of the reading text.

Both groups A and B were given the same written examination at the end of the
semester. The students took the examination under standard university examination
conditions as part of their end of semester examination. The tests were marked using
the following categories: task achievement, communicative quality, organisation
ideas, content and relevance, and grammar and vocabulary, by two experienced
writing examiners and moderated in the standard way to ensure reliability. In this way
it was possible to see the relationship between the students' main academic subjects,
and the improvement in their writing ability depending on the teaching method.

The results were displayed using pie charts and bar graphs in order to aid analysis.

4. Results

Two groups of Students in Higher Education, Group A and Group B, were taught
academic writing by different methods on a one-year Pre-Masters English for
Academic Purposes course and compared. Each comprised 50 students from a range
of countries, intending to study one of five subjects. Figure 1 shows the range of
student nationalities and Figure 2 shows their intended subjects. All the students, as
Figure 1 shows, were from East-Asia, mainly China. The subjects they hoped to study
were wide ranging but the majority of students planned to study business. Figure 3
displays the average percentile scores on the five subsections of the academic writing
test.

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 6

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 7

5. Discussion

It can be seen that, irrespective of their nationality and intended subject of study,
students in Group B, which used the computer assisted facilities, performed
significantly better than their non computer-assisted peers on all five subsections of
the test by more than two to one in terms of scores attained in each of the
subcategories. For example, in the task achievement subcategory, Group B scored an
average of 80 percent, while Group A students scored an average of 14 percent.
Clearly, the findings indicate that the time spent using the UEfAP website had a
positive effect on student performance. It appears that the use of computer assisted
learning programs for at least some of the teaching time available resulted in
substantial differences in performance in all five categories of the University of
Hertfordshire English Writing Test. It is to be hoped that this improvement will
transfer to the students' written performance in their main subject courses.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether Students in Higher Education on
an EAP writing course would benefit from computer assisted instruction. The findings
clearly suggest that they do. The students who took part in the computer assisted
element of the writing course outperformed those who followed the traditional course
in every aspect as shown by their performance on the University of Hertfordshire
Writing test. They showed particular strengths in the task achievement element of the
assessment, suggesting that the computer assisted materials really help the students to
understand and focus on the purpose of their writing. It also seems to be the case that
the individually directed nature of the online materials helps the students to focus on
their own specific needs as well as allowing them to access their materials in their
own time. Another reason for the success of the materials may be that it allows
students to spend more time on the course than is normally the case in a classroom
based programme. This supports and adds to the findings of Jones & Smith (1997) and
Harris (2002), which showed similar results for an online grammar course. This study
has taken a step in the direction of justifying the inclusion of web-based materials in
EAP writing courses for post-graduates on English language preparation course. It did
however look at a narrow range of subject areas - mainly business, computer science,
engineering life-sciences and law - taken by students from only a few countries -
particularly China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. It may be the case that students from
other countries intending to study different subjects - for example, medicine or
humanities- would not benefit in the same way. It is also not clear whether younger
students such as students preparing for undergraduate programmes would succeed to
the same extent. The approach outlined in this study should be replicated with other
students in other subject areas, as well as at other levels in order to be able to
recommend the use of online materials for all students in all subject areas.

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 8

6. Conclusion

During the past 10 years, the use of computers in education has increased dramatically
and a wide range of educational computer programmes are now widely available for
individual and classroom use. However, there has been very little research reported on
the effectiveness of such use. The purpose of the present study was therefore to
ascertain the effectiveness of using computer-assisted instruction as compared to
traditional classroom instruction in an EAP writing class. The findings clearly suggest
that the inclusion of web-based materials in EAP writing courses for post-graduate
students from East-Asia on an English language preparation course is effective.
Further research is needed, however, before the use of such materials can be
recommended for all students in all subject areas at all levels.

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 9

7. References

Fish, J. & Cheam, K. D. (2002). Computer instruction: A survey. Journal of Computer

Aided Instruction, 5 (3), 78-96.

Gillett, A. J. (2005). Using English for Academic Purposes. [WWW] Available from:
http://www.uefap.com [Accessed 24/01/03].

Harris, F. G. (2002). Using a networked computer to teach grammar. Journal of Networked

Learning, 7 (8), 45-67.

James, B. D. (1999). Availability of computers in educational institutions. Journal of

Learning in Higher Education, 45(2), 67-89.

Jones, P. & Smith, H. J. K. (1997). Teaching languages on-line. Oxford: Oxford Press.

Rogers, B. (1997). The University of Hertfordshire English language writing test. Hatfield:
University of Hertfordshire.

Shaw, H. (2001). Using computers in education. Computing, 45 (2), 1-34.

Smith, F. (2000). Computers in the home. Home Computing Journal, 3 (1), 56-67.

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
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8. Appendices

Data: Results for grades on the 5 subcategories: C1, C2, C3, C4, C5.

Student Nationality Subject Group Test Score

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5
1 China Business B 87 94 87 46 64
2 Korea Business B 87 94 87 58 64
3 China Computer Science B 87 94 87 46 80
4 Korea Business B 87 94 87 58 64
5 Korea Business B 87 94 70 58 64
6 China Business B 70 75 87 46 64
7 China Engineering B 87 94 87 46 80
8 China Business A 13 32 18 15 33
9 China Business A 17 42 24 15 33
10 China Business A 13 42 18 11 25
11 China Business A 9 42 12 8 25
12 China Business A 13 42 18 15 25
13 China Business A 17 42 24 15 33
14 Japan Business B 70 94 87 46 64
15 Japan Business B 70 94 70 46 64
16 China Business B 70 75 70 35 64
17 Korea Engineering B 87 94 70 58 80
18 Korea Engineering B 87 94 87 58 80
19 China Business B 70 75 70 35 64
20 China Business A 17 42 24 11 33
21 Japan Business A 13 32 18 15 25
22 China Business A 9 42 12 8 25
23 China Business A 13 42 18 11 25
24 China Business A 9 42 12 8 33

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.
 11

25 China Business A 13 42 18 11 33
26 Japan Engineering B 87 94 87 46 80
27 Japan Business B 70 38 87 46 64
28 Japan Engineering B 87 94 70 46 80
29 Korea Engineering B 87 94 87 58 80
30 Korea Engineering B 87 94 87 58 80
31 China Business A 13 42 18 8 25
32 China Business A 9 42 12 8 17
33 China Business A 13 42 18 11 33
34 Japan Business A 13 32 18 15 25
35 China Business B 87 94 87 35 64
36 China Business B 70 94 70 35 64
37 China Business B 87 94 87 35 64
38 China Business B 70 94 87 35 64
39 Japan Business B 87 94 70 46 64
40 Japan Business B 70 94 70 46 64
41 Korea Engineering A 21 53 29 19 42
42 Japan Engineering A 17 42 24 15 42
43 Japan Engineering A 21 32 29 15 42
44 China Engineering A 13 42 18 8 42
45 Japan Engineering A 9 42 12 15 42
46 China Business A 13 42 18 11 25
47 China Business A 9 42 12 8 17
48 Korea Law B 87 94 70 58 80
49 Korea Law B 87 94 87 58 80
50 China Law B 87 94 87 35 80
Group A Average 14 40 20 12 30
Group B Average 80 90 80 45 70

GILLETT, A. J. (2003) Use of a Writing Website [WWW] Available From: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/useof.htm [Accessed 08/08/2009].
Adapted for use on DMU’s Pre-Sessional Course.