Institution-Wide Language

Programmes, Higher Education

and Blended Learning

STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE OF VIRTUAL LEARNING

ENVIRONMENTS AMONG BEGINNERS AND POST-
BEGINNERS OF FRENCH

NATHALIE TICHELER
LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
N.TICHELER@LONDONMET.AC.UK
HTTP://TICHELER.BLOGSPOT.COM
 Background information on the targeted
institution

 Institution-Wide Language Programme

 Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish

 1 module = 1 semester = 15 credits at undergraduate level

 3 hours per week for 12 weeks, supplemented by self-study on the VLE, including
specially-tailored “e-packs”)

 Blended Learning approach

 Context and research questions

 “New” university and widening  How do students of French use and

participation perceive the VLE at the targeted
institution?
 Current context of reorganisation,
with budgetary and staffing issues
 Is there any shift in behaviour and
 Completion and retention rates attitude as students progress to
post-beginners’ level?
 Blended Learning policy at
institutional level
 Does students’ status
 No formal mechanism to collect (undergraduate, postgraduate,
students’ feedback on the VLE, apart external student...) have an impact
from standard university module on the questions above?
questionnaires

 Getting extra feedback from

students, improvising the e-learning
provision
 Theoretical perspective

 Hermeneutical phenomenology

 Positivism

 Interpretivism
 Data collection tools and analysis

 Sampling  A clear focus on students

All the beginners and post-beginners
of French, minus absentees and  A mixed approach to research, with
those who may opt out a combined quantitative and
(approximately 100 students) qualitative treatment of data

 Data collection tools  SPSS

Self-completion questionnaires NVIVO (or other software for
(closed and open questions) qualitative data)
Learning diaries Charts from tracking function
Interviews (initial interviews of
beginners and post-beginners,
follow-up interviews with post-
beginners previously interviewed as
beginners
VLE tracking function
End-of-module university
questionnaires
Online survey through the VLE for
post-beginners who have previously
completed the beginners’ module
 So far ...

 RDA1 form

 REC form

 Assignments from year 1 and year 2

 Gaining access

 Particular constraints

 Progress made ...

 Disseminations ... and making yourself visible...

And finally ...

 Ideas?

 Suggestions?

 Criticism?

 Feedback?

Thank you for

attending this
presentation!
Nathalie Ticheler
London Metropolitan University
n.ticheler@londonmet.ac.uk
http://ticheler.blogspot.com