e-Learning: A Powerful Tool For Language Learning

By Amelia Retana

Do you think speaking only one language is enough to remain competitive?

A global business reality cannot be eluded: speaking only one language is neither enough nor competitive. For individuals, being bilingual is a more important labor requirement than competitive advantage for firms; relying upon employees speaking at least English as a second language often means being inside or outside the market.

In view of this need, people are seeking ways to learn a second language, and in the case of Latin America and other countries in the world, this second language has become English and in most of the cases it has meant a major time and financial investment. Let’s see which have been the means used for achieving this goal:

  An expensive trip to England, the United States, or Canada.

  Enrolling in one local language school.

  Hiring a private tutor for teaching classes at home or at the office.

  Taking a traditional mail language course, especially for writing skills.

  Studying with cassettes or CD-ROM, especially for listening skills.

Like individual and corporate training, e-Learning is emerging as a powerful language learning choice, particularly for those who need to speak a second language but cannot afford traveling expenses, have limited time for traveling or meeting a class schedule, do not have enough budget for this item, and require different language proficiency levels.

Some studies on this topic have shown that e-Learning is not the best language learning tool because it involves not only knowledge acquisition but also human and culture interaction. However, this approach is closed because it does not consider all the possibilities e-Learning offers such as online learning.

“An analysis of the courses provided by the major e-Learning companies shows that Information Technology (IT) courses prevail. Besides partially showing market demand, it clearly illustrates the most successful e-Learning courses. IT means mainly providing students with knowledge. The main method is the use of explanatory textbooks containing charts, and interactive learning is the result of multiple-choice exercises containing feedback about results obtained by students. Learning a language is a more complex process. Knowledge acquisition is only part of the learning process. “Skills are also needed, and this means practicing real communication in four areas: speaking, listening, writing, and reading.” Stephen Orr, Effective e-learning for languages, Feb 2001, Training Journal Abstract, trainingjournal@fenman.co.uk

Especially because learning a language is more complex than transferring knowledge to the recipient, synchronous or online learning becomes the perfect method for e-Learning-based language learning. Students are able to listen to other people through chats, discussion forums, or live conversational classes. They also have the opportunity of learning how to write and read and being corrected by a real teacher who is available 24 hours a day thanks to an Internet connection that allows students to listen and talk to him/her.

This is combined with e-Learning general benefits such as the flexibility of being trained anywhere and anytime and tailor-made courses. Thanks to these facilities, topics handled through e-Learning have shifted from IT and now include interpersonal skills, business, languages, and many others.

The following chart compares some advantages of e-Learning language acquisition versus classroom training:

If you are seeking a language e-Learning supplier, we recommend the following:

  Look for a highly experienced language-teaching supplier.

  Ask for references from other known companies that have used or are currently using the system.

  Find tutor or teacher resumes. It is better for teachers to be native speakers.

  Teacher availability 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  Access to live conversational classes and online classes.

  Integration with any AICC learning management system or ASP solution.

  Solutions combined with asynchronous and online learning.

  Flexible implementation architecture and support.

  Course curriculum of the language you need (general, business, industry, traveling, or preparation for exams such as TOEFL or TOEIC.)

  Highly safe network and easy content access.

  A variety of learning activities for students.

  Online tools such as pronunciation tools or dictionaries.

  Placement testing and different learning levels based on individual needs.