LCE 500 Orientation (2 ECTS)
The aim of this module is to ensure that all students acquire a minimal level of essential background knowledge in the area of CALL and to provide hands-on experience using the technological resources upon which the entire programme critically depends. The module constitutes of two main components. Firstly, in preparation for the orientation session, students will be asked to work on essential background readings. On site/online, they will be welcomed to the MA programme, introduced to their advisor, and provided with the details of how the programme will be carried out. Students will be informed about what will be expected of them in terms of good academic practice. They will be reminded that academic work has to be completed within set deadlines and done honestly and independently and that work must be equally shared in collaborative tasks. They will be introduced to the pitfalls of plagiarism and shown the importance of acknowledging all of their sources. Students will be helped to improve/develop their study and information skills (reading, note-taking, bibliographical researching in the field of applied linguistics, etc.). They will be introduced to the appropriate academic style to be used in their essays, reports, oral presentations, etc. They will be taught conventions for citing and referencing their sources and for presenting bibliographies. The second component of the module will include information and familiarisation with the technology basics. As a preparatory component for the residential, students will be sent a Users’ Guide explaining the computer-based applications employed in the programme. This will also be posted to the programme website for subsequent reference. Students will be given an orientation workshop in which they will be shown how to log into and use the online virtual classroom application. They will also create an account on Google+ and be shown how to use its features: Gmail, Hangout, Google Doc, Google Drive. Overall, the module will provide the opportunity to familiarise with the nature of the online teaching mode of the programme and get acquainted with each other, aiming to create a learning community.
Learning Outcomes
The module aims to:
Learning Outcomes
The module aims to:
- Establish what students want to learn; what knowledge, skills and experiences they bring in their CALL luggage
- Establish what knowledge, skills and experiences they have in: (a) Learning (on campus / blended / online); (b) in CALL areas: SLA; L2 Teaching Methodologies; SLiT; Language Assessment and Testing; Curriculum Development; MALL; Research Methodologies; CALL application and implementation; CALL research
- Establish students’ understanding on what does studying at MA level entails (a. Continuous involvement in learning activities; b. Autonomous, independent, collaborative and lifelong learning; c. Awareness of academic work: library skills; copyright issues; plagiarism; academic style communication and expression; research
- Exploit technologies that will be employed during the online MA in CALL.
- Compare current knowledge, skills and experiences with current theories and practices in CALL
- Construct new knowledge through collaboration and shared experiences.