22.3763, FYI: Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning

Tue Sep 27 16:41:27 UTC 2011

LINGUIST List: Vol-22-3763. Tue Sep 27 2011. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 22.3763, FYI: Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning

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1)
Date: 27-Sep-2011
From: Haisen Zhang [haisenzhang at uibe.edu.cn]
Subject: Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning

-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:40:42
From: Haisen Zhang [haisenzhang at uibe.edu.cn]
Subject: Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning

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Dear Colleagues,

My experience of organizing such a program over the past two years 
reveals that language learners can not only have more opportunities of 
target language exposure but also build friendships and continue 
cross-cultural exchange even after the program comes to an end.

This program could be an incredible opportunity for your students to 
improve their spoken Chinese and for my students to enhance their 
English speaking skills.

As a new semester is around the corner in mainland China, I'm 
proposing a 3rd round of cross-country tandem spoken language 
learning, starting from September 12, 2011 and ending in January 
2012. The purpose of this program is two-fold: One is to increase 
authentic language exposures to target language learners. Another is 
to collelct data based on their learning experiences for research 
purposes. 

If your students are interested in this program, please invite the 
professor responsible to drop me an email at 
haisenuibe at yahoo.com.cn. Also, please email me a list of your 
students' names, QQ account numbers, and email addresses so that I 
can pair my students with yours.

1. Profiles of My Students

They are graduate students of non-English majors in mainland China, 
presumably at an upper intermediate level. 

Most of them are 21 years old. 

They are taking a required spoken English course in a classroom 
context. 

They are encouraged to take the tandem language learng program at 
their mutually appropriate times beyond the regular class sessions. 

The participants are strongly self-motivated to improve their target 
spoken English. 

The number of the students is expected to be approximately 160.

2. Program Delivery

The Chinese participants are expected to communicate online with 
native speakers of English who learn Chinese at universities across the 
globe in a dyadic or triadic manner. 

Oral communication is based on structured topics to encourage 
interaction. 

Such communication should be done at least once a week and on a 
regular basis (based on their mutually available time slots). 

The facilitator (also the researcher) offers online support, sometimes 
with partial participation in learners' discussions, mainly for observation 
purposes.

3. Technology Use

QQ Chat (downloadable at http://www.imqq.com/), an extraordinarily 
popular Chinese Skype or MSN-like online chat tool. Such a tool offers 
both text and video chat functions. 

The chat tool is chosen due to the unavailability of free international 
access to the Internet on Chinese campuses. By using the tool, a wider 
Internet access availability can be maintained to increase the number 
of participants on my campus. 

The software is developed in English and it may be easy to use for 
most participants.

4. Participant Responsibilities

Once an online meeting/conversation/chat session has been 
scheduled, attendance should be kept to avoid wasting the time of 
peers. 

Participation in this online program may mean a promise for possibly 
being sources of data collection for research purposes. They may be 
expected to participate in questionnaire surveys and interviews at the 
end of the program. 

Participation may also mean participants' consent to the possiblity of 
having their conversations/discussions recorded for research 
purposes.

Your studnents are always welcome to participate. Thank you very 
much for spreading the word!

Best regards,

Haisen Zhang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor 

School of English and International Studies
University of International Business and Economics
10 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District
Beijing, 100029, China

Office: 010-6449-5020
Mobile: 13693663885 
E-mail: haisenzhang at uibe.edu.cn 

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics

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