Synchronous Online Simulation Games for Development of Speaking Skills in EFL
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| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | This presentation introduces ideas and findings of the project that later became a part of the author’s master’s thesis. The work focuses on the use of synchronous online simulation games for development of speaking skills in e-learning courses of English as a foreign language. For this purpose 2 complex synchronous activities (scenarios) were created and incorporated into an existing e-learning course at Masaryk University in Brno. They were developed in order to provide students with opportunities to practise their speaking skills in two immersive scenarios. 21 students took part in the initial pilot of the project; they tested the activities and provided feedback for the designer; furthermore, the scenarios were also evaluated internally by the designer. The concept of the activities is based on the ideas of synchronous e-learning, role-playing, simulation, game-based learning, experiential education and paradigms of constructivism and social constructivism applied to the field of foreign language learning. The activities based on the aforementioned principles proved to be a viable solution for incorporating interactive speaking practice into the online course. The technology chosen for conducting the scenarios was implemented without major difficulties. Furthermore, most of the students claimed that they subjectively perceived language objectives set for the activities as fulfilled (87 %) and they expressed their satisfaction with the scenarios. However, based on internal and external evaluation, improvements were suggested and implemented; for example, a new interactive form that guided students throughout one of the games was introduced. |
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