Students Learn Spanish Language Pronunciation Using Online Learning Module
Every year, the Office of the Provost and the Office of Academic Technology fund faculty projects that enhance teaching and learning with technology at the University of Florida. For the 2007 grant cycle, AT funded four projects, including Gillian Lord’s “Tal Como Suena: Spanish Pronunciation” multimedia modules.
Although research has consistently indicated the importance of pronunciation training in foreign language classes, Spanish pronunciation is rarely taught in introductory or intermediate classes. In reality, faculty have so much content to cover in their classes that they do not have time to go into the intricacies of phonetics or pronunciation.
For this project, Dr. Gillian Lord proposed developing a series of multimedia modules that instruct students in the fundamental principals of Spanish pronunciation. The topics for each module were selected based on what teachers and researchers have identified as typical pronunciation errors. The project makes use of the existing Language Learning Lab and repurposes the scheduled lab sessions for SPN 2240 for students to complete the modules.
To accommodate different learning styles and provide students with an auditory example of correct pronunciation, each module section was presented in both text-based and video format. Flash animations were designed to demonstrate what the mouth and vocal tract are doing to produce each specific sound. Recorded samples of native English and Spanish speakers help emphasize the distinction in each pronunciation feature. Throughout the modules, interactive quizzes were programmed to ensure comprehension of basic principles. To enhance usability and Section 508 compliance, learners can increase the text size to suit their needs and transcripts of the videos are made readily available.
After viewing the explanation and examples, the learner is asked to complete a series of audio exercises that focus on listening and discriminating between English and Spanish pronunciation. A practice section encourages the student to read a text fragment out loud while keeping basic principles in mind. Finally the students is asked to record her/himself reading text samples that emphasize the specific pronunciation feature being worked on in the module. Self-assessments, paired with the recording are sent to the instructor.
To increase audience size and reusability of the materials, these modules have been designed to be publicly available online. Assessment results are emailed to the instructor or TA. However, learners that are going through the content outside the context of a credit course, can complete the modules without having to submit results.
The modules are currently being piloted in the Fall instance of SPN 2240. Students have been asked to complete a survey upon completion of each module to help assess the impact of the materials. Once assessments have been completed and revisions have been made, the materials will be viewable by the general public. In the meantime, you can view a sample module.
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Posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008.