Evaluation of the effectiveness of online learning program as part of the english course to second year non english major students at hanoi university of industry

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -  - BÙI THỊ THU GIANG EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAM AS PART OF THE ENGLISH COURSE TO SECOND-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY (Đánh giá hiệu chương trình tiếng Anh trực tuyến phần chương trình tiếng Anh sinh viên không chuyên năm thứ hai trường Đại học Công nghiệp Hà Nội) M.A Minor Programme Thesis THESIS SUMMARY Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Khoa Anh Việt, M.A HA NOI – 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations vi List of figures, tables and charts vii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims and objectives of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Online learning 1.1.1 Definitions of online learning 1.1.2 Reasons for online learning 1.2.3 Challenges in online learning 1.2 Evaluation of online learning program 1.2.1 The importance of evaluation 1.2.2 Types of evaluation 10 1.2.3 Evaluation of online learning program and the conceptual framework 10 1.3 Online learning at Hanoi University of Industry 14 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 15 2.1 The setting of the research 15 2.2 Overview of the syllabus with the adoption of Online Learning Program 15 2.3 Subjects 17 2.3.1 Questionnaire respondents 17 2.3.2 Interview informants 17 2.4 Data collection instruments 18 2.4.1 Questionnaire 18 2.4.2 Interview 18 2.4.3 Pre-test, post-test and students‟ online learning reports .18 2.5 Data analysis procedures 19 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 20 3.1 Data analysis 20 3.1.1 Questionnaire 20 3.1.2 Interview 29 3.1.3 Pre-test, post-test and online learning reports 31 3.2 Major findings 36 3.2.1 Students‟ and teachers‟ opinions and attitudes toward the OLP .36 3.2.2 The effectiveness of the OLP on students‟ English learning 37 3.2.3 Some suggestions to maximize the effectiveness of the OLP .37 PART C: CONCLUSION 39 Summary of the study 39 Limitations and suggestions for further study 40 REFERENCES 41 APPENDIX (Student questionnaire – English version) I APPENDIX (Student questionnaire – Vietnamese version) IV APPENDIX (Teacher interview) VII APPENDIX (Pre-test) VIII APPENDIX (Post-test) XIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS HaUI: Hanoi University of Industry FTTT: Faculty of Teacher Training and Tourism FME: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering OLP: Online Learning Program ID: Instructional Development WBT: Web Based Training ICT: Information Communication Technology QTDLKS1: Vietnamese abbreviation for Hotel and Tourism Administration Class CĐT2: Vietnamese abbreviation for Electromechanical Engineering Class CK1: Vietnamese abbreviation for Mechanical Engineering Class 1 LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS Figure 1: Evaluation as central to practice, from Gustafson & Branch (2002) Figure 2: Conceptual framework applied to the analysis of PBJ tutorial evaluation Table 1: Students‟ opinions on the three aspects of the OLP Chart 1: The importance of learning English Chart 2: The importance of Online Learning Program Chart 3: The benefits of the OLP to students Chart 4: The results of pre-test of CĐT2 Chart 5: The results of pre-test of CK1 Chart 6: The results of pre-test of QTDLKS1 Chart 7: The results of post-test of CĐT2 Chart 8: The results of post-test of CK1 Chart 9: The results of post-test of QTDLKS1 Chart 10: The results of pre-test and post-test of CĐT2 Chart 11: The results of pre-test and post-test of CK1 Chart 12: The results of pre-test and post-test of QTDLKS1 Chart 13: The results of pre-test and post-test 1 PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale As the era of information technology has come with significant contribution to education, especially to teaching and learning foreign languages, computers have become one of the most dominant devices in the development and delivery of audio-visual products, multimedia presentations, visual materials and end-user software Opportunities such as Internet access, distance learning capabilities, and applications software are tools of the new millennium and they are often used to make the educational environment more relevant, rich and rewarding (Ennis-Cole & Lawhon, 2004) Belz (2003) also affirms that Internet communication tools are used to promote the development of not only foreign language linguistic competence but also intercultural competence Riley (2000, as cited in Yilmaz & Orhan, 2010) emphasizes that teaching and learning that use technology effectively can lead to a greater academic achievement and make a real difference in the lives of students Richards (2006) stresses on the increasing support for learning in the future with the use of information and communication technologies – especially the online educational possibilities of the Internet resources and communications Online learning, as an incredible application of information technology, has therefore received rave reviews from a large number of educators all over the world As the result, the number of online educators with many online learning websites is increasing day by day and online learning plays an increasingly important role in teaching and learning the most popular language in the world – English At Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI), English is taught for a wide range of students of more than 10 faculties and departments This fact results in the demand of innovation in teaching and learning style of which online learning is a choice However, because this is a very new way to be applied, the challenges as well as shortcomings are unavoidable On carrying out the study, the researcher hopes that it can be a big help in deciding whether or not or in what way to teach and learn English more effectively with the adaptation of online learning Another important reason for the study is the decreasing excitement in students‟ learning When online learning program was introduced into the course, most students seemed interested and hard working with the subject They generally finished the lessons assigned on time in the very first weeks However, about some weeks later, they seemed to neglect their study both online and in class Many of students submitted the lessons late and blamed mainly for the technical mistakes Their study in class became a bit less exciting than that of the first weeks Each time students were asked about online lessons, many of them did not remember anything about the content and how they finished the lessons Basing on these problems, the researcher decided to carry out a study on the effectiveness of Online Learning Program (OLP) to students who took part in it Aims and objectives of the study The study is designed to bring a new look to the OLP as integrated to the main English courses at Hanoi University of Industry In other words, this program is part of the blended learning course in training English for non-major students The study, therefore, aims at evaluating the effectiveness of the OLP to second-year non-major students In particular, it firstly aims at investigating students‟ and teachers‟ attitudes towards the OLP Secondly, it is intended to explore how effective the OLP as part of the course is on students‟ learning through figuring out the benefits and the learning results they had during and after its implementation Providing some suggestions by students and teachers to maximize the educational outcomes of this program is the final purpose of this study In order to achieve these aims, the study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) What are students and teachers’ opinions and attitudes towards Online Learning Program? (2) How effective is Online Learning Program to students’ English learning? (3) What are students’ and teachers’ suggestions to maximize the effectiveness of Online Learning Program? Scope of the study The study is about the evaluation of the effectiveness of the OLP as part of the English course to second-year non-English major students In other words, this program is part of the blended learning English course for students of Intake at HaUI, except for students of Faculty of Foreign Languages The evaluation of the effectiveness of this program focuses on evaluation of the users‟ reaction and learning as the result of the program This concerns the suitability of the instructional design, the friendliness to the users (students) and how supportive administrators and the teachers are to students‟ learning, basing on students and teachers‟ evaluation in survey questionnaires and structured interviews In order to decide the effects of the program on students‟ learning achievement, data from their online learning reports, pre-test and post-test are collected for analysis The suggestions for improving the effectiveness of the program by the teachers and students are also addressed in the study Methods of the study The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research method The data were collected using survey questionnaires for students, structured interviews for teachers, students‟ online learning reports accompanied with pre-test and posttest In this study, survey questionnaires were used to collect the data that show the students' opinions and attitudes towards the OLP they have just finished Structured interviews were employed to teachers to get information on their opinions and attitudes to the OLP in general as well as its effectiveness to their students Lastly, students‟ online learning reports and results from pre-test and post-test were collected to evaluate their learning progress after the introduction of the OLP Design of the study The study consists of parts: - Part A: Introduction: This part consists of rationale, aims, scope, method, and design of the study - Part B: Development: This part is the main content including chapters: + Chapter 1: is the literature review which deals with the concepts of online learning, evaluation of online learning program, and online learning at Hanoi University of Industry + Chapter 2: is about the methodology of the study + Chapter 3: is about the data analysis, discussion and major findings Part C: Conclusion: This part presents the summary of the study, limitations and the suggestions for further study N o Thiết kế chƣơng trình Thân thiện với ngƣời 10 11 sử dụng 12 13 14 15 Trợ giúp 16 17 Bạn có ý kiến/ nhận xét câu hỏi từ 3-16 hay không? Xin làm rõ: … 18 Theo bạn, chương trình tiếng Anh trực tuyến trang http://www.haui.vietnamlearning.vn đem lại lợi ích gì? □Củng cố ngữ pháp □Mở rộng vốn từ vựng □Phát triển ngữ âm □Phát triển kỹ □Phát triển khả tự học □Giúp động lớp □Giúp tơi u thích học tiếng Anh Khác: 19 Bạn có gợi ý/ đóng góp để chương trình tiếng Anh trực tuyến hiệu hơn? Xin làm rõ: … Xin chân thành cảm ơn bạn! APPENDIX STRUCTURED INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS How important you think the online learning program is? A Strongly important D Not very important How you find English online learning program in Blended Learning Course A Very good What is your opinion about online materials? How difficult you think online exercises are to your students? How often you manage and give students‟ report? Do you support them when they have difficulties in learning? What are the benefits of the online learning program in your opinion? What are the difficulties you faced with during the implementation of the program? What are your suggestions to maximize the effectiveness of the online-learning program? APPENDIX Full name: ……………………………………… Class: …………………………………………… Student’s code: ………………………………… I GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY Identify the letter of the choice that best co at yo I a have been ea When yogurt a applies Last night, my sister invited me a to play My sister Christina has been waiting tables a since Yogurt can easily a be made olde If I a am/ will get It is also said that King Solomon, who was famous a to No one really a know Nowadays, supermarkets are flooded with diffe a of We assure you that this kind of accident a not happen b are not happe What a will/ won He was sure that it was the time for him to ask a to Yogurt helps balance the a health Students are encouraged a study If they us a want/ would c 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 If you don’t know what a word means, look it … a over 17 I gave him my e-mail address ………… he cou a that 18 The book was ………… that I couldn’t put it d a too good 19 Lan was watching TV …………… her brother a While 20 At the moment we are trying to ……………… t a II READING Read the text and choose the best answer to each question All of us complain about not being able to sleep at some time or another However, if you're the kind of person who finds himself staring at the ceiling until late into the night, experts suggest that you look at your diet Research has shown that what people eat during the day, and when they eat, can be connected to how well they sleep at night For instance, if you eat a big meal an hour or two before going to bed, you probably won't sleep well, or you may take longer to fall asleep If your meal is more spicy or fatty than usual, the chances of not sleeping are even greater Sleep experts advise troubled sleepers to eat supper early Then if you feel hungry later on in the evening, just eat something light Another reason that people don't sleep is because they don't eat enough If you're on a diet, you may have trouble going to sleep When you go to sleep hungry, your brain tells you to stay awake so that you can look for food It is a natural survival instinct Experts suggest that if you have trouble sleeping, the best thing to is to try having a light snack before going to bed In addition, you should keep a regular eating schedule during the day If you grab food without eating regular meals, you may have trouble sleeping Some of the well-known substances that can affect your sleep are alcohol and caffeine If you drink a lot of alcohol before you go to sleep, you may fall asleep quickly, but you'll probably sleep lightly There's also a chance that you'll wake up in the middle of the night and feel tired in the morning If you have more caffeine than you're used to late in the day, your sleep will most probably be affected Most people know that coffee, tea, and cola have caffeine in them, but what they don't realize is that there may be large amounts of caffeine in some soft drinks that aren't cola, as well as in chocolate and coffee-flavored foods like ice cream If you are having trouble sleeping, try staying away from caffeine from about five in the afternoon If all this doesn't work, have a cup of hot milk before going to bed 21 If you eat a big meal an hour or two before a you might not b you will proba 22 If your meal is spicy or fatty, ………… a you may sleep b the chances o 23 What is good for your sleep? a Alcohol 24 What should you NOT to sleep well? a Eat regular m b Go to sleep hu 25 According to the passage, which statement a Some soft drinks may contain caffeine b Your diet can affect your sleep c Drinking a lot of alcohol can help you sl d Troubled slee Read the text and decide if each sentence is True (T) or False (F) Michael Faraday, an English experimental physicist, was a son of a poor blacksmith After very little schooling he was apprenticed to a bookbinder The boy work hard all day and studied at night One day a man on entering the shop found a boy at work binding an encyclopedia, and at the same time studying hard at the article on electricity on it 26 27 28 29 30 The man was surprised to see the boy so interes He found out that Faraday, working late at night, h though he was too poor to possess any thing but four tickets for the lectures which Sir Humphy Da boy was as much happy as if someone had given notes of what he heard At the end of the lectures asked him for work Later, Davy made him his as Michael Faraday worked as a bookbinder when h While working at the bookbinder’s shop, he was i He was so poor that he couldn’t make experimen He was very happy when he was given the ticket He was not given a chance to work for Davy III LISTENING Listen and choose the best answer to each question ………31 What would Frank like to join? a the music ba 32 What is Frank’s address? a b 33 What is his phone number? a 654-1073 IV WRITING Write about your house or your rented room in about 100 – 150 words 1358 1358 SPEAKING PRE-TEST Paper Good morning/afternoon Please take a seat My name’s………… Can I have your student identity card? Now, I would like to ask you some questions Part 1: Introduction First, introduce yourself (name, age, class, birthplace, hobbies, ) Next, I would like to ask you some questions about your leisure activities What you often in your free time? Do you like music/ sports/shopping? If yes, ask the following questions What kind of music you like? How much time you listen to music everyday? What sport can you play? How often you play it? Where you often go shopping? Why? … Part 2: Topic Now, let’s talk about your last holiday When did you last go on holiday? Where did you go? Who did you go with? What did you and see there? How long did you stay there? What was the weather like then? Did you have a good time? How did you feel after that holiday? … ENDING: Good That just about brings us to the end of the interview Is there anything else you might like to tell me about? Right, then Goodbye, and thank you for sharing your time with me Paper Good morning/afternoon Please take a seat My name’s………… Can I have your student identity card? Now, I would like to ask you some questions Part 1: Introduction First, introduce yourself (name, age, class, birthplace, ) Next, I would like to ask you some questions about your study □How long have you been studying at HaUI? □What is your major? □How many subjects you study this semester? □Which subject you like the most? Why? □ … Part 2: Topic Now, let’s talk about English □Are you good at English?/ Do you like English? Why? □How long have you learnt English? □Which skill you find the most difficult to learn? □What you everyday to improve it and other skills? □How you learn vocabulary? □… ENDING: Good That just about brings us to the end of the interview Is there anything else you might like to tell me about? Right, then Goodbye, and thank you for sharing your time with me Paper Good morning/afternoon Please take a seat My name’s………… Can I have your student identity card? Now, I would like to ask you some questions Part 1: Introduction First, introduce yourself (name, age, class, birthplace, hobbies, ) Next, I would like to ask you some questions about your family □How many people are there in your family? □Do you have a sister/ brother? □How old is your father/ mother/ sister? □What does he/ she do? □Who you love most in your family? Why? □What does your family often at weekends/ on holidays? □ … Part 2: Topic Now, let’s talk about your hometown □Where are you from? □What is it like? (big/ small/ beautiful…?) □How far is it from your hometown to Hanoi? □How often you visit your hometown? □What is your hometown famous for? □What can visitors and see when they visit your hometown? □What jobs people often in your hometown? □… ENDING: Good That just about brings us to the end of the interview Is there anything else you might like to tell me about? Right, then Goodbye, and thank you for sharing your time with me APPENDIX Full name: ……………………………………… Class: …………………………………………… Student’s code: ………………………………… I GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement A study to find out how to help children become be the world a Did Over 21,500 a four years-olds Nigerian women spend an average of 10 hours p a care after Before her marriage, he promised a for helping with Have you actually told him a how you feeled b how you feel You can't leave the table until you a are finished Proper eating habits must begin a at Children should not be made a for empty As you continue your journey, you might be luck beaches a 10 Standing a for discovering in/ at 11 Empire State Building is the tallest building I a ever visited b have ever been visite 12 Crowds of tourists now come to the small town t a celebrate 13 While we a b were/ visit were being/ vis 14 When the company does well, you a money do/ earn 15 The modern Olympic games a were hold 16 When he switched it on, he was a amazingly 17 India, had been a British colony, be a where 18 These changes may be happening too a slowly 19 If you know what you are running away from, it life a may help 20 Pink is closer to red than blue, but it seems to be a the most calmi b the more calm II READING Read the texts and answer the questions below Passage 1: Robotic Workers Robots first appeared in the 1920s in a play called "R.U.R." Karel Capek, the author, was the first person to use the word "robot." In the play, a wealthy man creates a group of mechanical workers, called robots, to run his factory Eventually, the robots rebel against their owner and take over the factory The robots in this play symbolized workers all over the world When we think of robots, we often imagine large, metallic-looking devices that somehow resemble human beings – having a body, arms, legs, and eyes In truth, most robots that are used around the world today not look at all like us But even though they don't look like humans, their purpose is to the tasks of humans, to improve on something a human can do, or to ease human life In fact, the word "robot" actually means "worker" in Czech, and robots work for people Robots have found their way into many areas of our society In medicine, surgeons perform operations using robotic arms that hold surgical tools On assembly lines, robots perform such jobs as painting, welding, and inspection Japan, the world leader in robotics, uses robots extensively in its automobile plants Police forces and armies around the world use robots to assist in bomb disposal Robots can help physically disabled people eat, put on makeup, and brush their teeth Some scientists envision a future with human-like robots that perform tasks for us, such as vacuuming or driving They see the robot of the future with sensors to see and hear, motors that simulate human muscles, and microprocessors that "think." 21 Karel Capek was a wealthy man who created a g his factory a 22 What is NOT true of robots in the present? a They can paint and weld b They have robotics a 23 According to the text, what is one of the main pu a To perform in movies b To make human life easier 24 In the future, robots can enjoy the same rights a a No information 25 What is the text about? a The purposes and uses of c The manufacture of robots d The story of a human-like robot robots b The robots who perform operations Passage 2: No information Men's and Women's Brains – Are They Different? Some people believe that there is no such thing as "men's work" or "women's work." They think that there is no reason why husbands shouldn't stay at home and bring up their children while their wives work outside the home as doctors, engineers, or company directors It is, therefore, surprising to read in recent studies that men and women really think differently and are better at different tasks Men are better than women at hitting targets with darts or arrows They can also find hidden objects in a picture better than women can Men can see an object and know how it will look if it moves or turns the other way Women have trouble doing this Women are better than men at recognizing if things are similar or different They notice if things disappear or have been moved from one place to another They are good at working with very small objects Men are not so good at these tasks What is the explanation for these differences? When they are born, boys and girls have identical brains But as they grow and develop, their brains develop in different ways The body produces hormones that cause men and women to develop differently These same hormones also cause different brain development in men and women As a result, men and women tend to think differently Another reason for the differences between men's and women's brains is millions of years old Early man's job was to provide food for his family by hunting wild animals He had to be able to find his prey in jungles and forests He had to be good at throwing spears or shooting arrows at a moving target Early woman's job was to guard her children against danger She had to gather food – small things like fruit, berries, or mushrooms – and had to know the difference between those that could be eaten and those that were poisonous The children of the men and women who did these things well were the ones who survived Research shows that men's and women's brains still develop in ways suitable to the jobs their ancestors did hundreds of thousands of years ago Today, men and women may choose any profession they want It is possible, however, that they may really be more successful at some jobs than others 26 “Women have trouble doing this.” What does “this” in paragraph refer to? a Working with very small objects b Finding hidden object in a picture c Knowing how an object will look if it turns the other way d Recognizing if things are similar or different 27 What is the main reason for differences betw a Their different ways of thinking b Their different ability to different tasks 28 The jobs that men and women did in the past women's brains a a b c d False 29 In the past, finding food for the family was th a Men 30 According to the text, which fact is NOT true? Men and women are born with different brains Nowadays, men and women may choose any job they want Men are not good at working with small objects Men and women are better at different tasks III LISTENING Listen and choose the best answer to each question 31 Why can’t the speakers listen to some music? a the stereo has broken b the stereo was lost c the stereo is being occupied by someone else d Its owner is listening to another program 32 Where does the woman advise Ben to buy a at Video Worl 33 Why should Ben buy a new one there? a There’s a sale there b There’s a big IV WRITING Write about what you like or dislike about living in the city in about 100 – 150 words SPEAKING POST-TEST Paper Good morning/afternoon Please take a seat My name’s………… Can I have your student identity card? Now, I would like to ask you some questions Part 1: Introduction First, introduce yourself (name, age, class, birthplace, hobbies, ) Next, I would like to ask you some questions about your student life □Where are you from? □Where are you living now? □Who you live with? □How are your roommates? □Are you happy when you are a student? □What you every day? □ … Part 2: Topic Now, let’s talk about means of transport □ How far is it from your house to the university? □ How you go to school everyday? □ How long does it take you to go to school? □ What is your favorite means of transport? □Why you like it? □What are some of its advantages and disadvantages? □… Some further questions □Do you like traveling by bus/car/bycicle? □What are some problems of going by bus/car/bycicle in Hanoi? □… ENDING: Good That just about brings us to the end of the interview Is there anything else you might like to tell me about? Right, then Goodbye, and thank you for sharing your time with me Paper Good morning/afternoon Please take a seat My name’s………… Can I have your student identity card? Now, I would like to ask you some questions Part 1: Introduction First, introduce yourself (name, age, class, birthplace, ) Next, I would like to ask you some questions about your study □How long have you been studying at HaUI? □What is your major? □How many subjects you study this semester? □Which subject you like the most? Why? □Are you good at English?/ Do you like English? □How long have you learnt English? □What you everyday to learn English well? □ … Part 2: Topic Now, let’s talk about your future plans □What are you going to after graduating from HaUI? □Where are you going to live and work? In Hanoi or in your hometown? Why? □What job are you going to do? □What are you doing now to your job well in the future? □How much money you expect to earn a month? □When are you going to get married? □… Some more questions □Are you going to take an English course? What you think of the importance of English in your future job? □Are you going to look for a part-time job? What are some advantages and disadvantages of doing a part-time job? □… ENDING:Good That just about brings us to the end of the interview Is there anything else you might like to tell me about? Right, then Goodbye, and thank you for sharing your time with me Paper Good morning/afternoon Please take a seat My name’s………… Can I have your student identity card? Now, I would like to ask you some questions Part 1: Introduction First, introduce yourself (name, age, class, birthplace, hobbies, ) Next, I would like to ask you some questions about your hometown □Where are you from? □What is it like? (big/ small/ beautiful…?) □How far is it from your hometown to Hanoi? □How often you visit your hometown? □What is your hometown famous for? □What can visitors and see when they visit your hometown? □What jobs people often in your hometown? □ … Part 2: Topic Now, let’s talk about city life/ country life □Do you want to live in the city or in the country? Why? □What are good things of city life/ country life? □What are some bad things/ problems of city life/ country life? □Can you make some sentences comparing things in the city with those in the country? (air, traffic, education, houses, people …) □… Some further questions □Do you want to live in a big city like Hanoi? Why? □Do you think that traffic jam is one of the biggest problems in Hanoi? □Can you suggest some solutions to solve the traffic problem in Hanoi? □… ENDING: Good That just about brings us to the end of the interview Is there anything else you might like to tell me about? Right, then Goodbye, and thank you for sharing your time with me ... effectiveness of the OLP as part of the English course to second- year non -English major students In other words, this program is part of the blended learning English course for students of Intake at HaUI,... look to the OLP as integrated to the main English courses at Hanoi University of Industry In other words, this program is part of the blended learning course in training English for non- major students. .. user satisfaction and interaction as well as the ease at which the interface facilitated learning The learning phase measures the actual learning as the direct result of the ecourse It is to assess