Final project report: How Can We Accurately Assess the Effectiveness of Using Technology in the ESL Classroom?

Inquiry Project Proposal

Jenifer Giroux, RI College Outreach Programs

The purpose of this inquiry project was to be able to identify the ways in which technology enhances ESL instruction. I have seen tremendous improvements, but I wanted to be able to pinpoint exactly the ways in which technology aids our students in acquiring English. The class that I currently teach consists of Intermediate level adults from various countries. The class is 20 hours a week and runs for 2 weeks. The majority of our students either enroll in a training program at the end of the course or obtain employment. The program is open entry/open exit so it has been a challenge to keep the student portion of the inquiry project on track.

The original goals of the project were:

  • To Design a questionnaire/evaluation that will be given to students upon entrance into the program (in addition to a pre-test that measures their level of English Language Proficiency upon entering the course). This questionnaire will consist of questions to discover studentıs attitudes towards using computers, current level of computer literacy, whether or not they have a computer at home or regular access to a computer, have they used the Internet before, etc.
  • Design a Rubric that clearly states what competencies students are expected to gain as a result of taking this course.
  • Begin using rubrics as a method of evaluation in all lesson plans.
  • As soon as the project begins I will keep a journal to record my observations and student reactions and performance.
  • Introduce the SCANS Skills to the class and have the students aware of what our goals are for the class.
  • I will interview each student individually to discuss progress in the class, attitude regarding using the computer, my assessment of their progress in the class, and any concerns or insights they may have regarding their learning.
  • Have the students develop questionnaires/interview questions of their own regarding what they have learned. I envision this as being a group project where one group of students interview another group of students and then report their findings to the class and vice versa.
  • Each student will write a review of a software program or Web site that they found particularly interesting or helpful. They will have to explain why they liked it and what they learned from it. A class project will be to compile all of the reviews into a booklet for the class and other classes.
  • Each student will be post-tested and then I will meet with each student individually to review his/her progress in the class, review the studentıs intake questionnaire with them, discuss their current attitude regarding technology and their view of what they learned in the course, and finally, evaluate the studentıs overall success in the class using the rubric designed at the beginning of the research project.

    I designed a questionnaire to discover student's attitudes towards computers as well as their current level of computer literacy. Each student completed the questionnaire upon entrance into the Computer Assisted English Language Learning course. This has proved to be very useful because it gives me a better understanding of where the students are coming from and some of the fears/obstacles that they may have to overcome in working with computers and other forms of technology to assist them in improving their level of English language proficiency. This questionnaire has been an excellent tool to evaluate what the students have learned as a result of the class.

    The use of rubrics in individual lessons has been very useful for the students as well as myself. It gives both the instructor and the student clear expectations and concrete methods of evaluation. Although I am still struggling with the course rubric and its usefulness, I see the numerous benefits of using rubrics as a means of assessment for individual lessons.

    The students are continuing to develop a rubric to evaluate different software programs. Once the rubric is finished, students are going to work in groups and individually to evaluate different software programs. They are developing their own criteria to evaluate whether or not the software is appropriate for adults and itıs educational value. The students are having the same difficulty as myself; they alter the criteria after every evaluation of a software program. I had anticipated this portion of the project to go rather smoothly. Unfortunately, we had difficulty because the class is open entry/open exit so the dynamics of the class change. The other obstacle students face is while evaluating a program they realize that they left out an important component of an effective software program.

    The most challenging part of this exercise for me is to try to let them make and correct mistakes on their own. I am trying to be a facilitator in this part of the project and not give them my views on what an effective software program should include. Although it is difficult not to interfere in what they are doing, I have seen the benefits of this method of instruction by the level of their involvement and their commitment to the project.

    As part of this Inquiry Project, I kept a journal to record the progress and impediments to my research question. Journaling has been a valuable way for me to reflect on my teaching practices and the progress of the students. The simple act of taking time after class to think about and record the activities and student performance in class has a profound impact on the way in which I teach the next class, Journaling is definitely a practice I will continue in the future.

    Observations/ Recommendations as a Result of the Inquiry Project:

    The use of technology will enhance the learning goals of the classroom

    The presence of the instructor is necessary in the classroom at all times and the computer is never to be used as a substitute teacher

    The computer motivates students to continue learning and improves their self-confidence and ability to learn new things

    Computer based projects should be manageable and supported

    The use of technology in the classroom gives low-level learners the chance to demonstrate their strengths in other areas

    The use of technology in the classroom gives the instructor the opportunity to create lessons that take multiple intelligences into consideration

    Technology in the classroom accommodates for differences in learning and allows students to work at their own pace

    The use of technology in my ESL classroom has been wildly successful. The purpose of this project was to try to come up with a tangible list of reasons why it is successful and how to assess the successfulness. As a result of this project, I feel that in addition to the reasons listed above, that the use of technology is exciting to not only our students but to us as educators. Our level of enthusiasm motivates the students and keeps them engaged in the learning process. Technology lends itself to so many creative and innovative lessons that we canıt help but be motivated to work harder and longer.

    Participation in this Inquiry Project has afforded me the opportunity to evaluate my teaching practices, give the students more control of the class, and pay closer attention to the skills students are learning in my class in addition to English.

    to Jenifer's final project assignment and rubric

    to Jenifer's interim report, February, 2001

    to Jenifer's project proposal,


    back to inquiry 2000-2001

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