Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, two facts have become evident: there has been a widespread loss of jobs across Europe, and those who are currently without a job are now left with a unique opportunity to upskill themselves to find better employment. According to the University of Oxford, thousands of people have decided to learn or continue learning one of the most marketable skills for employment: foreign language. Many job search sites have also recommended that people not in employment should take the time to improve their foreign language skills to increase their employability, and many are attempting to do so. This is supported by evidence from Google: according to Google trends, between the start of the pandemic and now, Interest in “language learning with YouTube” has risen by 750% “Language learning solutions” by 450% “Best language learning tools” by 300% “Learning language with Netflix” by 250% The trends clearly demonstrate that not only would people like to learn a language online, but they are seeking particular types of tools to support them; tools that are free of charge, easy to use, and engaging. Unfortunately, many of the tools freely available online have not been designed by experts and are of poor quality, but this may not be visible to learners. Hence, learners may spend their time working with resources which are far from optimal and which may even contain erroneous information. On top of that, learners generally lack an understanding of how to structure and manage their learning to maximise learning outcomes. For example, some foreign language learners may see traditional grammar exercises as the most effective way to improve their foreign language skills and concentrate on these at the expense of other types of activities which an foreign language self-directed learning programme should include. The result is that, without the proper resources and guidance, learners may spend their time trying to improve their foreign language skills to no avail. This may, in turn, lead to frustration and low-motivation and can potentially disrupt the learning process. OBJECTIVES The object of this project is to make it easier for foreign language learners to learn a language online. To this end, it aims to make a selection of high-quality resources freely available online (OERs) and compile them into an website. This will involve the assessment of resources by a team of experts to ensure that all the resources selected meet quality standards. This project also aims to produce guidance addressed to foreign language learners on how to use the OERs on the website for supporting foreign language self-directed learning. This will take the form of an e-course and will seek to ensure that our target groups know how to use the resources available on the website. It is hoped that this will make it easier for foreign language learners to engage in effective ways of learning and to ultimately upgrade their foreign language skills. NEEDS As explained in the priorities and topics section above, while there there is a vast array of online resources available to independent learners, many of these are of poor quality and learners are generally not well prepared to make an informed choice of the best materials. It was also explained above that while online learning resources abound, there is a dearth of comprehensive resources freely available to language learners to support and guide them in managing their own learning. This project is underpinned by the assumption that learners need support in these areas to help them make the best use of their time. TARGET GROUP Our target group is adult foreign language learners, with a special focus on those from disadvantaged backgrounds. INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS IO1: Compilation of OERs for learning foreign languages online for self-directed learners, organised by language, CEFR level, and area of language learning (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing, listening, and speaking) on a website IO2: An e-course on how to learn foreign languages online for self-directed learners EXPECTED IMPACT - Increased quality of the resources used by independent learners of a foreign language - Improved use of foreign language learners’ time and improved management of their own learning - Better learning outcomes in self-directed learning environments - Improved communication skills of language learners - Better preparation of language learners to meet the requirements of employers, educational institutions, and day-to-day life in settings where the foreign language is spoken
The prime objectives of this project were to: 1. provide a platform for foreign language learners who are engaged in learning online. A selection of high-quality resources/ OERs which were freely available online were compiled into a website. The resources for the website were selected by experts on the basis of set quality standards. 2. create an E-course to enable the foreign language learners to know how to use the resources available on the website. Both the outputs were created keeping a special focus on the learners from underprivileged backgrounds. The above-mentioned objectives were achieved through following Intellectual outputs: 1. Compilation of OERs for learning foreign languages online for self-directed learner 2. An E-course addressed to self-directed learners on how to use OERs to learn foreign languages
The project was based on the background research conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, which revealed a significant decline in employment opportunities across Europe. This situation presented an advantageous chance for individuals who were currently unemployed to enhance their skills in order to secure better jobs. Job search platforms also encouraged job seekers to utilise this time to improve their foreign language proficiency as a means to enhance their employment prospects. We realised that individuals looking to learn foreign language online needed thoroughly scrutinised tools that are not only free-of-charge but also engaging and easy-to-use. Despite the availability of a plethora of open-access resources, we are also aware of the fact that these are not prepared by experts or may even contain erroneous information, and learners’ ignorance about this misinformation cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, learners also lack the knowledge on how to maximise the learning outcomes and effectively utilise grammatical exercises to improve their language learning skills. Due to dearth of comprehensive and well-designed resources, the project output would be ideal in supporting the learners on their journey to learning a foreign language.