It's the Links, Stupid

It's the Links, Stupid
Steve Schackne
University of Macao

Introduction

At a recent information technology conference in Malaysia,* using computer technology as a panacea for language learners was questioned. Simply placing a conventional syllabus on a computer screen can only be justified (in terms of efficiency) in distance learning. Furthermore, lack of software options and unreliable download times can often make teaching over the web a frustrating experience for both teacher and learner. True, computer technology is not developed enough to replace conventional teaching, but the pace at which information technology is progressing, combined with the current over-inflated costs of university, seem to make "web teaching" an increasingly viable alternative. Michael Prowse in the Financial Times has summed up the problem:

"The cost of college tuition has risen 174% in the past decade.
That is more than three times the increase in consumer prices....
This cost explosion is outrageous if you recall that prices are
falling in most other information-based industries....Teaching is still
organized in much the same way it was in Plato's day. Thousands
of lecturers stand in classrooms delivering lectures. Millions of
students travel hundreds of miles to be physically present on
campuses....In the age of the Internet, none of this makes sense.
Most education...can now be enjoyed in the comfort of one's
home via the computer screen, at a fraction of the cost at
which it is sold by the Harvards of this world."¹

What is It?

Schackne Online (http://www.schackne.com) is a website with a dozen sub-categories, or intralinks, aimed at various university majors: the original concept focused on three intralinks designed for three departments--Language Teaching for Education majors; Finance for Business majors; and Media for Communications majors. It is a resource site which relies on carefully evaluated hyperlinks for the interactive access of both language and content. In that sense, it is not particularly original, but relies heavily on popular state-of-the-art web sites around the world.

How Does It Work?

At the lower levels, direct access to structured, interactive instruction, such as the help center at Dave's ESL Cafe or the study hall at Tower of English is often most effective. The sheer scope and depth of the hyperlinks and the downsite secondary links virtually guarantees a beginning student will be able to quickly log on to an appropriate page for independent revision. Some sites even include consulting teachers who will answer questions or give feedback.
At the higher levels a more rhetorical approach is pursued. Multiple sites are used to develop stylistic skills in narration, description, comparison-contrast, and cause-effect, as well as some advanced language such as argumentation. Recent examples of site usage at higher levels would be the following:

English Education majors had to evluate Collins Cobuild,
Dave's ESL Cafe and Tower of English, and then develop
a) a structural grammar tutorial for lower level students and
b) an intermediate functional lesson where students would
have maximum opportunity for communicative output.

Communications majors had to describe four newspaper data
bases: AJR/Newslink, Ecola Newsstand, Northwest Direct, and
Newspapers of the Web. They then had to compare and contrast
these sites along differing criteria.

Business majors had to determine a cause/effect relationship
in the East Asian economic crisis, based on differing reports
from politicians, investors, and journalists in particular
countries. (This can be enlarged into a problem-solving
activity, which takes a bit of time, but all the data and
resources needed, such as stock market sites, investor
news, and government press releases, are available on
Schackne Online).

Goals

The goals for this project are threefold:

to increase the students' rhetorical knowledge of English (their understanding of how the language is organized and how it "works"), as well as to increase their communicative competence through instrumental and social communicative interaction on the Web.
to increase the students' awareness of new trends and developments in a variety of areas; that is, to increase "content" knowledge in their chosen major fields.
to enhance their abilities in quickly and efficiently searching, accessing, and exchanging information over the Web; that is, to upgrade their computer literacy.

Weaknesses

     While the use of interactive web sites promotes independent learning and can go a long way in stimulating student interest, it appears that it is most successful at intermediate and advanced levels. Grammar tutorials and lower-level materials, while being improved and upgraded constantly, are not, by nature, as interactive and challenging as higher level language programs on the Web, and certainly not as challenging as using commercial, organizational, and individual sites to create language learning activities.
     Speaking and listening activities can be effectively generated from students' "surfing" of web sites but, so far, few interactive sites directly address these integrated skills. Stirling University's listening lab and Randall Davis's cyberlab hail the beginning of "streaming" audio over the computer and with lightning-fast changes in information technology, we can expect interactive speaking programs reasonably soon.
     A final shortcoming lies in the fact that although instruction through the Web promotes learner independence, teacher-student interaction is still required for many types of assessment and feedback. Many would feel, however, that this is not a weakness as human interaction is a function of communication and no amount of sophisticated software can be expected to replace the "human element."

Some Final Words

     Since launching Schackne Online in the summer of 1998, I have gotten a lot of useful feedback from students and Web surfers--this feedback has led to the following conclusions:

     1. Plan a web page ahead of time--know what you want to include on the index page and the sub-pages (intralinks). Don't make it up as you go along!

     2. Keep the index page simple--keep your link tags simple and easily read and accessed. Don't use too many photos or Java applets--they will slow downloading, and send many frustrated people to other pages. When it comes time to put your page on the Web, choose a powerful host server with a dependable service department.

     3. Choose your hyperlinks based on two criteria--useful content and easy navigation. It's the links, not the razzle-dazzle of animation and color that will keep people coming back. Popular, content driven sites that are accessed off of powerful servers will enhance both the reputation and utility of your site, and, in the end, it will make it a more viable teaching tool.

* New Technologies and ELT '98 International Conference, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June, 1998

1 Prowse, M. "Endangered Species," Financial Times, November 20, 1995

# For more examples of language exercises, see: http://www.schackne.com/Langex.htm