2005 - Developing, Implementing and Accrediting Multimedia Language Courses for Specific Purposes in Higher Education

"Developing, Implementing and Accrediting Multimedia Language Courses for Specific Purposes in Higher Education" (σελίδες 8)
P. Arvanitis – P. Panagiotidis, 2005. Πρακτικά του 4ου Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου "Languages for Specific Purposes and the New European Framework", που οργανώθηκε από την A.E.L.F.E. (Asociatión Europea de Lenguas para Fines Especificos).
Càceres, Ισπανία 2005.

This paper presents a recently conducted experiment that aimed to examine the development, implementation and accreditation of multimedia language courses for specific purposes in higher education. It is well known that besides a widespread use of languages a key element for the E.U. to be successful as a community based mainly on knowledge is the use of ICT. It is also commonly accepted that for practical reasons (infrastructure, space, materials, etc) as well as for methodological ones, foreign languages departments encounter several obstacles to the integration of ICT courses into their curricula language courses for specific purposes.

Having the new European frame and especially the Bologna process along with the recently widespread European Work Plan 2004-2006 concerning languages in mind, the development of new skills through new academic curricula requiring initial training, seems inevitable. Several attempts have been made to move in this direction, and many technological applications such as Educational Content Management Systems -ECMS (Claroline and Moodle) and Virtual Learning Environments (Blackboard and WebCT) have been developed. These products are mainly used by institutions of higher education, and have proved to be efficient especially in domains like knowledge management, content delivery and administration of the procedure of learning. They seem, however, to contain some limitations that prevent use of them to the full. In this context, the authors intend to present an experimental approach to implementing a distance-learning study program for graduate students of Language Departments.
The main problems of the technological and the methodological approach concerning accreditation and integration in the frame of the conventional study program will be discussed, and some proposals for facing these problems will be presented. More specifically, this program attempts on the one hand to adapt traditional subjects such as literature and theatre so they fit a new technological learning environment, and on the other, to offer courses that aim at developing new skills concerning the use of new technologies and of language for specific purposes. A flexible and adaptable electronic platform supported by an object- oriented database allows for the management of matters that would otherwise be divergent by their nature and in their substance. At the same time it provides easy access to the student who can work alone and evaluate himself in a friendly environment. Για την παρούσα εργασία, απαιτήθηκε ο σχεδιασμός και η υλοποίηση μιας πρωτότυπης Βάσης Δεδομένων που ανέλαβε ο γράφων.

--------------------

"Developing, Implementing and Accrediting Multimedia Language Courses for Specific Purposes in Higher Education" (in collaboration).
Proceedings of the IV Congreso International AELFE "Languages for Academic and Professional Purposes in the 21st Century University Framework", Universidad de Extremadura, pp. 391-400. ISBN: 84-7723-669-0.
Càceres, Spain, 2005

 

Get the full paper here - Aristotle University of Thessaloniki-Digital repository