Building skills and expertise for using e-learning with adult ESL learners: Guiding principles for the use of videoconferencing in ESL programming

The objective of this document is to provide support to ESL instructors and administrators undertaking to use videoconferencing in ESL programming. This includes programming offered entirely by distance, and also applies equally to a blended ESL offering. The intention of this document is to provide both specific guidelines; however, the document is not intended to replace professional development in distance delivery of ESL. A reference guide is provided at the end to offer further opportunities for reading in this area. The guiding principles in this document were informed to a large extent by the research undertaken by Bow Valley College in their project, Bridges for Rural Immigrants, Phase 1 Report (2009). It has been developed in collaboration with the team at Bow Valley, which includes Hana Taleb Imai, Charlotte Beaubier, and Cameron Young, and is grounded in their insights and reflections gained while delivering ESL listening and speaking classes to remote rural sites in Alberta. In addition to this foundational content, a further review of the literature on best practices for videoconferencing was conducted and alignment of that work with widely accepted principles of second language teaching and learning is embedded throughout. These guiding principles aim to provide a mechanism for supporting, planning and evaluating the development and delivery of ESL programming via videoconferencing. A review of the research, as well as the experiences of the Bow Valley Team, have led to the conclusion that support of the class through online asynchronous tools, such as wikis, websites, email etc can greatly enhance the learners’ opportunities for language interaction and the social community built among the individuals in the course. These guiding principles are built around the assumption that such a dual delivery is in place.

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