國際英文互動學習平臺之潛能、使用過程、及問題

Implementing an International Online Forum: Potentials, Procedures, and Problems

為增加學生英文溝通的能力，中國文化大學英文系和美國普渡大學合作設置了一個國際線上英文互動平臺I Say/You Say Forum （http://isus.byethost2.com/xoops/modules/newbb/），該平臺是由XOOPS網路管理系統所驅動。學生可利用I Say/You Say以英文做實際的溝通。該網站有以下之功能：討論區、部落格、展示區、酷連結、新聞報導、問答欄等。I Say/You Say是由文大學生所建置及管理，並由文大英文系數位志願教師提供語言及科技方面之協助。I Say/You Say是以學生為中心的學習社群，經由真正的交流和溝通，學生可成為自動自發的學習者。更重要的是學生可在該網站和外國學生做文化上的交流。自從2007年八月創置以來，已有超過400名學生上網使用該網站各個不同的功能，且已創造出數千筆英文網誌或討論。 為了解學生對該網站的看法，線上合作學習的價值，及學生在使用時所遭遇的問題，英文系在網站啟用後三個月對使用的學生做了份問卷調查。結果顯示，大體上，學生對該平臺的各項功能多持肯定的態度。在327份有效問卷中，有高達75%的學生認為I Say/You Say是成功的網路平臺，且有65.8%的受訪學生認為該平臺有助於英文的學習。然而，在跨文化學習方面，效果則不甚理想，只有43.7%的學生認為對其他文化有所認識，且有49.2%的學生認為對其他文化所學甚少。雖然I Say/You Say以文化溝通及學習為重要的目標之一，但實際上有很多學生並沒有參與跨文化的討論，且對其他國家無所知悉。部份學生甚至不知道有外國學生參與網站上的討論。有更多的學生擔心其英文能力不足以參加線上討論。顯然地，學生應被充分告知網站的功能及熟悉上線的步驟。更重要的是老師應提供學生更多語言方面的協助，增加其使用英文的信心。本文最後則根據學生的意見提出對I Say/You Say改進的方法。

To enhance students’ communicative ability in English, the English Department of Chinese Culture University (CCU) established an international online forum, collaborating with teachers and students from Purdue University in the United States. Participating in the forum, users can use English freely and spontaneously for real communication. The forum, I Say/You Say (http://isus.byethost2.com/xoops/modules/newbb/) is powered by XOOPS, an extensible, object oriented web content management system. Several functions are activated in this forum: Discussions, Blogs, Displays, Links, News & Events, and Q & A. I Say/You Say is created and moderated by students, and regulated by several voluntary teachers who also provide students instruction in using English and logistic assistance in applying the various functions of the website. In this learner-centered practice community, students are urged to maximize their use of English for authentic communication, and they are encouraged to become autonomous learners. Most significantly, the involvement of foreign students in this interactive forum offers students a chance to use English as a medium for intercultural communication. Since its launch in August 2007, more than 400 students have been using the forum for various purposes, and thousands of posts have been created. To get to know students’ opinions about this kind of communication-oriented international forum, the value of online collaborative learning, and the problems the users encountered when using it, a questionnaire was administered to CCU student users from various departments three months after its implementation. The results show that generally the students endorsed the functions of this type of interactive website. Of 327 valid questionnaires, as many as 75% of the respondents considered the forum successful. And 65.8% of the respondents considered the forum conducive to their learning of English. As for cross-cultural learning, the result was less encouraging, nevertheless. Only 43.7% of the respondents thought they had learned something about the other culture, while 49.2% considered they learned little or nothing about the other culture. Although aimed for intercultural communication and learning, many users failed to participate in cross-cultural discussions and learned little about the other country through this forum. The students’ answers to the open-ended questions in the survey reveal that many students didn’t even know there was a group of foreign participants, and a large number of students were too concerned about their language ability to join online discussions actively. Apparently, students should be informed well of the purposes and the procedures of the online activities and better equipped linguistically and affectively to be involved in such an open learning environment. The suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of the website are given at the end of the paper.