Innovation in Language Learning

In today's technology-driven world, it is easy to get overwhelmed by information as well as a plethora of platforms offering ‘knowledge’. Availability of material online often seems to make classroom teaching redundant. However, it cannot be denied that classroom teaching has immense benefits, including personal attention to learners’ progress, etc. These factors highlight the need for a hybrid approach that supplements classroom teaching with semi-supervised digital self-learning. Post COVID-19, technology use in education surged, speeding up digitalization and highlighting the need for online learning skills among stakeholders, thereby transforming global teaching-learning paradigms. Given this context, the current study aimed at creating a semi-supervised and digitally delivered learning program. Towards this goal, we sought to create ‘learner profiles’, with information on their attitudes and choices regarding  technological and methodological preferences. This helps the teacher to cater to their need through a specifically curated  lesson-plan for language learning. A questionnaire is developed to investigate students' attitudes and preferences related to learning modes, motivation, and assessment, covering the devices and software students prefer for learning; their preferred mode of instruction; their preferred type of digital lecture for learning; approaches that motivate them to learn; their preferred methods of assessment and strategies for clearing doubts. Additionally, the questionnaire includes questions on students' language learning styles, focusing on their preferred approach to language acquisition—whether structure-based or usage-based and their preferences for learning through storytelling, video clips, games/tools, etc. It also explores their social preferences for language learning, such as whether they favour group or individual learning. The study was conducted on undergraduate students (N=348)  from an engineering college. The data analysis revealed that neither classroom teaching nor online learning alone is sufficient for optimal learning outcomes; we found that a minimum amount of classroom instruction is necessary, followed by guided self-learning. The questionnaire data showed that 70% of participants preferred usage-based learning, which involves situational learning, and they also leaned towards a comprehensive approach to learning. This work reports a detailed analysis of the various factors from the questionnaire and their implications for designing well-structured lesson plans for language instruction.