Innovation in Language Learning

In winter 2021, Vienna University of Economics and Business again had to perform a rapid switch from face-to-face to emergency remote teaching due to the enforcement of another lockdown. That semester, however, differed from the three previous pandemic-dominated semesters in so far as it allowed students and teachers to meet and experience a few weeks of ‘normalcy’ on campus first. Drawing on questionnaire data and interviews conducted with students of Business English in spring 2022, this talk explores the question of whether the initial weeks of face-to-face classes facilitated the formation of learning communities, which in turn can be expected to foster social presence and thus could lead to enhanced interaction in online environments, as well.

Not only SLA research has long established the crucial role of meaningful interaction in language education; as investigations into learner beliefs confirm, many language learners see oral communication as a prerequisite for the development of competence and fluency. Video-conferencing platforms are amongst the latest digital tools promoted through the exigencies of the pandemic that allow synchronous communication and offer the promise of replicating real-life conditions. But do they actually fulfil this promise to the extent that students consider virtual classes a full and valid alternative rather than a second-best option? In order to address this question, I will focus on students’ perceptions of the three types of interactivity proposed for technology-based education: student-student, student-instructor and student-content interaction. In view of the fact that the switch to online learning was not the first one, I will furthermore discuss what kind of developments in terms of technical environments (i.e. media and channels used), self-regulation, and quality of interaction were noticed and positively evaluated by the respondents.  I will conclude by reporting on the challenges of online learning as identified by students which appear to remain unsolvable for the time being – even given the technological progress made in the last few years.

Keywords: distance learning; interaction; learner perceptions; learning communities; online environments