Open and distance learning. Foreign language teaching
Etude de cas

Texte de Andrés V. Antolin GonzaIez , Pays : Espagne, Thème : Apprentissage des langues, médiation culturelle et formation à la dimension européenne. Résumé Descripteurs :

Introduction	1. Descrition of the innovation 1.1. Objectives
2. Development of the innovation	3. Analysis of the innovation
4. Evaluation

Introduction

This program was undertaken by the Spanish Ministry of Education to cope with the wide demand of adult people to learn a foreign language, particularly ENGLISH. This was thought to last for three years after which, people that pass all the 9 exams (three a year) get the lower diploma in English. This is just the same as the one that people attending normal courses at the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (The Official Languages School) have.

This program is both something to respond to a problem (foreign language competence) and something new because it's the first time it has been put into practice.

People interested in enrolling on the course have to pay for the materials (three books and three audiocassettes). There is an extra support on television. Most of the materials were produced by the BBC.

The criteria taken for having chosen this topic is due to the fact that according to my opinion this is a relevant thing to bear in mind because there are quite a few people attending the program and the Ministry of Education is eager to pay attention to these persons.

1. Descrition of the innovation

1.1. Objectives

The main aims are the following :

to examine the learners' social background, status, sex, age, interest, etc.
to teach not only the language, but its culture
to see the importance of the tutorial classes (once a week)
to compare their results with those attending normal classes at the Official Languages School
to encourage those who feel like giving up the program
to adapt the methodology of teaching to adult people, taking into account their way of learning.
to innovate new ways of teaching to help them.

This program takes place all over Spain but concerning the province I work in is centered in the main city with about 2200 students and in three small towns with the a number of 500 people in all.

As this is an Open and Distance Learning System, people have the chance of meeting the tutor once a week. There are 18 teachers to give the lessons. These lessons are intended to practice oral competence, through different activities that allow the students to practice the language.

As said before most of the cost is undertaken by the Ministry of Education, but students have to pay something for the materials.

This program started in 1993 so it has lasted for four years now and there seems to be an upward trend.

2. Development of the innovation

The main idea is to analyse

the difficulties of attending an ODL system although the students are highly motivated.
the possible reasons of their abandon
the level of their communicative competence at the end of the three years comparing it with the result of those attending the normal classes (four or five days a week) at the Official Languages School.

All these aspects can be done by examining it day by day, being with the students, talking to them, following their progress and effort and seeing their results.

3. Analysis of the innovation

This initiative is part of my way of doing things. As a tutor I am really worried about the development of the program and particularly about the students that come regularly to the sessions.

The timing will be along the academic year and particularly at the end of each term when the tests are made.

The possibility of extracting the different pieces of information needed from other colleages is quite simple and convenient on the other hand so we can see the problem from different points of view. This is, of course, a help for the good success of the project.

4. Evaluation

So far there have been small essays done by several colleages working as tutors, but this work wants to be a bit more systematic.

Although there are some conclusions about the program, the fact that time has passed since then, permits us to rely on more study of cases to carry out the investigation.

Furthermore, any evaluation is part of the program itself or at least should be if we want it to run perfectly. It gives the program the necessary feedback to make the corresponding arrangements, if needed.

This, of course, has total and complete relation with the national educational policy, as it has already been expressed.

The methodology to be put into practice will be both qualitative and quantitative, paying attention to some samples in order to get a whole and useful as well as valid conclusion.