Abstract
Given the social impact and the transformation of the teaching–learning process enhanced by new technologies, online language learning has been established as a field of study that has been approached primarily from the perspective of pedagogical themes. In the context of the LinguApp research project developed at the University of Córdoba (Spain),1 we aim to evaluate the technical quality of a group of English teaching websites for self-directed learning. The analysis is based on functionality and usability aspects through the use of a specifically designed checklist, created and preliminarily implemented in the early development phase of this study. To complete the design of the checklist before external validation, we offer a comparative study of four renowned websites from the LinguApp corpus: ESOLCourses, BBC, British Council and Cambridge English.2 These preliminary results allow to identify the strengths and weaknesses of these language learning websites by subjecting the data to qualitative and quantitative analysis, while they shed light on the need to strengthen web performance and so reinforce autonomous language students’ experience.
Highlights
Language learning using online resources has become increasingly relevant in recent decades
The BBC and British Council online learning resources showed a higher percentage of positive responses, proving that the BBC website features the highest technical quality for this category
Regarding Usability, the British Council website is the one that best complies with the items included on our checklist, followed by Cambridge English
Summary
Language learning using online resources has become increasingly relevant in recent decades. Advantages of e-learning technologies can largely explain the learners’. N. Aguayo and C.M. Ramírez preference and the institutional support for the use of new technologies in language learning outside formal education (European Commission 2008). The English language teaching market is changing to be able to respond to the new demands of consumers for more personalised and flexible services and products The English language teaching market is changing to be able to respond to the new demands of consumers for more personalised and flexible services and products (British Council 2018, p. 15)
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