Perceptions of Receiving-Site Students of Inter-University Videoconferencing Foreign Language Courses

Abstract

A growing number of institutions of higher education are offering distance education courses. Through distance education, more foreign language learning opportunities can now become accessible to those who need training. In the 2006 fall semester, a university in central Taiwan started broadcasting inter-university videoconferencing foreign language (VCFL) courses produced by the National Cheng-Chi University in northern Taiwan. This paper presents the findings of the perceptions of the first group of students enrolled in the VCFL classes. To investigate student perceptions, a questionnaire focusing primarily on instructional effectiveness, student participation, and technological issues of the learning environment was distributed. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were conducted to substantiate the quantitative data and to illustrate major opinions of the students on VCFL. Findings of this study can contribute to the understanding of factors related to distance foreign language learning including learning English as a foreign language (EFL), instructional strategies in videoconferencing, course management, and technologies of the VCFL courses. It can also provide implications for pedagogical techniques and instructional guidelines for future inter-university videoconferencing foreign language, including English as a foreign language, programs.