LINGUIST List 22.3763 Tue Sep 27 2011 FYI: Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning Editor for this issue: Brent Miller <brentlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Haisen Zhang , Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning Message 1: Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning Date: 27-Sep-2011 From: Haisen Zhang <haisenzhanguibe.edu.cn> Subject: Opportunity for Online Chinese Language Learning E-mail this message to a friend Dear Colleagues, My experience of organizing such a program over the past two years reveals that language learners can not only have more opportunities of target language exposure but also build friendships and continue cross-cultural exchange even after the program comes to an end. This program could be an incredible opportunity for your students to improve their spoken Chinese and for my students to enhance their English speaking skills. As a new semester is around the corner in mainland China, I'm proposing a 3rd round of cross-country tandem spoken language learning, starting from September 12, 2011 and ending in January 2012. The purpose of this program is two-fold: One is to increase authentic language exposures to target language learners. Another is to collelct data based on their learning experiences for research purposes. If your students are interested in this program, please invite the professor responsible to drop me an email at haisenuibeyahoo.com.cn. Also, please email me a list of your students' names, QQ account numbers, and email addresses so that I can pair my students with yours. 1. Profiles of My Students They are graduate students of non-English majors in mainland China, presumably at an upper intermediate level. Most of them are 21 years old. They are taking a required spoken English course in a classroom context. They are encouraged to take the tandem language learng program at their mutually appropriate times beyond the regular class sessions. The participants are strongly self-motivated to improve their target spoken English. The number of the students is expected to be approximately 160. 2. Program Delivery The Chinese participants are expected to communicate online with native speakers of English who learn Chinese at universities across the globe in a dyadic or triadic manner. Oral communication is based on structured topics to encourage interaction. Such communication should be done at least once a week and on a regular basis (based on their mutually available time slots). The facilitator (also the researcher) offers online support, sometimes with partial participation in learners' discussions, mainly for observation purposes. 3. Technology Use QQ Chat (downloadable at http://www.imqq.com/), an extraordinarily popular Chinese Skype or MSN-like online chat tool. Such a tool offers both text and video chat functions. The chat tool is chosen due to the unavailability of free international access to the Internet on Chinese campuses. By using the tool, a wider Internet access availability can be maintained to increase the number of participants on my campus. The software is developed in English and it may be easy to use for most participants. 4. Participant Responsibilities Once an online meeting/conversation/chat session has been scheduled, attendance should be kept to avoid wasting the time of peers. Participation in this online program may mean a promise for possibly being sources of data collection for research purposes. They may be expected to participate in questionnaire surveys and interviews at the end of the program. Participation may also mean participants' consent to the possiblity of having their conversations/discussions recorded for research purposes. Your studnents are always welcome to participate. Thank you very much for spreading the word! Best regards, Haisen Zhang, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of English and International Studies University of International Business and Economics 10 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District Beijing, 100029, China Office: 010-6449-5020 Mobile: 13693663885 E-mail: haisenzhanguibe.edu.cn Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 27-Sep-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.