Developing language teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge and enhancing students’ language learning in virtual learning environments

COVID-19 has considerably impacted our lives and education in these two years and has been a real test of our creativity and adaptability in language education. While we may not know when the pandemic will abate, we understand the importance of developing language teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and enhancing students’ language learning in Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). Thus, this project aims to establish a Professional Learning Community (PLC) on technology enhanced language learning (TELL) in VLEs among researchers worldwide and in-service and pre-service language teachers in Hong Kong. The core project team will help language teachers develop TPACK as they learn by doing in the PLC. We will organize public seminars and workshops and provide language teachers with training sessions, consultations, tutorials, roundtable discussions, and technical support to promote their TPACK development. We will also create a Knowledge Transfer (KT) website to promote TELL in VLEs. This website will showcase useful resources and associated learning activities to demonstrate how to use various technologies (e.g., Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), digital games, and diversified online learning systems), and disseminate effective pedagogies for quality language education in VLEs. Additionally, an international conference on TELL in VLEs will be organized to disseminate the project findings and further promote TELL in VLEs. The Education University of Hong Kong has a long history and a strong track record in teacher training, professional development programmes, and integrating technology into language education. With the support from Lingnan University, The University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, this project will contribute to teaching development and language enhancement during the pandemic and the post-pandemic era. This Inter-Institutional Collaborative initiative will benefit language teachers by developing their TPACK through learning by doing in a PLC. In doing so, this project can effectively foster teachers in integrating technology in their language classrooms to meet the real-time curricular and pedagogical requirements and the needs from individual students. Through TPACK development in the project, teachers will improve their capacities for developing various VLEs with technologies such as AR, VR, and digital games, which eventually enhance students’ language learning. The project will also evaluate the effects of these virtual learning activities on students’ language learning performance, motivation, engagement, and technology acceptance through assessment and questionnaire surveys. Moreover, student feedback will be continuously collected and analyzed to improve TELL implementation in the form of VLEs. The PLC will also disseminate the project findings concerning TELL by creating VLEs through seminars, workshops, international conferences, and international journal publications.

Funding Source: UGC - Other Specific Funds/Earmarked Grants^