Language enhancement at EdUHK and beyond: Fostering a Community of Practice on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching

Following a thorough investigation, a Community of Practice (CoP) on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching will be established, consolidated, and sustained in EdUHK and extended to other Hong Kong higher education institutions. The community members include students, academic/teaching staff, and experts inside and outside EdUHK who engage in active exchanges of the use of technologies in language learning creatively and regularly. An extended and intensive study of technology-enhanced language learning by students and technology-enhanced language teaching by academic staff will shed light on how technologies can be integrated into language learning and teaching in higher education and enhance students’ language proficiency.

This project intends to achieve the following objectives:

1. Identify creative and effective use of technologies in language learning and teaching (English / Cantonese / Putonghua / other modern languages);

2. Investigate how such technologies help to enhance students’ language learning and teachers’ language teaching through guided self-reflection and critical evaluations of their technology-enhanced language learning/teaching practices;

3. Build a Community of Practice on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching among tertiary students and academic/teaching staff and motivate them to use technologies in language learning and teaching;

4. Discuss language learning related issues (e.g., English/Chinese academic writing, corpus-based language learning, etc.) and offer pedagogical suggestions on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching for both students and teachers;

5. Sustain the community members’ interests in using technologies in language learning and teaching through regular sharing of members’ successful experiences and invited talks given by local and overseas experts in the field of technology enhanced language learning and teaching, and through the organization of an international conference on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching.