Undergraduate Language Teaching : The E-Portfolio Way

Shanthi Nadarajan (PhD)

University Malaysia Sarawak

nshanthi@email.arizona.edu

Abstract

Providing education to large groups of students at higher learning institutions can be

challenging when students come from various disciplines. The situation becomes complicated
when language instructors face difficulties, connecting their areas of expertise to learner
needs. This paper is an insight into a language proficiency course which attempts to minimize
the instructor and learner variable by using the e-portfolio as teaching tool. The e-portfolio
makes use of a plethora of teaching materials, authentic reading materials and internet
resources to support the student’s learning environment. By connecting the teaching
environment to a virtual learning classroom where students provide feedback, the e-portfolio
has been able to tap into both learner needs and instructional effectiveness. The e-portfolio
experience has paved a way for course coordinators to rethink language learning in terms of a
personalized syllabus and learner centeredness.

Keywords: learning autonomy, authentic material, virtual classroom, teaching resources,

teaching and learning

Introduction

In designing language proficiency courses for university students, language instructors

are often caught between identifying a particular teaching model that a) helps
undergraduates improve their subject knowledge and language skills; and b) identifies
the correct mix of learners who will benefit from it. Having identified, the next step
would be to tailor the course to meet the needs of the learners and to ensure that the
language presented in the course ‘corresponds as closely as possible to the language that
is actually required by learners in their specific purpose area’ (Flowerdew, 1993). Placed
against a larger national education framework, it is important that these learning and
teaching courses be oriented to the principles of continuing education and lifelong
learning. In addition, departments and centers (e.g. language centers) that provide a
service to the university must proceed with flexible teaching and learning programs that
impart not only cognitive skills but also communicative and collaborative competence
that match the needs of different learners. In this matter, the extension of university
activities and increasing student population has made traditional systems and
approaches of teaching on-campus with linear text even more difficult and a different and
cheaper teaching system which enables many more students to obtain similar
instructional opportunities has become necessary. It is also necessary to consider a
flexible syllabus that is both adaptable and variable to current needs, (e.g. professional
life) that is related not only to individual learning requirements, but also take into

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account the challenges and demands of employer needs and anticipate future trends. This
is increasingly seem as the preferred aim of academic education. This paper is an
attempt by one Malaysian university to address the above issues and create a flexible
syllabus that uses a particular Second language teaching model, an interactive learning
framework and advances in technology to provide both content area knowledge and
language skills that “corresponds” closely to differing learner needs. The paper is
made up of two parts. The first part explains the rationale for choosing the teaching
model for teaching subject area knowledge and the second part explains the course
management tool “e-portfolio” in terms of structure and implementation and implication
for learning autonomy and integration. In other words it aims to look into the ‘conversion
from a teaching to a learning culture.

Content Based Instruction

Content based Instruction (CBI) as described by Brinton, Snow and Wesche

(1989) serve as content driven curriculum where both language and content are taught
concurrently to ensure comprehensible input provided through content material leads
to language acquisition (p.240). Such form of instruction therefore functions as a bridge
between language learning and content learning where instructors often use instructional
materials, (e.g. authentic reading materials), interactive language activities and
reinforcement strategies from both language and academic content areas to develop
language, content, cognitive and study skills. In University Malaysia Sarawak, the
English for Professional Purposes course (hereafter EPP) conducted by the language
center is an elective course aimed towards preparing undergraduates for the information
society. The course is highly sought after as it promises to prepare students for the
working world. At least twenty five classes with thirty students per class will be taught
concurrently by more than ten to fifteen lecturers per semester. To ensure that teaching
and learning does not get compromised due to instructor differences, there is a need to
closely moderate both the teaching and learning environment. To ensure optimum
learning does take place, both features of traditional teaching and online instruction are
carried out. In addition to the two hour weekly classroom contact hours, the learning
process also involves online communication.
In terms of approach, the course include both CBI and task based activities (e.g.
problem solving activities) that help provide content area knowledge and increased
language proficiency. Some of activities that help undergraduates improve their language
skills are through joint learning projects carried out in small and larger working
groups, where problems that students themselves have taught up are solved, and through
new areas of knowledge that are opened up for those taking parts such as knowledge
building community. This enables students from different disciplines to learn from one
another. It also helps instructors understand matters that concern students and also help
them provide input in terms of language issues. Students are also encouraged to use
networking for the purpose of obtaining discipline specific information and present such
information during class hours. These activities help other students understand differing
perspectives as presented by speakers from different disciplines. There are also

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opportunities for extended communications and collaborations outside classroom hours
which are conducted through emails, blogs and virtual classrooms sessions. Students are
required to engage in weekly online asynchronous activities where the best responses
are often highlighted. Extra credit meted where appropriate out at the end of the
semester. There is also opportunities for individual participation in virtual courses of
lectures where learners write on specific topics and fellow students respond. By allowing
students to reflect and respond at their own time, it has been possible to elicit some of the
more thought provoking dialogues and this has served as impetus for other students to
contribute meaningfully to the class discussion. To encourage students to analyze and
think appropriately, the best answers are often highlighted by the instructor making it
possible for students to note or comment on what is considered thinking out of the box
and how a word can take on new meanings. Thus, the course can be said to have
succeeded in generating a lot of academic dialogues, a feature which could have been
otherwise been lost in a face to face interaction where generally provide brief responses
because of other codes and signals that facilitate communication.

Designing the EPP Course

In designing the course, two models of learning in CBI were considered, namely the
theme based model and the Sustained CBI. In the former, the language instructor build
the language skills around selected topics or themes e.g. workplace communication and
report writing. As stated by Gianelli (1997), by organizing materials thematically for the
students, instructors get to create a powerful integrated learning environment where
students obtain in-depth understanding of content area knowledge as well as improve
and increase their language and vocabulary skills by reusing and expanding them (p.143)
Jacobs defines it as ‘an application of a methodology and language from more than one
discipline in examining a central theme’ (cited in Gianelli, 1997, p. 143). Meanwhile, the
Sustained CBI distinguishes itself from ‘theme’ based models in that students study a
particular discipline for a half or a full semester, progressing through various aspects of a
larger topic through an assignment (e.g. report writing). In EPP, the course begins with
students reading several articles about the importance of English in workplace
communication and job application. Authentic articles specific to Malaysian
undergraduates needs are discussed to create an awareness of the real context for the
course. Specific groups are targeted to search and select, evaluate and contextually
applying specific knowledge in their field that could need language skills and learners
are required transform such knowledge into new knowledge through reports that
discussed both problems and solutions. Only articles by second language writers are
selected for basic reading materials because the discourse is easier to manage in terms
of both content and context. The situation is becoming even more apparent especially
when students with different language proficiency levels are involved. Discussions
involve students working ‘eyeball to eyeball’ with their discussion partners where a
specific ‘active intercourse with educated persons1’ is created for each case. Those taking
part experience an original and authentic dialogue which includes both non verbal signals
1
“Geselligkeit” (social intercourse) as explained by Gothe, 1994.

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and unconscious behavioral reactions which are a vital part of real world discourse.
These types of academic dialogues have created an awareness of the importance of
language needs, its effect as tool and vehicle for information, its impact on the market
structure and provide solutions for students to understand the implications of their
employability. These sessions are usually followed by an assignment where students
work on noticing and attending to language gaps and weaknesses in their writings. To
ensure that students do not become all too familiar with the learning content and context,
the research topic are changed from semester to semester based on feedback from
students through online classroom discussions. Indirectly, it has also been possible to
minimize the possibility of students submitting seniors assignments as theirs and the
course from becoming too predictable. Students are encouraged to write their responses
about selected articles and this enables the instructors to determine the relevance and
currency of the reading materials. For the later part of the semester reporting and
business writing skills are addressed. In a way, it is assumed that the later concepts and
information will become reliant on earlier ones and learners can identify a thematic link
as they go through the course. Course outlines of this nature have often been used in
advanced beginner through advanced levels of English theme based learning and is
believed to provide teaching skills that are appropriate to age level and ‘transferable’ to
analytical/ critical thinking that undergird discipline specific work (Pally, 2001, p. 281).
Sustained CBI also suggests that students learn analytical/ critical thinking skills when
they confront actual academic/ professional task in which skills are modeled, explained
and practiced. Incidentally Pally’s (2001) case study involving 13 students from the
Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe in eight classes at two American universities indicate
the effectiveness of the sustained CBI model, where papers by lower proficiency
students who followed the model demonstrated stronger argumentation skills than papers
written by advanced students who had not. Similarly, the EPP course has been able to set
a similar tone for its learners in terms of getting them to addressing the core issues in
their report writings.

Teaching the E-Portfolio Way

To design the EPP course, CBI was considered as one of the few realistic options for
promoting the development of strategic learners within a language learning curriculum.
However, with language teaching becoming increasingly fragmented and unfocused,
where teacher educators and teacher education programs substitute their own individual
rationales based on existing pedagogical assumptions and research findings, identifying
subject matter expertise has become an increasingly difficult matter. In addition, the
advent of technology has made it increasingly difficult for instructors to keep on top of
latest in each field. So to create a sound Second Language Acquisition (SLA) basis for
teaching and to remain relevant in terms of learners needs, J.C. Richard (1997) five core
components of SLTE program were selected. (See figure 1). The five components
include a) general teaching ability; b) language proficiency and communication ability; c)
subject matter knowledge; d) pedagogical reasoning; and e) course evaluation. These
components were integrated into the main themes of e-portfolio and will be discussed.

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Figure 1: Components of SLTE programs (source: J.C. Richards, 1997, p.206)

General teaching ability include the instructors’ ability to teach meaningfully across
the curriculum, organize and manage adult language classrooms, present clear
explanations, assign and monitor students’ works and provide meaningful input. To
ensure all instructors in the various classes in EPP possess such abilities, a course
management tool (in the form of a Compact Disc) called the e-portfolio was given to
each instructor at the beginning of the course. The e-portfolio is literally a powerpoint
feature which has a number of in build features as well as place holders where instructors
add on additional teaching resources as the semester progresses. The overall structure of
the tool is as indicated in figure 2.

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 Main Menu

Personal Theory Language Subject Matter Pedagogical Reasoning and

of Teaching Proficiency Knowledge Decision Making

Teaching Reading Pre-test vs. post test

Task based
Philosophy Material (Pdf). (across curriculum)
language
Activities
Discipline specific
General (General Reading)
Grammar Overall Evaluation
Teaching Skills
Activities
Workplace articles
(discipline Peer Evaluation
Topic 1 Video specific) (Course management)
Audio
URL Self Current Issues oin Topic Effectiveness
Topic 2
Access Links ESP
Learning Effectiveness
Topic 3
Sample student’s
Blog Course material
Topic 4 works

Virtual Previous Semesters’

Topic 5 Course Analysis/
classroom
Artifacts
Topic 6

Topic 7

Evaluation
Criteria

Figure 2: Overall Structure of Course Management Tool

On its own, the e-portfolio is a personalized classroom management tool which begins
with instructors’ teaching philosophy, course aims and general teaching and learning
strategies as indicated in figure 3. Instructors are encouraged to write out the teaching
philosophy which should be in line with the course aims as indicated in fig.4.

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 Content (Menu)

Teaching Resources
Instructor Topics

Teaching Resources Course Material

Evaluation

Peer Summary Assessment

Reports

Exit
Figure 3: Main Menu

EPP 08

Teaching Philosophy
I like teaching because I enjoy inspiring young minds. I like
to ask questions that challenge and cause them to think and
reflect on issues that concerns.
I understand that the use of technology enhances language
learning. It is a useful tool that helps instruct and inform about
my teaching and students’ learning performance.

Instructor -** Group :

Main Menu
Figure 4: Teaching Philosophy

The specific course materials and lecture slides are linked to specific folders that
contain links to existing powerpoint slides (both produced by instructors and taken from
other universities –local and foreign), brief video clips specific to each topics, audios for
listening and interacting, jokes, Monday morning activities, notes, handouts, pdf.
documents and URL links to self access language material. In addition, course
assignments, datelines, suggestions and notes are included for the instructors’ reference.
Indirectly, the materials are aimed towards ensuring that all students are exposed to the
same content although they may be taught by different instructors. It also helps new
instructors keep up with existing changes in the field. Indirectly, e-portfolio serves as a
one stop centre that provides both language content and subject knowledge and
instructors are only required to rely on their general teaching skills and language
proficiency to carry out the lessons. The e-portfolio has also done away with the textbook
as most of the content are self contained and assignments require students to read beyond
what is made available through the text book and classroom lectures. Slides, videos are
incorporated because the students of today are the result of the digital era and tend be
more interested when there is technology and visual involved. Task based activities are
used to provide learner engagement and instruction is generally based on what is

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presented in the videos which happen to be relevant snippets taken from the internet.
Students have also written in calling for more video clips to be integrated into each topic.

Language Proficiency and Communication Skills

With language being both tool and vehicle for instruction in EPP, language
proficiency is seen as a necessary prerequisite for all instructors. Since all EPP
instructors are selected from an existing pool of language instructors, the issue of
language proficiency is not seen as an issue. However, general communicative ability and
subject matter knowledge still serve as factors especially with new instructors, who
may be unfamiliar with the overall theme of the course and would be learning as they
teach. To overcome the gaps, attention is paid to text selection in terms of matching
learners’ needs with instructor’s expertise. This is to ensure that the language teacher is
able to impart relevant knowledge to learners. The use of discipline specific texts that
differ from language instructor’s subject area knowledge, can result in learners viewing
language instructors as less competent and therefore treat the subject as less important
compared to their content courses (Creese, 2001) and this can have implications for
overall teaching and learning in terms of attendance and performance. To ensure that
instructors posses a ‘threshold’ level of proficiency in the subject matter, the e-portfolio
is equipped with the various teaching resources, course content, reading materials,
assignment task and powerpoint slides that could be used for each lesson. In addition,
additional teaching resources such as up to date data in terms of topics and techniques are
included. Additional language resources in terms of downloadable syntax and grammar
activities that can be downloaded and self access material are also included to ensure that
instructors remain on top of matters. These features include notes, videos and
powerpoint slides from foreign institutions taken from the WWW and from peers.
Subject matter knowledge refer to information which instructors need to know about
what they teach rather than what they should be teaching and this constitutes information
which would not be shared with students and non instructors. Ideas as to what issues are
essential for interviewing, statistics on undergraduate unemployment levels, applications
procedures, accurate and appropriate language are included. This however does not mean
that the instructor is now a subject matter expert. Rather, the concern is still on accurate
and appropriate language use and usage. So to ensure that instructors do not get
confused or carried away with teaching the content rather than language, linguistic issues
(focus on grammar and vocabulary) happen to be integral aspects of teaching and
learning in each topic.

Course Evaluation and Decision Making

As most professional instructors of English undergo pedagogical training in

language teaching and academic training in linguistics and applied linguistics, language
instructors must be seen as having have certain priorities or decisions on the nature of
language that are crucial for language development and evaluation. In this matter,
instructors are encouraged to identify factors that effect learners performance and

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development, and document selected assignments in specific slides in the e-portfolio.
So, at the end of each topic, instructors are required to document their best practices,
weaknesses or gaps in topic from time to time. Such information is used as artifacts for
understanding the learning that has taken place and will help with future planning. In
addition, instructors are encouraged to add comments on students level of language
accuracy and appropriacy, intonation and stress, communication and presentation skills
and confidence management. This helps instructors to later come up with more effective
measures for helping learners overcome their weakness in subsequent courses.
Pedagogical reasoning and decision making at various stages happen to be central to the
nature of teaching and is best clarified with an example from the actual lesson. So, a
number of questions are posed to the individual instructors at the beginning of the course
in terms of opinions on the effectiveness and limitations of the course. Instructors are
required to compile specific examples of common errors made by students as evidence
for gaps in students learning. In thinking through these questions and artifacts, skillful
instructors have been able to create a mental plan for subsequent planning of the course
and related courses and also inform others of their best practices. Indirectly, the e-
portfolio has also generated a culture of sharing where instructors have begun to willingly
share their methods and teaching aids thus cutting out on a lot of reduplications.

In terms of direct course evaluation, three forms of evaluation are held for this course.
The first is in terms measuring overall language learning that has taken place on the part
of the learner. To assess the learning taking place, a pre-test and post test design is used
at the beginning and end of the course. This is in addition to the university’s final
assessment that takes place at the end of the year. Second, the course runs a mid term
evaluation for select groups to determine the effectiveness of the course. This helps
inform on instructional effectiveness. This helps ensure that there is no mismatch
between course objectives, instructional style and learner needs. Indirectly, the mid term
evaluation also provides the course coordinator an idea of the effectiveness of the
program and how well students are relating to it. Finally, instructors and learners
evaluate the course and this helps inform the university and course coordinator about the
overall relevance of the course in terms of meeting the course aims and objectives.

Conclusion

Overall, it cannot be said that the e-portfolio has helped addressed all the gaps and
weaknesses in theory and application. Changes have to be made from time to time and
that should be seen as the gear that keeps the course relevant. There is the need to
monitor the content that is being used systematically to make sure that the information
provided is accurate, appropriate and up to date. It is equally important to ensure that
there is an existing information seeking culture in learners and learners remain focused.
Being language instructors, it would not be fair to expect instructors to keep up with the
rapid changes in another discipline and by providing the content to instructors through
the e-portfolio, the course has been able to help bridge the difference between language
and content area expertise. It is often believed that language instructors’ feel inadequate
since they do not have ownership over the content of the course. However, to provide a

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focus, the responsibility for learning is shifted to the learner where students generate the
content. This has made it possible for language teachers to concentrate on the language
elements (e.g. grammar, vocabulary, cohesiveness and coherence). The instructors are
also responsible for the level of engagement, motivation and for ensuring that the course
remains relevant in the eyes of the learner. In this matter, the e-portfolio has succeeded
as students’ continue to comment that the course has made a connection between what
they have learned at the university and their real world. Finally, the e-portfolio’s
usefulness in the course can be attributed to the fact that it is based on a number of well
planned approaches and techniques that have been proved in SLA and its penchant for
academic language. The pre-test and post test evaluations have shown good progress in
the language level of students from specific disciplines indicating that language learning
has taken place. It is on the onus of the coordinators and instructors to come up with more
effective assessment criteria that can provide more information on the actual learning that
has taken palace. Generally, academic competence is seen as being able to dramatically
impede or accelerate L2 learners’ performance and progress within the school system
(Kinsella, 1997) and as Adamson (1993), indicated, it may not be cost beneficial to wait
for students to acquire basic language proficiency before they learn to develop academic
survival skills. So, presently in addressing the changing needs of learners, it is
inescapable for each institution to address the need of its varying student population. So,
it setting the pace for personalized teaching and learning tool, the e-portfolio seems to
have struck gold.

Acknowledgement

The e-portfolio and students’ responses were presented at the National Students’
Development and Educational Conference (Nasdec ’08) at Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia on 22 October, 2008.

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References:

Brinton, D.M., Snow, M. A., and Wesche, M.B. (1989). Content Based Second
Language Instruction. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Creese, A. (2002). The discursive construction of power in teacher partnerships:

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Flowerdew, J. (1993). A educational, or process, approach to the teaching of professional

genres. ELT Journal 47, 305- 16.

Evans, T. & Nation, D. (2000). Changing University Teaching: Reflections on Creating

Educational Technologies. Kogan Page.

Gianelli, M.C. (1997). Thematic units: Creating an environment for learning. The
Content Based Classroom: Perspective on Integrating Language and Content. In
M.A. Snow & D.M. Brinton. The Content Based Classroom: Perspectives on
Integrating Language and Content. Longman.

Krashen, S. (1981). Principles And Practice In Second Language Acquisition. Oxford :

Pergamon.

Pally, M. (2001). Skills development in ‘sustained content based curricula: Case

Studies in Analytical/ Critical Thinking and Academic Writing. Language and
Education. 15.4: 279- 305.

Richards, J.C. (1997). Preparing language instructors for tomorrows’ language

classrooms in Language Classrooms of Tomorrow: Issues and Responses.
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Shanthi Nadarajan is a lecturer at the language center in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

As a visiting Fulbright Scholar from 2004 to 2007, she was at the University of Arizona,
United States. She majored in second language acquisition and learning. Her published
works focus on second language vocabulary acquisition and cross-linguistics studies.

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