A Journey Through Online
Language Learning
Activities > Writing
Things to consider
The language skill of writing can be practised online as part of a self-correcting or tutor-supported course, or in a blended learning context. It can be a component of a comprehensive language course or ‘stand-alone’ as a specific skills course in writing.
Self-correcting writing exercises limit your choice of particular activities that can be developed in this context and especially the type of feedback that can be provided. Model answers are an option but they will leave the student with a lot of responsibility for his/her own learning process and progression.
Writing exercises function more easily in a context where tutor-support is available, either online or in a classroom. Writing activities can be developed for all levels and take many forms depending on your intended public. They can build directly on textual or audio/visual materials that students have studied online or in a class room, or be more broadly related to the topic of your online/classroom materials. In the beginners' Dutch course Lagelands, students write relatively short texts (50-75 words) on everyday subjects relating to the reading and listening materials in the fully online course (example1). Assignments include writing a piece on your favourite band, television programme, dish etc; describing a holiday or work of art; writing an email or letter to book a hotel, give travel indications or apply for a new job.
In the advanced Dutch course Hogelands students need to produce longer texts (300-400 words) on topics more broadly related to the discussed materials. Assignments include analysis/opinion on social/cultural problems (and comparison with country of origin); writing a poem or column; comparison/analysis of two websites, works of art, etc. The writing activities come complete with detailed learning tips on how for example to make a good summary.
Extract from learning tips in Hogelands on writing.
Writing activities can also be part of multiple-skills activities, such as writing-and-speaking activities (e.g. writing a summary of a discussion a student has (via chat, web call or in a classroom) with a peer or writing of a report on research conducted (written questionnaire or interviews) among peers etc; example2 from Lagelands).
Developing this type of writing activities in a fully online context requires little technical know-how on the part of both the developer and the student. Assignments tend to be posted online either though a VLE or on the course’s website. Students can email or post their texts to the tutor for feedback, which can be provided face-to-face (in a class room or during a web -call) and/or in writing.
- What type of course do you want to offer? Will the activities be part of a comprehensive language course or will they be offered as a specific skills course focusing on developing only writing skills?
- What will the mode of delivery be? Will the activities be part of a blended learning context or wholly online? Will some of the activities be done in a face-to-face context or not?
- How much support can you offer as a tutor? How many students do you need to follow as a tutor? How many writing activities do you want your students to complete on a weekly basis and how much text would you need to correct as a result? Writing activities function best with tutor-support, but offering one-to-one tutor-support in a fully online context is very time-consuming and only possible when student numbers are low. Will you have the possibility to communicate with your students as a group, either in a class-room or by conducting a group web-call? This would solve the problem of giving one-to-one feedback to a large student group.
- What are the learning outcomes of the activities? What do you want your students to take away? What will the focus be of the activities?
- Will the activities be formally assessed? How do you want to assess them?
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