Beyond the Conventional Classroom: Opportunities and Challenges in Online Language Teaching

Abstract

The teaching of languages differs significantly from the teaching of other non-language courses, such as History or Biology, where factual information is prioritized. In language teaching, the emphasis is more on the language skills the students acquire than the information by which the language contents or linguistic elements are presented. Language learners are expected to actively practice the skills and utilize the tools they have acquired.
Language teaching needs to be highly interactive; it demands the active presence of learners and the design of interactive, meaningful learning materials that can support a positive rapport between the students, the instructor, and the learning experience.
So, does online language teaching fulfill these essential qualities of language instruction? How do students react or respond to it? How can instructors make up for the absence of physical presence and live interaction?
This paper will address these and related questions based on the experiences obtained in the six semesters of teaching online. Addressing these questions will highlight some of the main opportunities and challenges of going fully online for your language courses.

Keywords: language instruction; online language teaching and learning