Issues in the Design and Implementation of Web-Based Language Courses

2.4. Web-based Instruction
Web-based instruction (WBI) is a rising field in education and the rapid growth of the Internet has played the greatest role in this emergence. Many universities are changing their communication structure to extend beyond traditional boundaries in order to reach students from all over the world. Web-based instruction provides course material and instruction to students at their homes; this helps to reduce physical and environmental burdens that are imposed by student travel. According to McManus the Web, with all its usefulness and interconnectedness, offers one of the most effective ways to work with learners who are wide spread geographically. Students who live in different parts of the world can attend web-based courses as long as they have access to the Internet. Therefore, WBI breaks the borders of the classroom and opens the classroom to everyone.
According to Henke (1997), WBI has led to the growth of distance education as a reliable and inexpensive way to disseminate information, when compared with live broadcasts, videotapes, and computer-based training. WBI enables learners who prefer to learn outside of traditional classrooms to attend classes at their homes or offices.
As Fisher mentions , the center of attention has moved from computers in the classroom towards using the World Wide Web for instruction. Today’s “Netcentric” generation students have more experience than the older generation in technical issues related to computers. The common complaint these students have is that many web-based resources are not designed well enough to use and explore. When they are in a web-based learning environment, students begin to expect high levels of interactivity. In response to such student expectations, teachers need to be prepared to think critically about WBI resources and their own ability to design and illustrate concepts with interactive media on the web.
Many educators are enthused about the Web, but, according to Fisher (2001), a main concern is the quality and efficiency of instruction being delivered in this manner. A large number of instructors are using Web sites that have not been evaluated by organizations to judge theoretical and instructional suitability. Web curricula affect the way in which education is delivered to learners. Educators are using Web sites frequently instead of traditional content media (e.g. texts) and instructional approaches (e.g. lectures). Web curricula, as a new teaching approach, raise the questions related to instructional design principles, learners’ strategies, human-Internet interaction factors, and instructional characteristics of Web media.
WBI, when designed efficiently and effectively, enables students to become more independent and autonomous learners. Online-learning opportunities provide students with ideas to be explored and resources to be compared and synthesized.
Students also revise their ideas through the creation of reports, and Web pages or comments on digital texts. Moreover, they improve their problem solving and reasoning skills through electronic discussions. Their critical thinking skills improve and they may be able to work on their own without a teacher, but with a facilitator.
Teachers need to design Web resources in a way that improves their teaching in order to engage learners and activate their autonomy. After gathering more and better information at Web sites, teachers integrate them into their curriculum effectively. The efficient teachers are the ones who can design activities and compose sets of tasks that encourage student autonomy for learning.