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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

technology, pedagogy, language learning, teaching methods

College

Humanities

Department

Linguistics

Abstract

One of the goals of the BYU Center for Language Studies is to improve the basic Swahili course in order to support the African studies minor. An initial concern in teaching such less commonly taught languages is the lack of qualified teachers. In many cases technology is the solution to this problem. Creating on-line lesson materials that are pedagogically sound facilitates instruction in two ways. First, teachers do not have to be as strictly qualified because much of the burden is shifted to lesson plans that are already completed and available on-line. Second, students receive authentic language exposure and instruction through the video and audio clips that make up the on-line activities. A possible downfall of technologically enhanced language learning is that the pedagogy of the lessons is overlooked. With the unique perspective of a student and a teacher, I evaluated the pedagogical effectiveness of the lessons and provided suggestions for improvement. In addition, I intended to examine the lessons to determine if they would be useful in teaching English to native Swahili speakers, but I was unable to do so because of difficulties in obtaining an internship in Tanzania.

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