Computer assisted language teaching (CALT) in Bangladesh at tertiary level

Abstract

We live in a world of constantly emerging new technology that challenges the field of education and presents many exciting opportunities. New technologies particularly computer and internet appear to offer possibilities for overcoming geographical and cost barriers of learning. Strategic use of new educational technology can enhance both learning and teaching (Webster and Murphy, 2008) and the introduction of computer in to foreign language instruction seems to conform to the statement. The world is heading towards a knowledge economy and a lot of money will be invested in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). However, the investment will be successful if the teachers and administrators can realize the importance of it and the teachers can execute the system properly. According to Levy (2008), effective CALL requires the teachers to select the appropriate resources and tools based on learners’ level and needs. So it is apparent that teachers’ training is important for the successful implementation of CALL. This study attempted to trace the existing facilities of the universities in Bangladesh. It also focused on teachers’ and administrators opinion regarding CALL. The study was conducted to find out the answers of three central research questions: 1. Do the universities provide technological support required for computer assisted language program? 2. Are the teachers tech-savvy enough to use computer in language teaching? 3. What types of training will be helpful for the teachers to conduct computer assisted language courses? 113 language teachers and 17 administrators of 17 universities (15 private and 2 public) were interviewed to collect data. Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism was used to analyze the data. From the analysis it was found that most of the universities did not have enough facilities required for CALL. Except two private universities, most of the other universities had only one multimedia projector for English department or language courses which was not always available. Two universities did not have any logistic supports for CALL. The teachers were also not very much aware of CALL and its benefits. They hardly had any knowledge of different uses of internet and other e-tools for language teaching. So they suggested different sorts of training that would be helpful for them. The administrators gave a mixed response in their interviews. While some officers expressed their interest in the successful execution of CALL the others were very sly during the interview session. One of the probable reasons could be that they were interviewed in office setting. So they did not feel comfortable to talk about the lacking of their universities. As Vygotsky (1978) says that language learning is highly influenced by the learning community that involves not only the teachers and students but also the parents, institutions, peers and so on. Each member of a learning community can play a vital role in the language learning process. This study proves that trained teachers and assistance of the institutions is important to implement CALL at tertiary level. So it is high time for the teachers and policy makers of tertiary level to think about the execution of CALL in Bangladesh.