Abstract:

How the Internet has revolutionized language teaching and language learning has been extensively covered in the literature (Blake, 2008; Levy, 2009; Richards, 2015 among others), so that many foreign language teachers can no longer picture themselves teaching without the Internet in the classroom. Moreover, the advent of learning management systems (LMSs) such as Moodle has made the Internet a sine qua non of foreign language education. Blended learning courses, i.e. foreign language courses where a digital platform (e.g., Moodle, BlackBoard and others) is combined with face-to-face teaching, can be successfully taught by motivated, traditional teachers with little technological expertise, if the course has been duly designed by the course developer. Such courses are becoming increasingly popular, thanks to their positive learning outcomes, as recently attested in the literature (Rey, Garcia & Garcia, 2009; Tsai, 2014).
The availability of Web-based materials suitable for teaching foreign languages raises the important question of how these resources should be organized and used effectively for classroom instruction. In previous studies, the significance of course format and the suitability of the various Moodle course formats for foreign language instruction have been largely overlooked. This paper examines the intricate relationship between course format and language instruction, and attempts to fill an important gap in the literature. It is maintained that course layout reflects the underlying pedagogical objectives of the course and therefore, is an integral part of curriculum design and has implications for teaching. An orderly and balanced arrangement of the course content displayed in a graphic format is an excellent anchor for teacher and student alike. Based upon a Turkish course developed and currently being taught by the author, it is argued that a pedagogically sound and user-friendly course layout is a prerequisite for effective language teaching and learning on a digital platform. The model proposed is an integrated course layout which combines monthly chronological units with thematic ones and is displayed in the grid format. An engaging and enriching course site of this kind raises the students’ motivation and enhances learning. The integrated design created for beginners’ Turkish can be implemented for any beginner level foreign language course and with LMSs other than Moodle, as well as on free platforms such as Edmodo or Google classroom. Foreign language teachers are encouraged to adopt this model in its entirety or with idiosyncratic adjustments to revamp their courses and achieve improved pedagogical outcomes.

References
Blake, R. J. (2008). Brave New Digital Classroom : Technology and Foreign Language Learning. Washington, D.C, USA: Georgetown University Press.
Levy, M. (2009). Technologies in Use for Second Language Learning. The Modern Language Journal, 93(Focus Issue), 769–782.
Rey, I. G., Garcia, E. H. & Garcia, M. R. (2009). Moodle en la enseñanza presencial y mixta del inglés en contextos universitarios. Revista Iberoamericana de Educacion a Distancia, 12(1), 169–193.
Richards, J. C. (2015). The Changing Face of Language Learning: Learning Beyond the Classroom. RELC Journal, 46(1), 5–22.
Tsai, Y.-R. (2014). Applying the Technology Acceptance Model ( TAM ) to explore the effects of a Course Management System ( CMS ) -Assisted EFL writing instruction. CALICO Journal, 32, 153–172.

Keywords:

Moodle, foreign language teaching and learning, blended learning, course layout.