Abstract:

With this article we want to present the practical use of Moodle, one of the main e-learning platforms, for the realization of a course on 'Phonetics and Phonology of the Spanish language' - at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Perugia - especially focusing the work on: the possibility or impossibility, easiness or difficulty in the creation and presentation of exercises, contents, assignments, lessons and communication on this subject; the educational proposals achieved and the future plans and projects.
This course, developed on the e-learning platform of the University of Perugia - E-studium - to support a presence-based course, aims to: provide students with general information (procedures and exam dates, consulting hours, variations, latest news, etc.); discussion forums (one edited by the teacher and the other by the tutor) and upload materials - both textual and multimedia (both those distributed in class and other additional); add exercises.
The experimental stage of the Moodle platform at the University of Perugia began during the 2008/2009 Academic Year and intend to consider and resolve issues related to: information technology, pedagogic communication and the changing roles of the university ‘actors’.
In the web there are continually several resources for the study of the sounds of foreign languages (websites dedicated to learning a foreign language, e-learning platforms, listening and screening of foreign programmes, on-line dictionaries with the ability to listen to the pronunciation, software and speech recognition technologies, etc.).
The use of the new technology resources offered by the web and, in particular, by Moodle, ensures an extraordinary effectiveness in the field of teaching and learning phonology and phonetics of a foreign language with the opportunity to merge into a single resource the sounds, their phonetic and phonological transcription, their properties and their combination rules within a linguistic system of reference.
The development of the E-studium for the course of 'Phonetics and Phonology of the Spanish language' has shown a strong interest and sensibility to a productive, tangible and practical use of the platform by the teacher and, although still timidly, by the students.
The project within the courses of the Chair of Spanish continues, trying to find new suitable and adaptable solutions to the environment and users with regard to practices, collaborative activities and on-line communication.
We intend to experiment this platform also for the Literature courses.

Keywords:

Platform, e-learning, Moodle, E-studium, Phonetics and Phonology, Spanish.