FLIPPED LEARNING IN A UNIVERSITY EFL COURSE: HELPING STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR TOEIC SCORES

This paper reports on a project in which researchers in Japan explored new ways to design, implement and sustain learning tasks intended to improve university students’ scores on TOEIC Listening and Reading Tests for non-native speakers of English which measure English language communication skills for international business purposes. The tasks were presented in a blended learning English as a foreign language (EFL) course in which conventional teaching methods and online delivery of course content and instruction were combined. A form of blended learning called flipped learning was used in which students completed the EFL course TOEIC study materials outside of class online and then, received personalized problem-solving guidance from the teacher in class.

Each session had three phases:
1. pre-class online completion of TOEIC course materials;
2. individualized problem-solving instruction in class; and
3. post class online completion of self-assessment and reflection learning tasks.

Outside of class, a www-based courseware, ATR CALL BRIX (http://www.atr-lt.jp/products/brix/index.html), which featured a learning management system, was used. In order to sustain motivation levels needed for successful engagement in the outside-of-class activities, messages were sent by the instructor to the students by means of an online social networking system called LINE. The students’ post-course evaluations indicated that the students were satisfied with the flipped learning approach and they believed that the materials would help them improve their TOEIC scores.