Abstract:

Only a few areas of foreign language education have undergone such rapid development and dynamic changes in recent years in digitally assisted language learning (CALL). Starting from 2020, when anti-pandemic measures against the spread of the covid-19 disease came into force worldwide, the emergency measures included the immediate closure of all educational institutions. The universities have had to cope with the rapid transition to distance learning with all its benefits and risks. Slovakia was no exception in the said development. The emergency change to distance learning methods led to an expansion of innovative technological solutions and new experiences for teachers and students alike.

The objective of the paper is to introduce and promote a project KEGA 010TTU-4/2023 proposed to the Slovak Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport, which is based on the belief that many of the latest solutions that proved successful during pandemic-induced distance education should be maintained after the pandemic, thus innovating and improving blended learning. The project’s primary goal is to create the conditions for multimodal blended and multiplatform distance learning in foreign language teaching and philology programmes. The educational purpose of the project is to develop a set of alternative learning resources that includes pre-recorded video lectures with interactive features (intelligent editing, automatic subtitling, multispeed playback), audio textbooks with interactive features (hypertext editing, automatic audio editing, multispeed playback) and interactive self-diagnostic and self-regulating activities.

Integrating all these features will create a flexible and individualized learning environment where students can choose between multiple formats of materials according to their learning needs and preferred learning strategies and choose their effective path to successful learning. The project tests the applicability of selected innovative didactic techniques such as autonomous learning, flipped learning, active self-study, cooperative learning and creating a learning community. Alternative learning support is of particular benefit to students with special educational needs (dyslexic, dysgraphic, ADHD, etc.), students with limited capacity for full-time study (short-term health problems, external study and lifelong learning), and students who are falling behind. Thus, the project results will enhance the prevention of drop-out from higher education.

Keywords:

CALL, higher education, innovative teaching and learning strategies, blended and distant learning, multiplatform learning, individualized learning environment.