How Did We Make Use of Sound-Files and E-mail in Teaching Spoken Chinese?
In the second semester of 2003 computer-mediated sound-file exercises were incorporated as part of the curriculum for Spoken Chinese IIB (CHIN2120), taught by the authors at The University of Queensland, Australia. Every week for 10 weeks a sound-file question based on the theme of the weekly lesson was composed, recorded, and attached as a sound-file to a posting on the discussion board of the course’s Web site on WebCT, an online platform used by The University of Queensland. Learners were required to listen to the sound-file question and reply with their own attached sound-file by the deadline stated in the discussion posting’s text box. An instructor (one of the authors) listened to the learner sound-file replies each week and provided individual feedback through e-mail in a timely manner. The WebCT discussion board maintained a permanent, accessible record, which could be used to evaluate a learner’s progress throughout the semester. A sample posting follows: Subject W1 Shi…de R
