This article was collaboratively edited by the writer and TLT's Peer Support Group (PSG).
Can you imagine a time in the future when the language classroom is a thing of the past? Maybe your first reaction is to think that the face-to-face classroom will never be completely obsolete. If so, perhaps it would be easier for you to imagine a time when the physical classroom is no longer the preferred place of study. As convenience continues to increase its influence on the business of lesson delivery, it seems likely that students will naturally elect to study from their homes or places of business, quite likely by dialing into a virtual classroom.
Instead of passively watching a lesson on a video or TV, participants would be engaged in a fully responsive virtual lesson. The video images of the other lesson participants appear on their screen, and interaction with other students and the teacher occurs in real time through the use of a camera and headset. Lesson materials, in the form of videos, pictures and dialogs, can be viewed by all the students and sent from a remote teaching location.
Too far-fetched? Right now in the heart of Osaka, over one hundred language instructors are teaching every day in a program almost identical to the scenario described above. I was one of three original instructors when the project went commercial in 1996. As the project rapidly grew to offer 6 languages, I subsequently moved up to trainer, and then to an administrative position. My involvement with the project ended in 1997.
The following article is written based on my personal experience and observations on the project, supplemented by recent discussions with teachers about the current state of the system.
What's this virtual classroom like?
NOVA's virtual teaching program is referred to as Ginganet and mirrors the reality in most of NOVA's face-to-face (FTF) schools: one teacher interacting with up to three students. On their television screen, each student in the class can see a video image of themselves, the teacher and the other student(s). The screen is split into a four-way grid, with each quadrant filled with pictures of the teacher and students in the class. Participants communicate by simply speaking and listening through their headset, while their video image is sent from the supplied video camera.
The system is totally interactive in real time, capable of both T-S and S-S exchange. The teacher instantaneously "sends" all lesson materials, in the form of images and sounds.
What equipment is needed?
On the student side, surprisingly little is needed; a camera, a headset and a small computer that looks like a "home game center." This unit connects to any ordinary TV to display video images.
In addition to what the student has, the teaching booth is equipped with a desktop computer, a video CD player, and a digital scanner (scans supplemental pictures or text, enabling students to view the image). Both the teaching facility and the students' place of study must have an ISDN telephone line. To participate in a class, the teacher and student(s) dial into a designated "connection node." A computer at the node location organizes the calls and routes them to the appropriate "virtual class." Teachers at this time are based in Osaka, but could be based anywhere in Japan, or even anywhere in the world if a cost effective ISDN link could be established. Students currently dial in from anywhere in Japan.
How about the physical teaching conditions?
Record-keeping, lesson planning and schedule confirmation are all done in the teaching booth. At present, the entire teaching force of six languages is situated in one huge space, occupying booths separated by partitions that are about head-high when sitting. The wall behind the teacher is a little higher to offer a solid background for the video camera. These low walls were designed to create a degree of physical separation for noise containment, while avoiding feelings of complete isolation. A teacher's neighbors are a meter or two away on three or four sides. While the low-walled design of the booth does reduce the sensation of isolation, in most teacher's opinion this configuration is not a substitute for a proper "teacher's room atmosphere." Many teachers feel that the lack of between-lesson bonding in a common space is a downside that detracts from the feeling of group atmosphere.
Heat is another concern. Even with the low walls and air conditioning, the booths can sometimes get hot in the summer due to the preponderance of computers and other electronic equipment. To be fair, I have heard similar complaints about heat in small classrooms.
One unexpected and interesting issue that was raised by several left-handed teachers was the fact that the booths are all setup in a "right-handed" configuration. The computer mouse, the digital scanner and other equipment are all set up for "righty" ease of use. Left handers find it difficult to use the equipment smoothly due to lack of "lefty" access.
Where do the teachers come from and what attracts them?
Initially, teachers were selected from NOVA's branch schools. Currently, teachers are recruited from overseas specifically to teach in the virtual lesson program. Many teachers have speculated that this change in recruitment may have been undertaken so that new teachers will not have the opportunity to compare the teaching conditions of "cyber teaching" with those of branch school teaching. Teaching face-to-face appears to be preferable to many teachers as one instructor stated, "I came to Japan to engage the Japanese culture through personal contact with the people, mainly students. I find the quality of contact in the virtual classroom to be less personal than a traditional, face-to-face context."
When asked about what drew them to this project as opposed to a face-to-face environment, "The novelty and possibilities of the medium fascinated me," said one teacher. "The ability to use pictures, video and sound in the electronic environment seemed really exciting. I think this is where the future lies."
What makes a good teacher on the system?
Initially, teachers who have an affinity for electronic gadgets seem to get off to a faster start in adapting to virtual instruction. Conversely, techno-phobic trainees can sometimes get overwhelmed, which slows their adaptation to the system. However, this short-term advantage in system competence enjoyed by the technical-minded trainees is generally short-lived. Within several weeks, truly skilled teachers, even those with little computer experience, catch on and become strong performers in the long run.
When I asked teachers what they thought characterized a successful teacher in this environment, the following attributes were echoed by many, "Successful teachers on this system are patient, have the ability to adapt, and are able to take technical adversity in their stride." This sounds to me like a description of a good teacher in any situation, though the addition of a preponderance of technical variables adds to the list of potential "adversities" to be dealt with.
Incidentally, teachers universally thought that a "skilled" teacher in the FTF environment generally translates into a skilled teacher in the virtual environment. Furthermore, teachers who were viewed as "good teachers" by other instructors generally seemed to like the system. Conversely, teachers who were deemed poor by peers in the traditional environment were, not surprisingly, viewed as poor performers in the virtual environment as well. Interestingly, these same instructors generally expressed dissatisfaction with the lesson delivery system. Some teachers compared this condition to, "a poor craftsmen who blames his tools." It seems reasonable to assume that some teachers who doubt their ability, or suffer from low job satisfaction may unduly blame the system for their lack of performance or satisfaction.
What do teachers have to say about classroom dynamics?
It wasn't surprising to find that most surveyed teachers felt that the role of the teacher is different in a virtual class. In the FTF classroom, the teacher is a life-sized person sitting at the same table. In a virtual lesson, the teacher is an eight to ten inch, picture on the student's screen. Both physically, and psychologically, virtual teachers felt that the instructor in this situation seems to take up less space in the classroom. In response to this diminished presence in the classroom, successful teachers generally accept a less controlling role in the lesson, which is, of course, quite in line with recent trends in EFL.
On the student side, one teacher observed that "successful students seem to definitely be more proactive, and have the ability to initiate speech in the absence of the normal turn-taking cues found in a face-to-face lesson (nods, gestures or glances)." And most teachers with face-to-face experience agreed that, "Passive students tend to wither more readily in the virtual classroom, since the teacher is less able to give instantaneous verbal and non-verbal support, encouragement and cues."
New instructors universally complained that, "Setting up tasks is so difficult without the aid of gestures and other non-verbal cues. It takes longer to set up, it seems that more can go wrong, and it's harder to come to the aid of a wobbly task without totally disrupting the whole activity."
Turn taking is a little problematic since, without nonverbal cues, the teacher and students can sometimes "step on" each other's speech. One teacher summed it up nicely, "As a result, participants (including the teacher) tend to direct speech using names more than would otherwise be natural, so the students know who is being spoken to."
When asked to express positive facets about the virtual teaching environment, teachers overwhelmingly cited one point, "When I send an image of any kind to the students, my picture is replaced on the students' screens by that image. For the duration of this time, the students cannot see me, and I'm very free to relax while I monitor the student activity."
"Effectiveness" of lessons
No publicly available, formal studies have been done to compare the effectiveness of traditional and virtual lessons at NOVA. Interviews with students were not possible, and detailed studies on student progress have not been made public at this time. In addition, the teaching materials and level system that are used in the virtual program are slightly different from those used in the FTF schools, thus making any direct comparisons of student improvement difficult. Therefore, any opinions about the effectiveness of the virtual lessons were limited to the personal feeling of the instructor. One teacher with experience in the traditional and virtual classroom claimed, "For teachers and students that are comfortable in the virtual lesson environment, I think that a virtual lesson itself is about as effective as a face-to-face lesson (in terms of students retention of TL and improvement). However, since it does take more time to set up activities and work around turn taking, I think that not as much time is spent 'on task' for a given lesson period compared to a FTF lesson."
Summary
From my personal experience and observations of the system, combined with input about how the program operates now, I would say that the current system represents a good study option for students that have a learning style that could be deemed "a notch or two above passive." The more assertive the learning behavior, the better, but I think this could be said about virtually any educational setting. It seems clear to me that the system's turn-taking limits, and the lack of non-verbal communication favors students that initiate language freely. It is more challenging to teachers to assist passive students.
In terms of student convenience, the virtual classroom is difficult to beat. In addition to being accessible at home or work, there are broader lesson hours compared to most FTF schools (8 am to 11pm). One instructor said, "I have students that take two or even three lessons a day, seven days a week. Another student takes lessons in all six available languages. Things like that just wouldn't be possible in the current NOVA branch schools." Another teacher said, "It's a good system, you can learn on it. I'd take lessons on it myself if I had the opportunity."
For teachers on the system, the picture doesn't look quite as bright to me. Less than ideal physical working conditions, combined with the rigors of new technology create what appears to be a stimulating, yet stressful environment. As one teacher points out, "Stuff goes wrong sometimes. Computers can shut down during lessons, or you could lose the sound, or picture." These are the kinds of things that add to a teacher's stress that wouldn't exist in a FTF classroom. Additionally, some teachers claimed that, "There is administrative pressure to continue a lesson even if a technical difficulty is experienced, so that the company can collect a fee for that session. We are constantly asked to push the envelope of what is a technically acceptable lesson, kinda like: The Show Must Go On." This is an additional expectation that many instructors found stressful. Despite the presence of a technical support staff, another instructor felt that, "There is a lot of expectation on the teacher to deal with stuff that goes wrong. If you have a technical problem, or you dial a wrong number, the onus is initially on you to take responsibility for the situation. There are more ways to screw up here."
On the brighter side, the same technically challenging environment that can cause stress can have its stimulating side as well. As one teacher said, "We're involved in a really exciting project. Every day is a little different, and the technology is changing all the time. Stuff gets better." Another felt, "This multimedia experience will look great on my resume. I've even had the chance to work in materials development, which is also a plus."
As remote videoconferencing technology evolves, systems will undoubtedly become more reliable, thus reducing the stress that teachers currently experience. I would guess that in the near future, teacher "comfort" will evolve to a level that approaches or even surpasses face-to-face teaching, making the virtual classroom a strong option for instructors as well as students. If teachers are eventually offered the option of teaching from their own home, that could be an additional bonus. The possibilities of a well-functioning virtual educational environment might be attractive to students and teachers alike. How about you? Could you see yourself teaching in a virtual classroom like this one?
Author's note: The information used in this article was taken from my personal experience, and interviews with instructors who had recently left the virtual teaching program, and are no longer employed by NOVA.
Jim Goddard, who has been in Japan since November 1995, was initially employed at NOVA and worked there for about three years, as a teacher, then a trainer, then at the Ginganet program. He has been teaching at Senshin High School since 1998. Having received an MBA in 1999, he now is working toward an MA TESOL at Temple University.