Evaluation of a team model of digital language exchange

Abstract

This paper describes an online collaborative model designed to allow meaningful, authentic interactions between college English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students and adult native speakers of English. The program uses technology to bridge the gap between the need of EFL students to interact with native speakers for successful language learning and the geographical distance of EFL classrooms. The two groups of participants were brought together in a symbiotic relationship enabled and shaped by an online collaborative learning environment. This study employed two 4-member teams collaborating on an electronic bulletin board to address problems such as lack of response and lack of purpose that current models of online exchange face. Findings indicate that the team model is a viable alternative to one-to-one or many-to-many correspondence. They also suggest that collaborative activities may play an important role in fostering meaningful and lasting interactions.