Incorporating Instant Messaging and Video Conferencing in Content-based College English Classrooms

The major purpose of the paper is to introduce one joint-course titled Global Understanding: English Cultures offered in the College English Program at Seoul National University in the spring (2009 & 2010) and fall (2009) semesters. In the course， undergraduate students from Seoul National University were linked with those from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the United States and the University of British Columbia-Vancouver in Canada through video conferencing and instant messaging. Using the technology, the students from the three universities discussed a variety of culture-related topics and learned about each culture by directly communicating with one another in real time. By taking the course, the students not only improved their English skills but also increased their content knowledge and intercultural competence. To provide a rationale for using such technology in language classrooms, this paper first reviews the relevant literature that shows the benefits of text-based SCMC (Synchronous Computer Mediated Communicational) and video conferencing in language learning. Then, to offer some guidelines for implementing such a joint-course, we introduce the course in detail with a focus on how the course was organized and run from the beginning to the end, how video conferencing and text chats were incorporated into the course curriculum and pedagogy, and what collaborative activities were done with the partner university students. This paper also presents the participating students’ evaluation of the course and discusses benefits, problems and future direction of the instructional model.