웹 기반 영어교육

The Web-Based English Education: Mass Communication English at Open Cyber University

Nowadays the internet emerges as a a powerful tool for teaching English worldwide. It is more so in the EFL(English as a Foreign Language) environment such as in Korea. The World Wide Web, especially, has an inherent advantage to it in teaching English with its use of multimedia and network. This characteristic of the web makes it possible to provide the learners with favorable learning conditions. For one thing, they can interact with native or non-native speakers in authentic ways. The learner-centered education is also possible with the web: the learners can choose the time and place for using the internet and they can control much of the learning - the learning speed, the scope, and sometimes even the contents. For all these strengths, the web-based English education in Korea has a few problems to be faced with: it still has to be equipped with proper equipments and more advanced internet network system and it cannot be exploited to the fullest without new perspectives and ways of thinking on the part of its users, teachers and learners alike. This paper aims to show one way in which the web can be used to teach English by introducing Mass Communication English, which was offered as an Open Cyber University course for two semesters. It draws on the questionnaire results and make ten suggestions as to the ways the web-based English education can be a success in Korea.