Research and Development of Tasks for English Classes Utilizing Online Chat

三维互动教学系统(3D-IES)受到英语交际课学生的欢迎，具有一定的吸引力，使学生积极参与课堂活动。为了加强这一系统的优势，调查者试图改进课堂任务，让学生发现课堂更有吸引力。调查者通过互联网与北海道大学2004学年春秋学期的学生和教师建立了联系，让他们回答了一份问卷，调查对象是他们喜欢什么类型的任务，以及他们认为春季学期的36项任务和另一学期的38项任务中哪些是有成效的或令人沮丧的。以下是调查结果。首先，基于讨论的任务(有时类似于学术辩论)比角色扮演活动更受欢迎。学生们想被分配到他们在ch…的搭档(S)。更多的是通过系统的自动分组功能来进行活动，而不是不得不在三维网络空间中自己寻找伴侣(S)。使用复杂系统功能或复杂程序的任务不受欢迎，调查人员将其解读为学生希望专注于讨论本身。他们喜欢的讨论或辩论的主题是那些背景和相关论点在普通人中众所周知的话题。他们不希望在他们的研究领域中出现他们所在部门的典型狭隘主题。当他们处理角色扮演活动时，他们更喜欢有开放结局的活动：他们讨厌被告知以给定的故事情节达到特定的结局。令调查人员惊讶的是，任务是为了娱乐还是为了娱乐并不是很重要。无论讨论小组是由两名学生还是三名学生组成，都无关紧要。一些稀奇古怪的东西对学生也没有吸引力。因此，我们可以得出结论，最重要的似乎是令人兴奋和实质性的讨论和辩论。当我们准备以聊天为基础的英语交际课的任务时，我们应该考虑到这些观察结果。较少

Three-Dimensional interactive Education System (3d-ies) is welcomed by students taking English communication classes and has something attractive leading to students' active participation in class activities. In order to enhance this advantage of the system, the investigator has tried to improve tasks carried out in classes so that students may find the classes even more attractive.The investigator asked students in his classes connected by means of the Internet to Hokkaido University students and instructor in the spring and fall semesters of the academic year 2004 to answer a questionnaire with respect to what type of tasks they prefer and which actual tasks they find to be fruitful or discouraging out of 36 in the spring semester and 38 in the other semester.What follows is the result of the investigation. First of all, tasks based on discussion (sometimes something like an academic debate) are preferred to Role-playing activities. Students want to be assigned their partner(s) in ch … More at activities by the automatic grouping function of the system rather than having to find their partner(s) by themselves in the 3-dimensinal cyberspace. Tasks using complicated function of the system or intricate procedures are not well-received, which the investigator interprets as an indication of students desire to be concentrated on discussion itself. Topics of the discussion or the debate they prefer are those whose background and related arguments are well-known among ordinary people. They do not want narrow topics in their fields of study typical in their departments. When they tackle with role-playing activities, they prefer those with an open ending : they hate to be told to reach a particular ending with a given plot of a story. To the investigator's surprise, it does not matter very much whether tasks are meant for amusement or entertainment. It does not matter either whether discussion groups consist of two students or three. Something outlandish also is not attractive to the students. As a result, we can draw a conclusion that what counts most seems to be exciting and substantial discussion and debate. We ought to take these observations into account when we prepare tasks for chat-based English communication classes. Less