How web-based learning is impacting china

The rise of web-based education in China

In China, every year millions of students attending in universities and accept and advanced education. However, the large college number of enrollment has become a big challenge for college English education because of big size of classes, large teaching content, teaching education monotonous methods, and students with different levels of English proficiency. The students also found that they almost have no chance to practice their English in class to improve their English skills, in the meanwhile, teachers are also worried that they could not meet the students’ learning needs, and the learning contents take up too much time in the classroom, which make students to be passive listeners. (Pu, 2010)

With the development of information technology, computer-assisted language learning has become a trend for the modern English education in 1950s. As internet developed rapidly in the past two decades, the requirements for English-based digital literacy innovation model has been increased for Chinese college English educators. In the turn of the century, China began to follow the trend of using web-based CALL in college English education, and those Chinese College English educators also use this approaches to solve the problems that happen in Chinese College English education. Especially in 2000, the Chinese Ministry of Education invested billions of money to set up the New Century College English CALL program, which develop student online English learning in universities.

As Holec (1981: 3) first defined the concept of learner autonomy as the “ ability to take charge of one’s won learning”, which has been the key concept in the last decade, while Benson and Voller (1997: 5) stated that “ in language learning, the promotion of autonomy links to the education developments” What’s more, autonomy learning has been encouraged by the “ growing role of technology in education” (Benson & Voller, 1997). The development of technology in education enables learners to work independently from their teacher, and learners can decide their own learning time and places, which provide them plenty of room for choice, flexibility and adaptability in the learning process.

As motivation is the set of beliefs to drive students to learn. Learners are motivated by either internal factors or external factors can become independents and successful learners. Learning becomes more focused and more purposeful, thus students can learn more effective in the help of CALL. As web-based CALL creates a rich learning environment for learners and can help learners to manage the time in a more effective way, learners can be motivated in a web-based CALL an thus improve their learning skills.

With the English Course Requirement for Non-English Majors promulgated and implemented, College English teaching should be transferred from teacher-centered to student-centered teaching model, from only teaching knowledge to but also teaching applying knowledge. As the new teaching model based on internet technology, learning autonomy has been increase 30 percent to 50 percent. Learners not only use the internet training listing and speaking skills, but also they need to compete reading and writing skills. Thus, the learning strategies take an important role in autonomously learning in CALL. As Maclntyre & Noels (1996) consider that learning strategies can help learners to have better comprehension in learning process and decrease their confusion and anxiety, keeping learners’ motivation and enthusiastic.

The aim of a web-based CALL can help student to learn, and help them to control their language learning. However, it seems learners do not automatically have the ability to learning autonomously. As from Yang’s (2007) study, lots of Chinese students cannot adjust learning English with CALL approach. Even one of the learners said that he only know how to follow teachers’ teaching and textbooks and do not know what should do in autonomous learning under the teacher’s guidance, instead of control of himself.