Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Teaching and Learning English Through Digitized Curricula: Challenges and Prospects

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
English Language Teaching in Moroccan Higher Education

Abstract

The paper aims at showing that digitalization of the curricula at Moroccan universities may help solve the problems of crowding that have become a prevailing characteristic of Department of English throughout the country. The assumption, based on statistical data recently collected, shows that to combat the overcrowding problems—endemic to these departments over the last 15 years—a drive to digitalize curricula—courses and homework or even exams—would prove a viable alternative. Such a drive is accompanied with challenges—costs to digitalize—but also with prospects to limit the drop-outs be it in terms of levels of competences or in terms of the numbers who could not complete their college degrees.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    See Article 31 of the Moroccan Constitution of 2011 which states that:

    The State, the public establishments and territorial collectivities work for the mobilization of all the means available to facilitate the equal access of all citizens [feminine and masculine] to conditions that permit their enjoyment of the right: (…)

    • to a modern, accessible education of quality;

    • to education concerning attachment to the Moroccan identity and to the immutable national constants;

    • to professional instruction and to physical and artistic education;

    • Reference to art

    • (…).

  2. 2.

    Table 13.1 gives the statistics of 5 English departments which are: Mohammed V, Rabat; Mohamed I, Oujda; Abdelmalek Saadi, Tetouan; Ibn Zohr, Agadir and Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal. The statistics are those of 2018–2019.

  3. 3.

    According to the information collected, even the old Laboratories used for Speaking and Listening have been turned into ordinary rooms with barely any equipment for practice when it comes to listening comprehension or phonetic practice.

  4. 4.

    For the online supervision requiring technical competence, the presence of a webmaster could be helpful.

  5. 5.

    See also Tomlinson (2004), and Tomlinson and Kalbfleish (1998).

  6. 6.

    See Henry et al. (2018).

  7. 7.

    For the record, I personally designed a digitalized course of English for False beginners as part of a Master program on International Relations for GDS (2012–2014) program at the Faculty of Law and Juridical Sciences at the University of Mohamed I, Oujda. The Program is available on my Google Drive and can be accessed if somebody sends me his/her email address. It has never been used.

  8. 8.

    Qtd in Jesper Taekke and Michael Paulsen (2017).

  9. 9.

    Qtd in Taekke and Paulsen 2016 op.cit.

  10. 10.

    In the early 2000s, the Moroccan government started a similar program to encourage students and teachers to use ICT.

  11. 11.

    Google + and Google Drive offer a platform. I personally used it to develop a course of English for False Beginners.

  12. 12.

    Moocs also offers platforms.

  13. 13.

    Bitnami also offers similar platforms.

  14. 14.

    Although these are offering free of charge platforms to experiment with, when more space is needed, they charge money accordingly.

  15. 15.

    George Orwell’s 1984 seems to have struck a very bitter note as a manifesto rejecting the cybertechnological culture that comes with the intrusion of cyber technology. It would also be convenient to quote similar attitudes cultivated by William Gibson’s Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Hard Drive, Burning Chrome and similar literature.

References

  • Atkinson, C. (2010). The backchannel. Peachpit: New Riders.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, A. L., & Markus, M. L. (2004). The experienced sense of a virtual community: Characteristics and processes. ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, 35(1), 64–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borman, G. D., Benson, J. G., & Overman, L. (2009). A randomized field trial of the Fast ForWord Language computer-based training program. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 31(1), 82–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, A. C., & Slavin, R. E. (2012). How features of educational technology applications affect student reading outcomes: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 7(3), 198–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, A. C., & Slavin, R. E. (2013). The effectiveness of educational technology applications for enhancing mathematics achievement in K-12 classrooms: A meta-analysis. Educational research review, 9, 88–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crook, C. (2008). Web 2.0 technologies for learning: The current landscape–opportunities, challenges and tensions. Research Report. Becta: Leading next generation learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elavsky, C. M. (2012). You can’t go back now: Incorporating “disruptive” technologies in the large lecture hall. In H. S. N. Al-Deen & J. A. Hendricks (Eds.), Social media: Usage and impact (pp. 75–91). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ertmer, P. A. (1999). Addressing first-and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(4), 47–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, S., & Rainey, H. G. (2006). Managing successful organizational change in the public sector. Public Administration Review, 66(2), 168–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghysels, J., & Haelermans, C. (2018). New evidence on the effect of computerized individualized practice and instruction on language skills. Journal of Computer Assisted learning, 34(4), 440–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghysels, J., Haelermans, C., & Prince, F. (2014). The economics of information in human capital formation–evidence from two randomized experiments with low stakes tests in secondary education (TIER Working Paper Series. WP 14/27).

    Google Scholar 

  • Given, B. K., Wasserman, J. D., Chari, S. A., Beattie, K., & Eden, G. F. (2008). A randomized, controlled study of computer-based intervention in middle school struggling readers. Brain and Language, 106(2), 83–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haelermans, C. (2017). Digital Tools in Education: On Usage, Effects and the Role of the. Teacher. Stockholm: SNS Forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, J., Hernalesteen, A., Dumas, B., & Collard, A. S. (2018). Que signifie éduquer au numérique? Pour une approche interdisciplinaire. In Didapro 7–DidaSTIC. De 0 à 1 ou l’heure de l’informatique à l’école.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herath, H. M. C. T., & Hewagamage, C. (2015). Analysis of ICT usage for the teaching and learning process by the academics. International Journal of Computer and Information Technology, 4(05), 803–808.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, M. T. (1981). Allocation of students in North African universities. Higher Education, 10(3), 315–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Junco, R., Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of computer assisted learning, 27(2), 119–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levinsen, K. T. Sørensen B. H. (2011). Fremtidsrettedekompetancerogdidaktisk design. In B. Meyer (Ed.), It-didaktisk design. CURSIV, skriftserieudgivet ad Institut for UddannelseogPædagogik, Aarhus Universitet (pp. 57–75). Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovari, A., & Giglietto, F. (2012). Social media and Italian universities: An empirical study on the adoption and use of Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Twitter and Youtube (January 2, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, B., & Laffey, D. (2011). Is Twitter for the birds? Using Twitter to enhance student learning in a marketing course. Journal of Marketing Education, 33(2), 183–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNely, B. (2009). Backchannel persistence and collaborative meaning-making. In Proceedings of the 27th ACM International Conference on Design of Communication (pp. 297–304). ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moody, M. (2010). Teaching Twitter and beyond: Tips for incorporating social media in traditional courses. Journal of Magazine & New Media Research, 11(2), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paulsen, M., & Tække, J. (2013). Social Media and teaching: Education in the new media environment. Paper presented at Nordmedia 2013, Oslo, Norway.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potocki, A., Ecalle, J., & Magnan, A. (2013). Effects of computer-assisted comprehension training in less skilled comprehenders in second grade: A one-year follow-up study. Computers & Education, 63, 131–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reid, J. (2011). “We Don’t Twitter, We Facebook”: An alternative pedagogical space that enables critical practices in relation to writing. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 10(1), 58–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rinaldo, S. B., Tapp, S., & Laverie, D. A. (2011). Learning by tweeting: Using Twitter as a pedagogical tool. Journal of marketing education, 33(2), 193–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rouse, C. E., & Krueger, A. B. (2004). Putting computerized instruction to the test: a randomized evaluation of a “scientifically based” reading program. Economics of Education Review, 23(4), 323–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tække, J., & Paulsen, M. (2012a). The challenge of social media–between prohibition and indifference in the classroom. In 13th Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association: The crossroads of the word, New York (pp. 7–10).

    Google Scholar 

  • Tække, J., & Paulsen, M. E. (2012b). Attention to attention: Reflexions on new media in education. In Danish Conference of Sociology 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tække, J., & Paulsen, M. (2017). Digitalisation of education: The theory of the three waves. The Centre for Internet Research. Aarhus: Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomlinson, C. A. (2004). Research evidence for differentiation. School Administrator, 61(7), 30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomlinson, C. A., & Kalbfleisch, M. L. (1998). Teach me, teach my brain: A call for differentiated classrooms. Educational Leadership, 56(3), 52–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb, L. M., Wilson, M. L., Hodges, M., Smith, P. A., & Zakeri, M. (2012). Facebook: How college students work it. In H. S. Noor Al-Deen & J. A. Hendricks (Eds.), Social media: Usage and impact (pp. 3–22). Lanham: MD: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, N. (2010). Twittering in teacher education: Reflecting on practicum experiences. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 25(3), 259–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yaros, R. A. (2012). Social media in education: Effects of personalization and interactivity on engagement and collaboration. In H. S. Noor Al-Deen & J. A. Hendricks (Eds.), Social media: Usage and impact (pp. 57–74). Lanham: MD: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeng, L., Hall, H., & Pitts, M. J. (2012). Cultivating a community of learners: The potential challenges of social media in higher education. In H. S. Noor Al-Deen & J. A. Hendricks (Eds.), Social media: Usage and impact (pp. 111–116). Lanham: MD: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mohamed I University, Oujda, Morocco

    Mohamed Dellal

Authors
  1. Mohamed Dellal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohamed Dellal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mohammed V University of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco

    Hassan Belhiah

  2. Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco

    Ikbal Zeddari

  3. Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco

    Nourddine Amrous

  4. Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco

    Jamal Bahmad

  5. Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco

    Nourdin Bejjit

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Dellal, M. (2020). Teaching and Learning English Through Digitized Curricula: Challenges and Prospects. In: Belhiah, H., Zeddari, I., Amrous, N., Bahmad, J., Bejjit, N. (eds) English Language Teaching in Moroccan Higher Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3805-6_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3805-6_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-3804-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-3805-6

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation