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Improving Articulatory Phonetics In English:​
The Letter 'A'
Project Overview
This concept course, designed using Articulate Rise, focuses on improving pronunciation of the long and short vowel sounds of the letter 'A' for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, addressing a real-world scenario where mispronunciation could negatively impact the closing of a sale deal.
As an ESL instructor with experience in pronunciation teaching, I aimed to break down the nuances of English pronunciation in an accessible and engaging way for non-native speakers.
The course integrates video and audio recordings created in Camtasia, interactive assessments, and reflective activities to foster student engagement. Throughout the course, learners gain a deeper understanding of vowel sounds while applying new skills in a practical context. The design also incorporates a Google Forms rubric to evaluate the effectiveness of the course.
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Audience: ESL Learners
Responsibilities: Instructional Design, eLearning, Visual Design, Development, Research, Analysis
Tools Used: Articulate Rise, Camtasia, Google Forms
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Needs Assessment
Although this project is a concept course, I used my experience as an ESL instructor to identify key learner needs. Based on my observations, ESL learners often face difficulties correctly pronouncing English vowels, especially when distinguishing between the long and short sounds of the letter 'A'.
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These pronunciation challenges can significantly affect communication in professional settings, such as sales calls or interviews. Understanding this, I structured the course to target these specific needs, providing foundational pronunciation skills.
Storyboard
Because this is a concept project, I did not create a traditional, detailed storyboard. Instead, I leveraged Articulate Rise’s built-in structure and layout to guide the organization and flow of the content. Using Rise, I created a logical progression of lessons, starting with foundational concepts, such as the introduction to vowel sounds, and moving into more interactive elements, like self-recording exercises and knowledge checks.
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The modular design of Rise allowed me to organize the content in bite-sized sections, each focusing on a specific aspect of pronunciation. I used a combination of videos, quizzes, and interactive knowledge checks to keep the course engaging. The course’s visual flow was mapped out within Rise, ensuring a smooth learner experience from start to finish, with clear progression between lessons.
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This approach streamlined the design process by aligning the course structure with Rise’s features, creating an intuitive learning path that reinforced pronunciation skills progressively.
Design Approach
In developing this course, I focused on learner-centered design principles to ensure it would deliver information and actively engage students in meaningful learning experiences. To achieve this, I followed the instructional design process with an emphasis on clarity, interactivity, and real-world application:​
Learning Objectives:
The first step was identifying the learning objectives. The course focuses on helping learners:
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- Distinguish between the long and short vowel sounds of the letter 'A'.
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Understand how improper pronunciation can affect real-world communication, using a sales scenario to highlight the impact.
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Apply proper pronunciation techniques through practice and self-assessment.
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Instructional Content:
Using my background in ESL teaching, I carefully curated the content to focus on the basics of vowel pronunciation, starting with fundamental principles and building up to more complex examples. I created video and audio recordings using Camtasia, demonstrating the correct pronunciation of vowel sounds. These recordings provided clear visual and auditory guidance for learners to imitate.
Real-World Context:
Understanding the importance of context in language learning, I developed a real-world scenario where a sales representative could lose a sale due to poor pronunciation. I created a practical and relatable scenario that emphasized the relevance of the material and allowed learners to see how pronunciation directly impacts communication in professional settings.
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Active Learning:
I implemented various interactive elements to promote active engagement, including:
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​​Knowledge Checks:
These included multiple choice questions, flip cards, and matching exercises to assess understanding at key points in the course.​​
​Reflection Activities:
Learners recorded themselves practicing words and phrases, allowing them to assess their progress and comfort with pronunciation.​
​Video Resources:
Embedded YouTube videos reinforced key pronunciation points and provided a multimedia approach to learning. These videos also included native speakers to showcase authentic pronunciation.
Engagement
To ensure learners stay engaged and retain the information, I integrated several interactive design elements that aligned with best practices in instructional design:
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Knowledge Checks:​
At strategic intervals throughout the course, I included knowledge checks to assess students’ understanding of American English pronunciation concepts. These varied in style:​
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- Flip Cards: Learners could interact with words and match them with correct pronunciation categories.
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Multiple-Choice Questions: Tested comprehension of vowel sounds and their differences in context.
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Matching Exercises: Helped learners associate sounds with words in a more interactive format.
Self-Recording Activities:
A key interactive feature of this course is the self-recording component, where learners record themselves practicing the pronunciation of words, poems, and phrases. This exercise provided a hands-on way for learners to track their progress and actively engage with the material, promoting self-reflection and active learning. After recording, learners could compare their pronunciation to the provided models.
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Reflection Component:​
To reinforce the learning experience, I included a reflection activity where learners could express their thoughts on recording their pronunciation, allowing them to reflect on their progress and identify areas where they felt confident or needed further practice.
Learning Theory
The instructional design for this course used the Constructivist Learning Theory, which emphasizes active learning through hands-on experience. According to this theory, learners build their understanding through practice and reflection. The course incorporates several elements of active learning:
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Self-recording activities: allow students to construct their understanding by practicing pronunciation and hearing how they sound.
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Reflection exercises: Allow learners to evaluate their progress and think critically about their learning process.
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Real-world application: through the sales scenario creates context, making the learning meaningful and directly applicable to real-life situations.
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By embedding these principles into the course design, I aimed to create an immersive and learner-centered experience that encourages cognitive and practical engagement with the content.
Evaluation
To evaluate the learner's progress and determine the effectiveness of the course, I included multiple forms of assessment throughout the course.​
Formative Assessments:
These include knowledge checks that provide instant feedback to learners as they go through the course. These assessments enabled me to evaluate the learner's understanding of key concepts while offering immediate feedback to address misunderstandings.​
Final Assessment:
The final assessment is a cumulative test of everything covered in the course. It assessed the learner's ability to recall and apply the correct pronunciation techniques of the long and short vowel sounds. It also served as a way to evaluate the overall course effectiveness, showing how well learners have integrated the concepts.​
Rubric:
To gather qualitative feedback from learners about their course experience, I designed a rubric using Google Forms for students to complete at the end of the course. This rubric evaluates learners' overall perception of their pronunciation of the letter 'A'. It uses a 1-4 grading scale, with 4 indicating proficiency and 1 indicating an emerging level.
By embedding these principles into the course design, I aimed to create an immersive and learner-centered experience that encourages cognitive and practical engagement with the content.
Reflection
Collecting direct feedback from ESL learners is essential to evaluate whether this course successfully improved their pronunciation of the letter 'A'.​
In a real-world context, feedback would be crucial for assessing the course's impact. To evaluate its success, I would employ the following methods:
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Learner Feedback: Surveys and interviews after course completion to assess learner satisfaction and effectiveness.
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Self-Recorded Pronunciation: Learners' self-recordings, with the option for instructor feedback, to assess pronunciation improvement.
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Rubric Evaluation: The rubric, created with Google Forms, would help evaluate course effectiveness and learner satisfaction, providing valuable insights for future iterations.