In a global context increasingly prone to e-learning formats at all levels of education, especially in and after the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the acquisition of skills in distance learning programmes should not differ from the ones in onsite learning programmes. The main objective of this study is to analyse the perception that master's…

Autonomy is a highly debated concept in the field of language learning and teaching. It is argued here that the integration of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in tertiary education can help language teachers and learners to address this troublesome concept. This paper reports on the learning journey of a Master of Arts (MA) in English Language…

In order to obtain qualifications to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL), teacher candidates often need to commit themselves to writing a master's (MA) thesis. In efforts to shed light on how MA thesis supervisors can support supervisees in the writing process, drawing on the theoretical framework of language socialisation, this article…

The subject of computers in language learning was not covered at a postgraduate level in Greece independently but as an add-on module in more broad programmes, such as "applied linguistics" or "TEFL." In such programmes, this module was merely scratching the surface of the subject, leaving students with the impression that…

This book presents a snapshot of innovative blended learning practices that either stem from the affordances of web 2.0 technologies--Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)--or illustrate the re-purposing of 'older' ones, like the creation of tailor-made virtual learning environments, to set up…

This paper reports on a study that explored five student-teachers' beliefs regarding the usability of three digital flashcard websites that can be used in a blended learning approach in English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms. These student-teachers, who had previous teaching experience, were students on a year-long Master of Arts (MA)…

This chapter builds on the outcomes of a blended learning action-research project in its third iteration (academic year 2015-16). The FutureLearn Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) "Understanding Language: Learning and Teaching" was integrated into the curriculum of the Master of Arts (MA) in English Language Teaching (ELT) at Coventry…

For several years, the University of MONS (UMONS) has been organising a trip to a Flemish city, either Leuven, Ghent, or Antwerp, for the students on the Masters programmes at the Faculty of Engineering who attend Dutch courses. This project has been combining blended learning and task-based learning for several years, but for the most recent…

This paper addresses the lack of research into satisfaction assessment of post-graduate students of the Blended Distance Learning Master's Course for Teachers of German as a Foreign Language offered by the Hellenic Open University. Through the compilation of previous questionnaires implemented for other DL programs and newly defined research…

Telecollaborative research often focuses on intercultural objectives rather than language learning, and highlights limitations due to technical difficulties and poor task design. This study redresses the balance by focusing on language and learner interaction in an exchange involving the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners of 35 secondary…

The chapter reports on a case of a research study that investigates the possibility of expanding Egyptian pre-service EFL student teachers' language-related literacy practices by integrating some web-based new literacies into their education programme. After an overview of the rationale, objectives, and research problem, a detailed argument is…

This book investigates the ways in which new developments in areas of language teaching practice, such policymaking, planning, methodology and the use of educational technology spread globally and are adopted, rejected or adapted locally.

Technology-based initiatives have transformed the process of teaching and learning activities at formal institutions generally and distance education institutions particularly. Distance education is at the heart of the digital age making maximum use of the emerging technologies. Researchers have favoured computer mediated communications (CMC) for…