Developing an OER Website and Analyzing Its Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Developing an OER Website and Analyzing Its Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic 建置開放教育資源網站並分析其在新冠肺炎疫情期的使用情形 Howard Hao-Jan Chen 1 Received: 30 August 2020 / Revised: 18 September 2020 / Accepted: 22 October 2020 # National Taiwan Normal University 2020

Abstract The outbreak of COVID-19 has pushed many teachers and students to change their traditional ways of teaching and learning, which also required them to become more familiar with using various online resources. UNESCO emphasized that more quality open educational resource (OER) materials should be made available to teachers and students. Compared to many commercial sites, OERs have been constantly criticized for their poor quality (International Commission on the Futures of Education, 2020). However, so far, insufficient attention has been paid to the improvements and promotion of OERs. To fill this important gap, this paper first introduces how we use various computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and natural language processing (NLP) technologies and the free resources around the world to develop a comprehensive opensource English learning site called Cool English. The content and major functions of this site are first introduced. An investigation on how the site helped teachers and students during the COVID-19 time (from February to July 2020) was carried out by analyzing the various resources used by teachers and students. In addition, we also discuss several problems and challenges of using this website and other online resources. Through the descriptions and analyses of this website, researchers might be able to gain some experiences in developing and promoting OER sites for English language learners and teachers.

* Howard Hao-Jan Chen [email protected]

1

English Department, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Section 1, Heping E. Rd., Taipei City 106, Taiwan

English Teaching & Learning

摘要

COVID-19的爆發促使許多老師和學生改變他們傳統教與學的方式, 也使得他們必須變得更 加熟悉使用各種線上資源。聯合國教科文組織強調我們應向教師及學生們提供更高質量的開 放教育資源(OER)。但與許多商業站點相比, OER的低質量一直受到批評。但是, 目前為止, 對於如何改進和推廣開放式教育資源的研究並不多。為了填補這個重要缺口, 本文首先介紹 我們如何使用各種計算機輔助語言學習(CALL)和自然語言處理(NLP)技術以及應用世界各 地免費的資源開發一個全方位的開源英語學習網站。首先, 本文介紹該站的內容和主要功能, 並同時調查及分析在COVID-19期間師生是如何使用各種網站上的資源, 藉以瞭解此網站如 何幫助師生。此外, 我們還討論了師生使用本網站的幾個問題和挑戰。通過詳細介紹網站建 置過程和分析此網站於COVID-19期間使用情形, 此研究可幫助相關研究人員獲得為英語學 習者和教師開發和推廣OER網站的一些經驗。 Keywords Open educational resources (OERs) . English learning . COVID-19 . CALL 關鍵詞 開放式教育資源 (OER) . 英語學習 . 新冠肺炎 . 電腦輔助語言學習

The Outbreak of COVID-19 and OERs In January 2020, the initial outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in China spread rapidly around the globe. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic radically reshaped many aspects of people’s lives. For education, governments temporarily closed many educational institutions in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), these closures have had a huge impact on more than 60% of the world’s student population [14]. Given that online learning played such an important role during this difficult period, UN