Webcam chat between Spanish Conversation student and Amigos Club participant

Research

My research interests primarily revolve around the work I have done in service-learning.  Currently I am studying the impacts on my students of including a service-learning project in my Conversation courses.  I use both quantitative and qualitative data to study the effects of the experience on my students.  Students take a pre- and post-survey with both close-ended and open-ended questions.  They also do guided journaling based on Pam Kiser’s Integrated Processing Model ¹.  So far, I have seen positive impacts on their sense of social responsibility, personal efficacy and academic knowledge.  Below are some sample quotes from my students’ reflective journals.

I am also interested in studying the use of webcams in foreign language classrooms. I have used them to connect my classes to native speakers in Spanish-speaking countries and to provide increased opportunities for connections with our amigos in the Amigos Club service-learning project. Elon students in the pilot study were somewhat split on the use of the webcams with their amigos. Some were comfortable using them to talk with their amigos and appreciated having increased time to build relationships. However, for more timid students, connecting via webcam was even more awkward than connecting in person and turned into a dreaded task. I plan to continue experimenting with the use of webcams in the Amigos Club and as a means of linking my students to native speakers across the world.

¹ Kiser, P. M. (1996). The integrative processing model: A framework for learning in the field experience. Human Service Education, 18(1): 3-13.