App-based Interactive Language Learning –Pedagogy, Implementation and Evaluation with the AGnovel Tool

Marc BeutnerChair of Business and Human Resources Education II, University of Paderborn, Germany

marc.beutner@uni-paderborn.de

Rasmus PechuelCEO Ingenious Knowledge, Germany

rasmus.pechuel@ingeniousknowledge.com

Abstract: Apps and mobile solutions are becoming more and more important in modern education and language learning. This paper explores new opportunities to use modern touch screen devices in order to enhance the learning experience of the learners. Therefore, the paper provides insights into the AGnovel tool, integrated learning tasks as well as the identification figures and motivational aspects. Story-oriented learning, which combines writing, reading, listening and speech production, is the basis of the motivating app-design that engages the learner in both the scenario and the flow. Moreover, the text focuses on the qualitative evaluation of the tool, its implementation and chances for future language learning activities.

1. AGnovel- a rough overviewA language learning tool which is created in a pedagogical way has to combine a huge

variety of aspects. It is not only related to a specific subject or topic it is also related to motivational aspects and specific target groups. In addition to that the possibilities (technical, communicative, etc.) are today broader than ever. This is the reason why the needs of modern foreign language learners are changing. So far the focus of language learning was primarily on reading and writing as well as on the comprehension of language, but now the rise of new media and the growing use of the Internet leads to different expectations of the target groups and the need of new concepts for teachers. One of these ideas is directly related to motivational aspects in the foreign language classroom. Often teachers use copy or slides with comics for such a purposes. Delany already focused in 1992 on the fact that nothing is impossible in comics: “I thought you could do things in comics that could be done in no other medium; that as an esthetic form, comics were irreplaceable” (Delany 1992). So it is logical to use them as well for enhanced learning purposes. But here, it is not just done with a motivating comic of two or three frames. In order to enhance the competences and skills of learners a structured approach and a longer graphic novel is useful. “A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art, either in an experimental design or in a traditional comics format” (Oxford 1993). This is the strength of AGnovel. “Graphic Novels cater for all learning styles. For students with strength in linguistic intelligence, graphic novels can fuel imaginations through the rich vocabularies and scenarios created by word choice and word placement in the panels” (Pathak 2014). The project AGnovel, "Advanced Interactive Graphic Novels on Mobile Touchscreen Devices," finishes at the end of 2015 and the products and research activities are completed. It was run by an international consortium and situated within the framework of Key Action 2 of Lifelong Learning Programme of the EU. The eight project partners are from seven different countries and created an innovative approach for language learning with mobile devices. The partners came from Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Lithuania and Cyprus. And, AGnovel addresses and fosters various competences and skills of the learners: Development of an innovative approach to language learning for mobile devices Designing a personalized learning approach based on Blended Learning Combining different learning approaches to stimulate learning channels Take advantage of new technologies and didactical material in blended learning

scenarios Development of a graphic novel focusing on language learning on B2-level and vocational

education with an authentic story, available in all partner languages (+Turkish and French)

Integration of audio recordings of native speakers for an authentic voice experienceBut, there are more objectives of AGnovel:

“Create a language learning tool that is fun and easy enough to use to work without instructions Create a blueprint and make it available so that other content providers can take advantage of

the approach and publish their own advanced graphic novels electronically Actively get new content providers involved Prepare language teachers for using the tool in their classes Use the developed advanced graphic novel as a showcase and make it widely available to

learners Publish the research and experiences gained from the project in academic circles Explore different ways of creating more advanced graphic novels after the project has

ended” (Beutner / Fortmann 2015)The target groups of the tool are individual learners as well as vocational schools, content

providers, foreign language students and foreign language teachers as well as research institutions.The situation of graphic novels is very different in the EU countries. Concerning the UK graphic novels have been popular for years. One of the most famous ones perhaps being “The Snowman”, by Raymond Briggs first published in 1978 by Hamish Hamilton. “Graphic novels represent a tool to improve writing, speaking and listening skills and the development of critical thinking skills.” (Beutner / Fortmann 2015, see as well Beutner / Fortmann / Pechuel 2014 and see as well Yildirim 2013, p. 128.) In AGNovel this criteria is met by creating a curriculum based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (see Council of Europe 2015).

2. The AGnovel app and its functionsThe AGnovel app was created to run on iPads and is a mobile solution to be used in classrooms. It takes the advantages of graphic novel in language learning and enhance it with added functionality.

2.1 Basic functionalityWhen starting the app the learners are taken to a menu which offers to customize the way they see the graphic novel. They can enable or disable the speech bubbles (which leaves them with pictures and audio) or they can disable the audio (which leaves them with pictures and text). They can also choose different languages for audio and speech bubbles. Also, teachers have the chance to customize the exercises that are integrated into the graphic novel. This means they can select or deselect exercises that will be shown to the learners and which test comprehension, text reproduction, oral skills, etc. (see 2.2). The learners can also skip the main menu and directly start reading. The pictures are displayed as panels that scroll down until the end of the story. At certain points the story won’t let the reader continue and presents an exercise that needs to be worked on before scrolling is enabled again.

2.2 ExercisesExercises add interaction to the graphic novel. AGnovel provides a number of exercises that allow for different approaches to practicing a foreign language. The approaches are described below (for details see Innovative Approaches to Learning with Graphic Novels, Beutner / Pechuel 2014).

2.2.1 Visual-related pedagogical approachesThe learners look at the pictures and describe and guess what is going on. It encourages learners to create sentences and produce language themselves.1. The story can stop after a sequence and the learner does not know how the story continues. This

provides the learner with the opportunity to write an appropriate end of the story.2. Two pictures occur after the picture where the story stopped. The learner has to decide which one

fits better to the story seen before.3. In a picture description the learner can click on a picture to get it enlarged. The task for the learner

is now to describe the picture, the foreground, the background, upper left, upper right, etc. with its elements, persons and objects. This provides learners with description skills and the necessary vocabulary, strategies and language competences.

2.2.2 Audio- related pedagogical approachesAudio plays an important role in learning foreign languages. Listening is one of the main challenges concerning communication and foreign language learning.

4. The learner has the opportunity to use the audio file provided and listen to how native speakers pronounce the text listening is addressed primarily, text bubbles should be switched off so that the learner does not see the written text.

5. When training spoken language the learners can take on a role and record their voice.

2.2.3 Text-related didactical approachesComics and graphic novels usually provide text in a dialogue, which is displayed in bubbles. Consequently, the learner has to focus on reading skills.6. By displaying the bubbles in the panels the text of the graphic novel can be read by the learner.

This helps to recognize and memorize the words and work on vocabulary.7. If the roles in the novel are distributed to different learners, each one is able to read one. This

helps follow interactions and provides a feeling of being in the scene. The reading process can be made transparent and discussed with teachers and other learners as well as the content of the text itself.

8. If a learner has to learn not only one language it is easy to use the same graphic novel in different language courses and use the awareness of the learner and his knowledge about the text and the story to translate it into another language. Here a simple change of the texts in the bubbles can make the novel useful in additional language learning situations and contexts of another language.

9. A gap assessment is carried out by giving the learners the task to explain what is happening between two pictures, in the white space where the scene is invisible. This is a perfect writing occasion and learners can write down their ideas in their own words in the foreign language.

3. Storydesign for a specific target audienceSince the AGnovel tool was developed for vocational language learning settings great

attention was paid to the development of the story. For a language learning tool to be useful the story has to address situations that are relevant for the learners so that they are confronted with words and phrases that they can actually use. In the AGnovel project a typical work situation was chosen which follows a craftsperson who manages to get hired but then runs into difficulties. The story also shows the typical hiring process and typical office situations that would occur in almost any other job. Apart from the usefulness of the vocabulary the story also needs to be interesting enough and motivate the learners to read it all the way through. The story must be completely different when the age of the target group changes, for instance.

3.1 The basic story ideaThe story of AGnovel is set in an Art Restoration Company called Parker&Brown, which

restores frescoes. The company searches for a new staff member. This should be an artist who is able to cope with the challenges of the work. Charlene, the protagonist, and Jasmine, the antagonist, apply for the job and must both perform some sample work to have their skills judged. When the sample work shows that Charlene is the better candidate, Jasmine decides to destroy Charlene's work. Charlene must now solve the mystery of who sabotaged the work with the help of her friend. This crisis is even harder for the protagonist because the antagonist blames her for the demolished frescoes. But after some investigations everything can be sorted out and Charlene gets the job.

3.2 Characters and actions as anchors for learning processesThe AGNovel tool has five core characters. Two main characters are Charlene the

protagonist (on the left) and Jasmine the antagonist (second from the left). Furthermore there are two framing characters (Anne-Marie Williams - Head of HR - in the middle, and John Parker, CEO of Parker & Brown - on the right) plus a supporting character (Peter, Charlene's friend - second from the right).

Figure 1: Characters in AGnovel

The characters in the novel are helpful for the learning process. The learner gets a clear character to identify with – the protagonist Charlene. But all other characters also represent persons who exist in vocational situations and enterprises or in typical life situations. Therefore, an authentic aspect is created by characters who are on the one hand playing roles but on the other hand are taken form real life models. For example, Charlene the protagonist is a girl like ´you and me´. She is not a stylish and slim person but an authentic normal one with strengths, fears and a background. Her name - Charlene Jimenéz – opens possibilities to discuss the situation of migrants and together with her darker skin color cultural topics can be discussed as well. The characters have different ages and represent different situations and states of life as well.

4. The qualitative evaluation of the AGnovel-toolSince the AGnovel team has already provided the app to different persons and institutions for

evaluation and testing purposes and the created advanced graphic novel as well as the materials can be used in different context it was possible to gather data while presenting, testing and using the app on mobile devices.

4.1 Methodological overviewThe focus of the AGnovel evaluation was set on implementation research and acceptance

research. Three aspects or products are important for this evaluation approach: the AGnovel course, the AGnovel materials and the AGnovel tools with the didactical scenarios in the app. Here, we will focus on the evaluation of the prototype of the AGnovel app. This evaluation took place as a qualitative research. The team conducted interviews with five representatives of enterprises, with ten teachers, with 15 students and one representative of a German teacher association.

Table 2: Core information about the qualitative evaluation

A helpful basis for the research were the results of a small pre study in 2014 (see Beutner / Pechuel 2014). All interviews were conducted in German language and the translation of the statements provided below are careful translations of the authors. The approach of content analysis offered by Mayrings (see Mayring 2000) was used in the evaluation. Therefore, the data was structured, compiled in interview related data tables, and categorized.

4.2 Study resultsTo provide a short overview on the study results we will provide some insights into the

statements of the interviewed persons. And, to ensure that structure concerning the answers becomes clearer we provide both pros and cons and this with regard to the target group.

4.2.1 Study results – Target group: enterprisesIn AGnovel we contacted enterprise representatives (ER) in different countries. For France,

Spain and UK we talked to one representative of each country. In Germany we had interviews with

two enterprise representatives. Until now we only got positive feedback concerning the app, its usability and the didactical setting. Here are some examples of these comments: “This is really a perfect combination of graphics and content on an excellent level.“

(ER01-FR-2015AGN, 3) “This is also interesting for training in enterprises.“ (ER03-DE-2015AGN, 2) “The structure of the learning process is really good. There are many –ehm- many helpful aspects

in the story which can be used as anchors for further discussions. Mhm – like the colored person – eh – Mr. Parker.” (ER03-DE-2015AGN, 9)

“The advantage of the use of new media is the great didactical setting. –ehm- It is possible to change the languages and to do interactive tasks during the reading and listening process. And the audios provide native language and help the learner to listen and speak correctly. (ER03-DE-2015AGN, 9)

4.2.2 Study results – Target group: teachersDue to the focus of the AGnovel project, the responding teachers (VT) were teachers of

vocational schools. There were many positive views on the tool but also some critical hints which are important for a redesign. Here, are some of the positive comments: “It would be great if there were some more languages than English and German.“

(VT01-2015AGN, 5) “The graphics are splendid and the story is really good for our students.” (VT02-2015AGN, 12) “The opportunities of the didactical design are excellent and activate the learners.“

(VT04-2015AGN, 9) “The app is super. It can be integrated well and easily in the courses at vocational schools.“

(VT07-2015AGN, 8)

The critical commentary came from teachers who were less familiar with computers as well as limited or no experience with eLearning and mobile learning. The most important arguments here are the requirements at the schools: “This is just another eLearning approach that teachers can´t implement. The resources and

technical requirements are not available at schools.“ (VT06-2015AGN, 11)

4.2.3 Study results – Target group: teacher associationThe representative of the teacher association (TA) was also referring to the didactical scenario. “The didactical design is more important for teachers than the technical solution. But, the solution

has to be – mhm- has to be easy to access for teacher. There has to be no real barrier. I like that in AGnovel there are only a few clicks to start everything and to use the tool.“ (TA01-2015AGN, 4)

Moreover, he said; “Could you present this in our journal W&E? More teachers have to know about this.“ (TA02-

2015AGN, 12)

4.2.4 Study results – Target group: students/ learnersThere were several very good but sometimes short comments of the students/learner (L), like this “That´s fun.“ (L01-2015AGN, 1) “I hope the teacher will use things like that in schools.“ (L09-2015AGN, 15)

Some of the learners focused a little bit more on the design or on usability: “Cool pictures and really good tasks.

There should be more like that.“ (L07-2015AGN, 14) “The app of AGnovel is easy to handle.“ (L11-2015AGN, 17) “The graphics are quiet cool and I like the sound. The persons are speaking real English. That´s

great. And I think – ehm – I think that -. It is very useful that the text in the speech bubbles can be German while I hear the English audios. It is easier for me. Ehm – sometime I don´t understand the word but I see the picture and can read the German text.” (L12-2015AGN, 21)

There were also some critical remarks of the learners “I am not sure if my English teacher is able to use a tablet.“ (L02-2015AGN, 4)

“Sometimes I am a little bit slow. If everybody in class is reading faster than me that could be a problem. The tool is helpful but I am not sure if the whole language lessons should work like this.” (L04-2015AGN, 7)

“What happens when the school has not enough tablets? I have only a smartphone and that has only a small display. Nevertheless, the tool is great. You should think about the requirements at a school and tell it to the teachers. My teacher has a tablet but only for him and not for the whole class.” (L08-2015AGN, 7)

4.2.5 Rating resultsTo provide a general overview we asked all interviewed persons to rate the quality of the

AGnovel tool. Therefore, we can provide the rating results of the 31 interviewed persons:

Table 3: Participants of the rating of the AGnovel tool

83.9% of the respondents state that the AGnovel app is excellent. Moreover, 12.2% state that the AGnovel app is good. This means that 96.1% provide a positive feedback on the AGnovel app.

Table 4: Rating results concerning the quality of the AGnovel tool

The mean of the answers is 1.23. This is fitting to the rating ´excellent´. The standard deviation is 0.617 and therefore, the range of most of the rating is not very broad.

5. Summarizing view with future perspectivesSummarizing the AGnovel app is seen as an excellent tool. This estimation is given by all

participating groups. Also the feedback on the story as well as on the illustrations, the dialogues are excellent. The embedding of language learning is done in a way which fits to the need of learners and teachers / trainers. The didactical scenarios fit for the different target groups. But it is important to provide more information about mobile learning to schools and enterprises. There still exist some barriers concerning fears of individuals or concerning the requirements and the necessary equipment. The AGnovel tool increases the motivation of the learners. Moreover it is design for personalized learning and so the novel fits to the requirements and the prior knowledge of the learner. For the future the construction of blended learning scenarios which take mobile applications and devices more into account seems to be an important aspect to foster the learning process of language learners.

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