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Becky Steven and Jessica Cobley recently won a national award for their research. Their action research project aimed at finding ways of using Web 2.0-based tools to develop students’ speaking fluency.

The Action Research in ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) programme focuses on teaching and assessing speaking skills. In 2013 the category was contested by six teams of teachers from four states (WA, NSW, Victoria and Queensland).

Jessica, a graduate of the Faculty of Education, was inspired by the Apps Fair hosted by the Faculty in 2012. ‘It encouraged me to share and show others the way to use mobile applications as an educational tool,’ Jessica said.

‘The prevalence of smart phones and devices in the language learning classroom means students can record their voices and use apps to measure and target their own speaking fluency. In the future we can use this technology to assist students with their presentations and group discussions,’ she continued.

Dr Hanan Khalifa (pictured above) flew from Cambridge to present them with their award. ‘The highlight of the awards ceremony was sitting at her table,’ Jessica said.

The award-winning pair have been invited to share their findings at the 2014 IATEFL Pre-Conference Research Special Interest Group Event in the UK. The international Cambridge ESOL Research Notes journal will also publish their research article in May 2014.

Media references

Martin Swann (Faculty of Education)  (+61 8)  6488 2443