Description
This presentation will describe how surveys were utilized during the development of a university self-access language learning center. Although we focus on self-access, we hope the insights from the survey will be of interest to teachers focused on classroom contexts.
The center, opened in 2021, provides opportunities for L2 use (English, Spanish and Chinese), cross-cultural interactions, self-directed language learning support and preparation for study abroad. The center caters to students from three faculties and is run by a committee of faculty members and administrative staff.
Based on discussions with students and staff, our analysis of questionnaire results focused on the following areas:
1) Are students aware of the facilities and resources available?
2) Do the two English conversation lounges meet the needs of the student body and provide a welcoming atmosphere?
3) What resources and events would be of most interest to students?
The survey was administered in Fall 2022, and Spring and Fall in 2023. Initial results suggested that efforts to promote the center to students had been unsuccessful with many students. Furthermore, a comparatively large number of detailed responses described a clique-like atmosphere that had developed in the upper-level conversation lounge. We began several initiatives to address issues like these, including adjusting the survey itself to provide data that could be used when presenting the proposed initiatives to the SALC committee.
We will summarize the results of the survey up to Fall 2023, including students’ voices, to evaluate the extent to which initiatives had led to positive change.
