Preparatory study for the design of Visu, a desktop videoconferencing platform for synchronous language tutoring

One of the highlights of the day was Nicolas Guichon´s presentation on the use of desktop conferencing (DVC) for effective language teaching. Visu (pronounced in different ways, but all are just fine) is a project that reflects the joint efforts of foreign language teachers and computer specialists to design a system that would assist the former in their tasks. Such system combines video conferencing features in addition to other functionalities. Nicolas identified a number of skills as essential for effective online teaching using DVC, the most important of which were: social (the ability to establish and maintain a relationship with the learner), pedagogical (ability to design suitable teaching tasks), and multimedia-related (ability to operate software). As for the methodology followed in this study, two teachers of French as a foreign language were selected (out of a group of ten). Through a DVC platform, they were in regular contact with American students at UC Berkeley. Their 2^nd and 3^rd teaching sessions were captured using ´screenvideo´ recorder. After eight weeks of instruction, a focus group was formed to receive feedback from the teachers and validate inferences. One of the challenges that the teachers encountered was the number of tasks that had to be undertaken at the same time. For example, they had to maintain conversations with the learner(s), take notes, and manage time simultaneously. Teachers´ comments were taken into account for the future development of the project. Further research will be conducted especially in relation to the impact of Visu on the learners.