DIY: the CLA's experimental English course for beginners - results and reflections

This study explores the outcomes of two semester-long experimental courses for absolute beginners of English at the University of Padua. Convinced that a guided program of study that integrates computer self-access with classroom lessons would both stimulate and possibly accelerate and increase the quality of the learning process, the teachers conducted an experiment utilizing pre-/post- questionnaires and learner diaries to examine the effects of computer-mediated technology on their students. The findings confirmed that students were appreciative of the importance of the opportunities for practice, feedback and autonomy that the University Language Centre’s self-access resources offered them, yet they considered the teacher and the small group conversations in class as the “thing that helped them learn the most”. The results of both the on-line and classroom components have provided important insights and the necessary criteria for the creation of new solutions for future University Language Centre courses.