Learning Links: a web of choices

This paper presents Learning Links, Padova University Language Centre’s online English course. The course has developed from a need to provide appropriate language learning support resources for Italian university students aiming to reach Level B1 of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (see Clark, 2004). Whilst the University Language Centre offers its users a wide range of resources, the students have indicated the need for materials to be accessible from home and therefore available via the Internet (Ackerley, 2002; Ackerley, Sours, 2004). This need has led to the in-house creation of course structure and content by English teachers, web development experts and other members of staff at the University Language Centre. This paper discusses how the combination of choice and guidance is a key element in the provision of an autonomous learning environment, since it helps the students reach their individual learning objectives (Ackerley, 2003), allows for a range of cognitive attitudes (Bertin, 2001) and facilitates knowledge construction. The paper also describes some of the learning activities in Learning Links and, in particular, focuses on how they are linked together and the ways in which they can be used by the learners.