Development of a Blended Learning Online Course in French for Tour Guides on the CMRU MOOC Platform
Keywords:
Blended learning online course, French communication skills, Tour guides, CMRU MOOC platformAbstract
Integrating online learning into language teaching is essential to meet current needs and learning contexts. Developing blended online lessons is an effective approach to enhancing French communication skills for tour guiding. This study developed blended online learning to enhance French communication skills for the Tour Guides course and examine learner satisfaction on the CMRU MOOC platform. The target group was five third-year French for the Service Industry students from Chiang Mai Rajabhat University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, who enrolled in the French for Tour Guides course in the first semester of 2023. The participants were selected using purposive sampling. Research instruments included 1) five units of blended online lessons covering welcoming tourists, stating dos and don’ts, asking and giving directions, providing tourist attraction information, and shopping; 2) a satisfaction questionnaire; and 3) an interview form. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and content analysis.
The results revealed that (1) the developed blended online lessons were presented through bilingual (Thai-French) video clips combined with classroom practice, and (2) learners showed the highest level of satisfaction. The implementation aspect received the highest mean score, followed by lesson content and presentation format, respectively. Interview findings indicated that learners could apply their knowledge in real-life situations, such as giving directions, offering advice on tourist attractions, and communicating with French-speaking tourists. The lesson model can serve as a prototype for developing foreign language instructional materials for tour guiding in other contexts.
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