Moodle as a learning aid: An example of Chinese extra-curriculum activity design

This article discusses an example of utilizing Moodle as a learning aid for Chinese language courses offered in a non-Chinese speaking community with limited instructional hours. This Moodle-based extra-curriculum activity incorporates second/foreign language learning theories together with technology in facilitating language acquisition by engaging U.S. college students at various levels of Chinese proficiency in text-based computer-mediated communication. It extends language learning from a classroom setting to the students' daily life, provides an opportunity for the students to make good use of what they learned in class, and elevates the students' abilities to use Chinese in authentic interactive communication. The nature of the forum also enables the instructor to provide feedback regarding the students' linguistic outputs. Students' outputs are provided and analyzed to provide evidence of language acquisition.