i , Junio, 2019 Departamento de Lengua Inglesa Título del trabajo: Atlas interactivo para mejorar el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje de la Historia y la Literatura de los Pueblos de Habla Inglesa en la carrera Lengua Inglesa con Segunda Lengua Extranjera (Francés) en la Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas Autores del trabajo: Jani Yaquelin Perdomo Garcés Tutores del trabajo: M. Sc Dianaleis Maza Amores
Título del trabajo: Atlas interactivo para mejorar el proceso
de
enseñanza y aprendizaje de la Historia y la Literatura de los
Pueblos
de Habla Inglesa en la carrera Lengua Inglesa con Segunda
Lengua
Extranjera (Francés) en la Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de
Las
Villas
Tutores del trabajo: M. Sc Dianaleis Maza Amores
ii
Title: An Interactive Atlas for Improving the Teaching and
Learning
Process of History and Literature of the English Speaking
Countries
for the English Language Studies with a Second Foreign
Language
(French) at Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas
Author: Jani Yaquelin Perdomo Garcés
Thesis Director: M. Sc Dianaleis Maza Amores
iii
Este documento es Propiedad Patrimonial de la Universidad Central
“Marta Abreu” de
Las Villas, y se encuentra depositado en los fondos de la
Biblioteca Universitaria
“Chiqui Gómez Lubian” subordinada a la Dirección de Información
Científico Técnica
de la mencionada casa de altos estudios.
Se autoriza su utilización bajo la licencia siguiente:
Atribución- No Comercial- Compartir Igual
Para cualquier información contacte con:
Dirección de Información Científico Técnica. Universidad Central
“Marta Abreu” de Las
Villas. Carretera a Camajuaní. Km 5½. Santa Clara. Villa Clara.
Cuba. CP. 54 830
Teléfonos.: +53 01 42281503-1419
School of Humanities
Diploma Paper
Title: An Interactive Atlas for Improving the Teaching and Learning
Process
of History and Literature of the English Speaking Countries for the
English
Language Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French) at
Universidad
Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas
Author: Jani Yaquelin Perdomo Garcés
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dianaleis Maza Amores (MSc)
Santa Clara, 2019
v
We certify that the present Diploma Paper was carried out at the
Universidad Central
"Marta Abreu" de Las Villas to fulfill the requirements of the
curricula for the training
of Bachelors in English Language with a Second Foreign Language:
French. We
give our approval for it to be partially or totally used by the
institution for educational
purposes. This Diploma Paper can be neither published nor discussed
in any forum
without the approval of the University.
________________________________
Signature of the Author
We, the undersigned, hereby certify that the present Diploma Paper
has been
carried out with the approval of the institution authorities and
that it meets the
____________________________ ________________________
Signature of the Supervisor Signature of the Head of
Department
vi
Thought
Success in life is not measured by the personal accomplishments,
but by the
good will people around to share it with. Wealth is not a sign of
being
fortunate, love is.
Anonymous
vii
Dedication
To those who love me and believe in me wherever they are
viii
Acknowledgements
First of all, I have to thank my entire family and friends for all
the support and
love during all these years. To my mom, for being there
unconditionally,
giving me everything when I needed it no matter how hard the times
were. To
my dad, for prioritizing every petition of mine and for believing
in my capacity
to successfully overcome every obstacle. To my dear boyfriend, for
his
support, his love, his cute grumpiness, for sharing the early
wake-ups, my
tears, joy and worries, and for helping me every time. To my dear
family who
I love, my aunt, my grandmother Tita, to Ayo, Aya and Tito wherever
they are,
to my uncles, my cousins, my sisters, my other aunts, my mother in
law, my
brother in law and his wife. To my other family, who I also love:
my friends
Roxy, Hanna, Ele, Hanny. To my tutor Dianaleis, to Juana Idania,
Yuliet and
Mayra for their support and to all the professors and classmates
who
positively contributed to my formation here. To all of you, thank
you very
much.
ix
Abstract
The courses of History and Literature of the English Speaking
Countries for the
English Language Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French) at
Universidad
Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas are facing some problems with
the availability,
organization and level of update of the bibliography, neglecting at
times the use of
Information and Communication Technologies to meet the demands of
the
technological era. Furthermore, the use of maps as a basic teaching
aid for these
subjects is restricted. The main goal of this diploma paper is to
propose an
interactive atlas for improving the teaching and learning process
of the
aforementioned courses. The research´s methodology followed a
qualitative
paradigm and the results from the needs´ analysis as well as the
theoretical
rationale behind the research´s topic were taken into account for
the design of the
proposal. The atlas was created with WordPress, an open-source
software and the
library of maps amCharts. Both, specialists in the field of
technology and of the
intended courses assessed the proposal following diverse criteria
like:
completeness, reliability, accessibility and applicability which
validated it as a
valuable tool for the purpose it was created.
Key words:
literature;
x
INTERACTIVE ATLAS FOR IMPROVING THE TEACHING AND LEARNING
PROCESS OF HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING
COUNTRIES
........................................................................................................................
5
1.1.1 Defining Information and Communication Technologies
.................................................... 5
1.1.2 Role of ICTs in education
.............................................................................................................
7
1.1.3 ICTs in higher education
..............................................................................................................
9
1.2 Integrating ICTs into foreign language teaching and learning
process through an
interactive atlas
.....................................................................................................................................
11
1.2.1 Historical account on the use of an interactive atlas
......................................................... 11
1.2.2 Features and principles of an interactive atlas
....................................................................
14
1.2.3 Building an interactive atlas
......................................................................................................
18
1.2.3.1 WordPress, a Content Management System and HTML5,
JavaScript and CSS3 18
1.2.3.2 amCharts Library of maps
..................................................................................................
20
1.2.4 Using an interactive atlas in the educational
field...............................................................
21
1.3 Teaching history and literature. General considerations
............................................. 22
Partial Conclusions:
.............................................................................................................................
25
CHAPTER 2. NEED OF AN INTERACTIVE ATLAS FOR THE HISTORY AND
LITERATURE OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES TEACHING AND
LEARNING PROCESS AT UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL “MARTA ABREU” DE
LAS VILLAS
......................................................................................................................
26
2.2 Description of the sample
.............................................................................................................
27
2.3 Research methods used and results
..........................................................................................
28
2.3.1 Analysis of
documents........................................................................................................
28
2.3.3 Survey to professors
...........................................................................................................
37
2.4 Results of the needs analysis in the context of the subjects
History and Literature of the
English Speaking Countries
...............................................................................................................
40
CHAPTER 3. THE PROPOSAL OF AN INTERACTIVE ATLAS FOR THE
HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES
xi
ABREU” DE LAS VILLAS
..............................................................................................
42
3.1 The building process of the Interactive Atlas of the History
and Literature of the English
Speaking Countries
..............................................................................................................................
43
3.1.3 The content of the Interactive Atlas
........................................................................................
45
3.1.4 Features and principles of an interactive atlas applied in
the design of the Interactive
Atlas of the History and Literature of the English Speaking
Countries ................................... 46
3.2 Assessment of the Interactive Atlas of the History and
Literature of the English Speaking
Countries by specialists´ criteria
.......................................................................................................
52
3.2.1 Results
............................................................................................................................................
53
Partial Conclusions
..............................................................................................................................
54
1
Introduction
The 21st century classroom needs are very different from the 20th
century ones. In
the 21st century classroom, teachers are facilitators of student´s
learning and
creators of productive classroom environments, in which students
can develop the
skills they might need at present or in future. In detail, a
variety of teaching roles can
be assumed such as the controller, the prompter, the resource, the
assessor, the
organizer, the participant and the tutor (Nola A., 2016).
While there is certainly a place for teacher centered, lecture
style learning, the
evolving teacher must embrace new teaching strategies that are
radically different
from those previously employed. That said, the 21st century
classroom is created
on the premise that students experience what they require to enter
the 21st century
workplace and to live in the global environment such as: higher
order thinking skills,
effective communication skills and knowledge of technology, which
they will need
for their careers and the increased globalized environment.
Not only should these perspectives be taken into account when
analyzing the
challenging situation, but also the characteristics of the 21st
century students.
According to a recent study, teachers in every strata of education
are increasingly
dealing with a student population that is not only more wired than
they are, but also
grew up in a techno-drenched atmosphere that has trained them to
absorb and
process information in three different ways. This generation of
students is more
likely to be armed with cell phones, laptops, and iPods than with
spiral notebooks
and No.2 pencils (McHugh, 2005).
To comply with the most contemporary standards of the 21st century
teaching
and learning, the courses on History and Literature of the English
Speaking
Countries in Cuban universities (at any time possible) are
developed through
interactions and the use (limited) of powerful tools like ICTs
(Information and
Communication Technologies), the use of recordings and visuals like
movie
adaptations of literary works, and class presentations aided by
visuals like power
point, among others. Notwithstanding, at Universidad Central “Marta
Abreu” de Las
Villas there is still so much to learn about it and to progress.
Mainly the lack of
motivation from the part of students due to the characteristics of
these subjects, their
traditional lecture-centered teaching approach, the restricted
availability of valuable
2
teaching aids for these subjects like maps, and the situation with
the bibliographical
material are still some gaps to be filled in the teaching of those
courses at
Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas.
Therefore, the previously described situation led to the scientific
question: How
can the teaching and learning process of History and Literature of
the English
Speaking Countries to English language students at Universidad
Central “Marta
Abreu” de Las Villas be improved?
Thus, the scientific object of this diploma paper is the teaching
and learning
process of History and Literature of the English Speaking
Countries, being the field
of action the improvement of the teaching and learning process of
History and
Literature of the English Speaking Countries to English language
students at
Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas.
The overall aim of this diploma paper is to propose an interactive
atlas for
improving the teaching and learning process of History and
Literature of the English
Speaking Countries for the English Language Studies with a Second
Foreign
Language (French) at Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las
Villas.
In order to achieve the previous aim, the following scientific
tasks were
accomplished:
Setting the theoretical foundations to support the creation of an
interactive
atlas for improving the teaching and learning process of History
and
Literature of the English Speaking Countries for the English
Language
Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French) at Universidad
Central
“Marta Abreu” de Las Villas.
Diagnosing the current situation of the teaching and learning
process of
History and Literature of the English Speaking Countries for the
English
Language Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French) at
Universidad
Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas.
Creating an interactive atlas to improve the teaching and learning
process of
History and Literature of the English Speaking Countries for the
English
Language Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French) at
Universidad
Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas.
3
Assessing the proposal by specialists´ criteria.
For the achievement of the previously mentioned tasks, the
following methods
were used:
Theoretical Methods
- Analysis and synthesis: to develop the whole process of research,
to analyze,
select and make a synthesis of the most relevant elements related
with the object
and field of the research.
- The induction and deduction: to establish the research process
foundations
through generalizations from particular elements.
- Historical and logical: to analyze the evolution of concepts
related with ICTs for
education, an interactive atlas and the teaching and learning
process of history
and literature.
- Structural-systemic: used throughout the whole research process
and in the
design of the proposal from a logical and systematized view.
Empirical Methods
- Analysis of documents: to analyze the main documents relevant to
the field of
the research in order to find out the regulations and needs of the
teaching and
learning process of History and Literature of the English Speaking
Countries, to
identify accordingly the potential of the proposal.
- Surveys: to be applied to current English language students and
experienced
professors for the advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of
using ICTs like
an interactive atlas to study History and Literature of the English
Speaking
Countries; for opinions about the topic, and suggestions.
- Specialists´ criteria: to specialists in the area of Scientific
and Technological
Information and to professors with some experience in the field of
History and
Literature of the English Speaking Countries for the assessment of
the
Interactive Atlas of the History and Literature of the English
Speaking Countries.
Statistical and mathematical methods
- The percentage analysis and graph representation used to process
data
obtained from surveys.
4
- The frequency analysis used to identify the level of relevance of
different
information from the analysis of the frequency results.
Practical Contribution
An Interactive Atlas of the History and Literature of the English
Speaking Countries
can improve the teaching and learning process of these subjects for
the English
Language Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French) at
Universidad Central
“Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, by providing an up-to-date, organized,
interactive and
portable tool under which valuable knowledge covering and going
beyond the scope
of the syllabi of the aforementioned subjects is subsumed
facilitating the preparation
of both teachers and learners. Additionally, students’ attention as
well as their
retentive memory and motivation will be caught and enhanced,
respectively, with
visuals, videos, information tables and textual information
concerning the literature
and history of the different countries chosen to be studied,
considering geography
as a way of contextualizing and organizing the relevant information
of the two main
subjects.
This diploma paper is structured into three chapters. Chapter 1
deals with the
theoretical foundations of the teaching and learning of History and
Literature of the
English Speaking Countries aided by an interactive atlas.
Chapter 2 is concerned with the assessment of the current situation
of the
teaching and learning process of History and Literature of the
English Speaking
Countries for the English Language Studies with a Second Foreign
Language
(French) at Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, based
on the surveys
to students and professionals, the characterization of the sample,
main methods
and instruments used, as well as the analysis of the results
obtained at this stage of
the research.
Chapter 3 consists of the proposal of an interactive atlas for
improving the
teaching and learning process of History and Literature of the
English Speaking
Countries for the English Language Studies with a Second Foreign
Language
(French) at Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, and
its assessment by
specialists´ criteria. Finally, conclusions, recommendations, and
bibliography in
addition to appendixes are provided.
5
Chapter 1. Theoretical Rationale behind the Design of an
Interactive Atlas for
Improving the Teaching and Learning Process of History and
Literature of
the English Speaking Countries
Introduction
Designing an interactive atlas for the teaching and learning
process of History and
Literature of the English Speaking Countries requires a
theoretical-methodological
basis in order to support the proposal with strong foundations. In
this chapter the
main points about this matter will be exposed in different
sections. These central
ideas will be regarding: the use of ICTs in foreign language
teaching and learning
process through an interactive atlas and the teaching of history
and literature.
1.1 Information and Communication Technologies
1.1.1 Defining Information and Communication Technologies
According to UNESCO: ICTs are a scientific technological and
engineering
discipline and management techniques used in handling information
in application
and association with social, economic and cultural aspects (Sharma,
S et al., 2011).
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are often
associated with
the most sophisticated and expensive computer-based technologies.
But ICTs also
encompass the more conventional technologies such as radio,
television and
telephone technology. While definitions of ICTs are varied, it
might be useful to
accept the definition provided by United Nations Development
Program (UNDP):
‘‘ICTs are basically information-handling tools- a varied set of
goods, applications
and services that are used to produce, store, process, distribute
and exchange
information. They include the ‘old’ ICTs of radio, television and
telephone, and the
‘new’ ICTs of computers, satellite and wireless technology and the
Internet. ICTs
can be studied in terms of the technologies, i.e. the delivery
systems or in terms of
their content’’ (Vyasulu, 2003).
As to delivery systems, they are based upon their characteristics,
media
technologies and can be grouped into two categories, namely,
synchronous and
asynchronous (see Table 1). Synchronous media require all
participants to be
together at the same time even though in different locations.
Asynchronous ICTs
6
allow for participants in the learning process to be at “different
times” and “different
places”.
Synchronous Media Asynchronous Media
Audio conferencing E mail
Teleconferencing Virtual conferences
and Internet telephony
Multimedia products, off line
Web based learning formats
Also, the content of these types of media used in education can be
categorized
into two different types - educational and instructional content.
Table 2 describes
the different features of each type of content.
Table 2. Types of Educational Content.
Educational Instructional
Broad audiences
Awareness orientation
Multidimensional, even incidental
Evaluation critical, though formative,
When a decision is made to use ICTs for educational purposes, it is
important to
define and describe for what purpose the content will be used and
also be very clear
7
as to what delivery system is going to be used. Such a decision
should not be based
on the technologies but on the conditions and contexts in which the
ICTs are sought
to be used; e.g. access to media by the learners, etc.
Therefore, considering the previously mentioned elements, the
proposal
described in this paper can be labeled as an asynchronous media for
being a
multimedia product to be used off-line, with instructional content
for being aimed at
developing specific purposes to satisfy the demands of target users
in the context
of the teaching and learning process of History and Literature of
the English
Speaking Countries for the English Language Studies with a Second
Foreign
Language (French) at Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las
Villas.
1.1.2 Role of ICTs in education
In the past years the development of the ICTs has opened a lot of
possibilities in
education. Students and professors from all over the world can be
connected in
order to share their knowledge and experiences with the rest.
ICTs enable self-paced learning through various tools such as
assignment,
computer, etc. As a result of this, the teaching and learning
enterprise has become
more productive and meaningful. ICTs help facilitate the
transaction between
producers and users by keeping the students updated and enhancing
teachers´
capacity and ability fostering a live contact between the teacher
and the student
through e-mail, chalk session, e-learning, web-based learning
including internet,
intranet, extranet, CD-ROM, TV, audio-videotape (Sharma, Gandhar,
Sharma &
Seema, 2011).
ICTs promote active learning, sharing of ideas, discussion and also
provide
immediate feedback. This activates paced learning and allows
effective mapping of
learning path ways. Appropriate use of ICTs can transform the whole
teaching and
learning process leading to paradigm shift in both content and
teaching
methodology. ICTs integration in the field of education has
impacted hugely in
improving the quality of education.
8
One of the major advantages of using ICTs in the classroom has
focused on
enhancing the professional skills. The present and next generation
of students for a
workplace where ICTs particularly computers, internet and others
related
technologies are becoming more and more important. These computer
savvy and
technologically literate students possess the desired competencies
to use ICTs
effectively and the competitive edge in an increasingly uncertain
globalizing job
market.
There are three ways in which ICTs in education are considered in
current
thinking. These are ICTs education; ICTs supported education, and
ICTs enabled
education (Vyasulu, 2003). (See Appendix I).
Moreover, there have been new approaches to promote ICTs in
education taken
into account by the UNESCO in the past years – holistic and
comprehensive ones.
UNESCO has tried to address inclusion and quality among their main
challenges.
In order to accomplish this, they are implementing the use of the
new state-of-the-
art technologies like the FaceTime platform on cellphones and
computers to
enhance communications so the teacher can be delivering a
conference just miles
away from its receiver. This can be done thanks to the work of
three of its main
sectors: Education, Science and Communication &
Information.
It is widely believed that ICTs integration will help making
education more
accessible and affordable. Increasing role of ICTs will make
education more
democratic that is improving the quality education services
available to even
students sitting in far- flung remotest corners of a country.
In Cuba, since the implementation of the Batalla de Ideas program
at the birth of
the 21st century, the Revolution made sure that Cuban educational
system was
improved with the massive use of computers, TVs and a new
television channel
Canal Educativo aimed at broadcasting instructional programs to
make the most of
the availability of technologies to enhance the quality of the
education nationwide.
Furthermore, with the aid of another program the Plan Turquino,
these advantages
have reached even the most inaccessible communities of the country
(Enciclopedia
Cubana en la Red, 2019).
9
The prevailing characteristic of ICTs is that they have the
potential for improving
the quality of education and facilitating the acquisition of
knowledge, offering
extraordinary opportunities to enhance educational systems.
According to Haddad
and Jurich (2002), ICTs are actually a tool that can enhance
education´s quality in
two key ways: first in increasing learner motivation and
engagement, and second,
in facilitating the acquisition of basic skills. In the case of
language studies such
powerful tools like Power Points presentations, software, the World
Wide Web,
webquests, an interactive atlas among many others, are used with
academic
purposes in order to improve the language skills and the
intercultural competence.
1.1.3 ICTs in higher education
As stated before, ICTs play such a crucial role in shaping key
abilities for students
to enter the job market and they are valuable for keeping pace with
the technological
advancements in society. Thus, since higher education institutes
have always been
a privileged place to form the avant-grade generation that leads
every society, the
use of ICTs to improve not only the general abilities but also
those intrinsic to every
specialty cannot be neglected, and fortunately, it has not.
Associated with the students´ needs, many authors consider that
conventional
teaching in higher education in the past used to emphasize content.
Actually, for
many years, the courses have been written around textbooks,
teachers have taught
through lectures and presentations interspersed with tutorial and
learning activities
designed to consolidate and rehearse the content. However,
contemporary settings
are favoring curricula that not only focus on the content, but also
promote
competency and performance. Curricula are starting to emphasize
capabilities and
to be more concerned for how the information will be used instead
of for what the
information is (Oliver, 2002).
Therefore, universities have begun to develop ICTs strategies to
deal with the
need to respond to rapid changes in technology, which affect
content of nearly every
course; students must be up-to-date with the latest systems and
software if they are
to keep pace with the current demands in the knowledge (Gallimore,
1996).
ICTs revolution brought about what has been called within the
educational
environment as e-learning. Such tools, along with the pleasure
produced by the
10
study of the English language and its oral as well as written
expression, bound to
the advantages of the ICTs as a modern resource closer and closer
to the everyday
life, turns this into the perfect combination necessary to arise
the students’
motivation and meaningful learning process.
To meet these requirements, the curriculum must become more
relevant to what
students will be exposed to in the 21st century. For that purpose,
a combination of
different strategies can be effective. According to the official
site of the University of
George Mason in Virginia, institutions of higher learning across
the United States
are responding to political, economic, social and technological
pressures to be more
responsive to students' needs and more concerned about how well
students are
prepared to assume future societal roles. Faculty are already
feeling the pressure
to lecture less, to make learning environments more interactive, to
integrate
technology into the learning experience, and to use collaborative
learning strategies
when appropriate.
Today, educators realize that computer literacy is an important
part of students’
education. Integrating technology into a course curriculum when
appropriate is
proving to be valuable for enhancing and extending the learning
experience for
faculty and students. Many faculties have found electronic mail to
be a useful way
to promote student and student or faculty and student communication
between class
meetings. Others use list serves or on-line notes to extend topic
discussions and
explore critical issues with students and colleagues, or
discipline- specific software
to increase student understanding of difficult concepts.
The Cuban Higher Education professionals acknowledge the
contribution of the
ICTs in the development of their different didactic process. They
also provide the
possibility to approach the different language courses with a more
communicative
perspective and profit from its many possibilities to improve the
quality of such
process and meet the social requirements of todays’ world.
Specifically, at
Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas every faculty has a
laboratory and
various wireless services available for students to continue
developing the acquired
technological skills and use them to the benefit of their
professional training.
In respect to interactive atlases, their use in education goes
beyond the obvious
practicality in terms of courses related to geography, but they
have become a tool
11
to make up for the lack of bibliography and the deterioration of
the printed materials.
In this case, it becomes a different tool that is portable and
contains all the necessary
bibliography and even more materials. Besides, they are used to
introduce pupils
and students to the world from a given position or point of view.
That position can
refer to a geographical position, to an educational viewpoint (what
is the necessary
basic knowledge all students should have), or to ideological or
political views.
1.2 Integrating ICTs into foreign language teaching and learning
process
through an interactive atlas
1.2.1 Historical account on the use of an interactive atlas
Although people have been using maps for thousands of years,
civilizations really
did not begin producing large atlases until the 1500s. During this
time, European
and Asian countries were exploring the world through trade and
colonization. They
depended on atlases to guide them through unfamiliar territory. As
European
explorers mapped the "New World" (the Americas), they also updated
atlases with
their discoveries. Abraham Oertel, named Ortelius (1527–1598),
published his
“Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” as the first map collection satisfying
the atlas definition,
and in 1585, Gerhard Kremer, called Mercator (1512–1594) was the
first to give his
map collection “Atlas sive Cosmographicae Mediationes de Fabrica
Mundi et
Fabricati Figura” the name “Atlas” (Lechthaler, 2009).
In 1981 the first digital atlas was developed, the Electronic Atlas
of Canada
(Ramos and Cartwright, 2006). While the first digital atlases were
characterized by
hardware and software limitations, they did offer a glimpse into
what was to come –
for example, the digital Atlas of Switzerland, which defined a
standard for national
atlases when its first interactive version was published in 2000
(Hurni, Bar, & Sieber,
1999).
During the last two decades several traditional national atlases
have witnessed a
renaissance in digital form. In the beginning, the concept of a
view-only atlas was
widespread used with rasterized map images and limited spatial and
thematic
navigation interactivity (Ormeling, 1995). In the meantime, some of
them evolved
12
into mature products with tailor-made visualization techniques and
extended
interactive map and user interface functionality. Concerning the
publication platform,
atlases shifted from CD-ROM and/or DVD products to Internet sites
or portals
(Sieber, Geisthövel & Hurni, 2009).
Nowadays, digital national and regional atlases have expert
competences in easy-
to-use functionality, interactivity, and high-level visualization
techniques. Geo-data
and statistical data can be manipulated in multiple ways, and
on-hand navigation in
space and time, as well as various views of thematic maps in 2D and
3D, are
realized. There are various examples of such mature atlas systems.
Among these
the Atlas of Canada can be mentioned. The Atlas of Canada was the
first web-based
atlas worldwide. Another example of an atlas system is the
web-based ÖROK Atlas
of Austria (Sieber, Hollenstein, Odden & Hurni, 2011).
In the case of Cuba, national atlases have been published in 1970
(the first), 1979
and 1989 which have received national and international prizes.
Moreover, there
are thematic atlases like Atlas Demográfico, Atlas Etnográfico de
Cuba, Atlas
Biológico Pesquero de la Langosta comercial Panuliris argus, Atlas
Climático and
Atlas Lingüístico. In 2019, the most recent version of the Atlas
Nacional de Cuba
will be published to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Cuban
Revolution. This
atlas will be the first designed only by Cuban specialists and it
will be presented in
web multimedia (Asociación Cubana de Noticias, 2019).
To meet the current challenges and developments in the field of
geo-visualization,
new ideas are required for the concept of next generation atlases.
On the one hand,
conceptual ideas of 3d technology, geo-data viewers and
geo-portals, navigation
systems, and the Web 2.0 have to be considered. On the other hand,
an assessment
of user needs and requirements with respect to a new atlas
generation is necessary
(Sieber et al., 2011).
Various types of digital atlases exist (Ormeling, 1995). Kraak and
Ormeling (1996)
define digital atlases as ‘‘intentional combinations of specially
processed spatial
data sets, together with the software to produce maps from them’’.
They see the
maps in digital atlases as an interface for an atlas database. The
database (which
can be file-based and accessed through an internet connection)
contains
cartographically treated data that the atlas information system
loads and renders.
13
Atlas information systems can offer a variety of functionality for
data exploration
and can be in the form of traditional software applications or
browser-based web
applications (Jenny et al.,2006). In these respect, digital atlases
resemble a
Geographic Information System (GIS), but Kraak and Ormeling (1996)
also point
out the difference from a GIS, which is that ‘‘special care is
taken to relate all data
sets to each other, to allow them to be experienced as related, to
let them tell, in
conjunction, a specific story or narrative’’. This narrative
structure is seen as a
cornerstone concept that defines both paper and digital
atlases.
Another definition may be found in in the Lexicon of Cartography
and Geomatics
(Bollmann and Koch, 2002), an atlas map work is understood as a
target and
purpose oriented systematic set of maps in book form or as an Atlas
Information
System (AIS) with global, regional and local character, which
offers static and
dynamic maps (2.5D and 3D), texts, tables, pictures and graphics as
well as
computer-aided sequences like language, sound, animations and
videos.
In accordance to formal and relevant features, Bollmann and Koch
(2002)
distinguish among atlases with regard to:
• output medium/presentation form (paper, haptic, electronic,
multi-media atlas),
• thematic contents (complex thematic atlas, special atlas),
• format and content size (giant-, hand-, book- and pocket
atlas),
• representation area (world-, countries-, regional-, town-,
space-, moon atlas).
Beside these traditional classifications of atlases, digital
atlases are classified
more specifically. Considering the level of interactivity and the
analytic potential,
Ramos and Cartwright (2005) and Ormeling (1996) categorize digital
atlases as:
• view-only atlases (print-only atlases or digital static maps
without interactivity or
dynamics),
• atlases that generate maps on demand (interaction with data sets,
changes of
color schemas, classification methods or number of classes),
and
14
• analytical atlases based on GIS capabilities (database queries
through a map as
a graphical interface, in addition to provided map possibilities to
create, analyze and
visualize new data sets).
Brunner-Friedrich (2004) presents the concept of a school atlas and
postulates
that users of interactive and multimedia atlas information systems
MI-AIS show
different abilities and preferences within their scientific
information perception. Each
individual student needs a different approach to the learning
matter (in this case
cartographic topics) and a different kind of presentation to
improve his memorization
skills.
1.2.2 Features and principles of an interactive atlas
The design of an interactive atlas can be made in different formats
and following a
wide scope of criteria, among these are Lechthaler (2009), Hurni
et. al, (1999),
Ormeling (1995), Sieber et al. (2009), Kraak and Ormeling (1996),
Jenny et al.
(2006), Jacobson, Booch & Rumbaugh (2004), Eumednet (2011),
Roth (2013) and
Jordan, Saul, Kriz, Riedl & Partl (2015). Therefore, the
designer materializes the
idea that suits better its goals and resources. Regardless of these
great variety of
possible outcomes, two main elements are common ground: the
interface design
aspects including the functional requirements and acting elements
and the
interactivity (user-software) with the navigation diagram. The
criteria chosen by
the author of this diploma paper was that of Jacobson et al.
(2004), Roth (2013),
Eumednet (2011) and Jordan et al. (2015).
According to Jordan et al. (2015), the design of a user interface
is of great
importance to the process of the development of an interactive
cartographic
application. The role of an interface as a visual "communication
center" is to allow
the user access to digital data; the most important point being,
how spatial and
thematic data are presented to the user. It is important to realize
that the user
perceives the interface not only as far as its functions are
concerned but also
aesthetically.
Users´ satisfaction can only be guaranteed by optimizing the
variety and
interrelation of contents and the presentation acceptance of the
product. The most
15
important tasks of an interface include the distinct and
transparent presentation of
digital data, the intuitive design of tools and the possibility of
interaction with the
user. To ensure clear differentiation, it is especially important
the design and
position of the visual elements (tools, contents,
decoration).
Various conceptual factors are indispensable for the implementation
of these
tasks; especially the planning of the overall structure of the
contents and of the
interactivity of the product has to be pointed out. Apart from
these conceptual
aspects, design factors play an important role. The interface's
usefulness and
acceptance is not only determined by its technical and conceptual
realization, but
even more so by the design of the single elements. The use of
colors, typography,
icons, and pictures is an important design aspect that has strong
influence on the
interface's usefulness and transparency by ensuring ease of use
(user friendly
interface).
According to the design of the interface, Eumednet (2011) includes
the
requirements description as vital for the design of any software
development
process. These requirements are divided into functional and
non-functional. To
achieve compliance with the objectives and functionalities that the
system must
meet, the functional requirements are of great importance because
they represent
declarations of the services that the system must provide, they
specify the way in
which they must react to certain entries, they specify how the
system should behave
in particular situations, they can explicitly state what the system
should not do
(Eumednet, 2011). Among these requirements are: Authenticate User;
the system
must show information about the services it has available (Home,
Content, Help); it
must allow the search and it must allow users to contact the
representatives of the
project, when there is any doubt or problem with the
software.
The Eumednet research group also includes the non-functional
requirements.
Non-functional requirements are properties or qualities that the
product must
have. They represent the characteristics that make the product
attractive, usable,
fast or reliable, allowing to make the difference between a
well-accepted product
and one with little acceptance. Non-functional requirements are
restrictions of
services or functions offered by the system which generally apply
to the system as
a whole. They arise from the user's needs. Some of these
requirements are: the
16
appearance or external interface; the usability that states that
the system´s users
must have knowledge of the theme of the product and with basic
knowledge of
computers to ensure ease of use (user friendly interface); the
support which
guarantees an easy maintenance, simple configuration and
feasibility for customers;
the reliability which is related to the availability of and access
to the product and the
security which establishes specific system roles for different
users such as the
administrators and the anonymous users, defined by Jacobson et al.
(2004) as
system actors or acting elements. Each of them will have access
only to execute
the actions that correspond to them.
Jordan et al. (2015) also believe that the design of the interface
is closely
connected to the definition of the user group. The interface does
not stand on its
own, but is designed for a special task and for a special target
group. What follows
is that the developer's ideas have to be adjusted to the user's
demands. According
to Roth (2013), a user characteristic requiring consideration is
motivation, or the
desire one has to use the cartographic interface either out of
necessity (i.e., to
complete a work task) or out of interest (e.g., curiosity,
entertainment, popularity,
recommendation). Motivation differs from expertise in that users
with low levels of
motivation are not necessarily incapable of using a complex
cartographic interface,
they simply do not wish to do so (see Fig. 1). While user
preference and satisfaction
do not always result in effective and efficient interactions, there
is growing evidence
that users are more likely to be successful with interfaces that
they like (user friendly)
and thus want to use. User motivation therefore should be
cultivated at any time
possible to promote both initial use (e.g., offering incentives,
demonstrating utility
through real world examples) and continued use of a cartographic
interface (e.g.,
rewarding positive interaction strategies, offering easy ways to
correct mistakes).
17
Fig. 1 Relation between interface complexity and user
motivation
Finally, another feature of an interactive atlas, as it is
explicitly stated in its name,
is interactivity. Jordan et al. (2015) explain that the number of
functions
characterizes the interactive behavior of an application. The way
that the functions
are presented determines the way they are called. In the course of
the development
of graphical user interfaces, different styles of interaction, that
allow the user to
intervene in the application, have been developed. The interactions
are visualized
with the help of tools like buttons, icons, scrollbars, menus, and
windows, the
introduction of properties like zooming, differentiation of colors.
Specially as far as
the design of icons is concerned, real-world objects that are
recognizable for the
user and thus simplify the handling of the application should be
used. These
elements interact with other elements and entities on the screen
and influence the
perception reciprocally. Functions with logical connections should
therefore be
presented in groups, so that their interrelation becomes clear from
their
presentation. To these ideas, the Eumednet research group adds the
navigation
diagram. The navigation diagrams are formed by a set of states and
their
corresponding links, which open the way for users to move from one
state to another
with the possibility of returning to the initial page at any time
they wish. In this system
the links are varied according to the role played by the
user.
18
1.2.3 Building an interactive atlas
As analyzed in previous sections, interactive atlases have been
delivered in
different formats (CD-ROM, DVD, web page, on-line etc.). However,
most of the
interactive atlases are on-line and have access to the Google Maps,
GPS, 3D
technology. Unfortunately, despite the increase in ways of access
to the Internet in
Cuba, its cost is still high to allow a permanent availability of
the service.
Furthermore, this Interactive Atlas of the History and Literature
of the English
Speaking Countries is meant to be portable and used off-line
considering the needs
of the target users. Notwithstanding, in the light of this
conditions and acknowledging
the level of literacy of the author of this paper, the site was
created with WordPress,
a Content Management System (CMS), that offers many advantages
when
managing contents. WordPress is developed in php, a programming
language and
the theme of the site was developed in HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript.1
Furthermore,
the maps were downloaded from amCharts, a maps library that works
with vectors
with a high level of exactitude in the geographic coordinates and
that offers
possibilities to be used off-line, too.
1.2.3.1 WordPress, a Content Management System and HTML5,
JavaScript
and CSS3
WordPress, is the most popular CMS worldwide, having more than 50%
of all the
CMS market share and it is the one preferred by many of the most
successful and
world-wide known companies like the New York Times, CNN, People
Magazine,
UPS and NBC, etc. (Barron, 2019). WordPress is a software designed
for everyone,
emphasizing accessibility, performance, security, and ease of use.
It works with
minimum set up, hence one can focus on sharing the story, product,
or services
freely. The basic WordPress software combines simplicity,
flexibility and
predictability, facilitating the work with it. Additionally, there
are thousands of plugins
that extend what WordPress does, so its actual functionality is
nearly limitless. It
also offers powerful features for growth and success allowing the
user to manage
its product and even use it with commercial purposes without any
licensing fees.
Therefore, it believes in democratizing publishing and the freedoms
that come with
1 The site was developed with the assistance of Yenier Cruz who
majored in Cybernetics and has experience in the field since the
level of expertise required is beyond that acquired by the author
of the diploma paper.
19
the open source software policy. Everything from simple websites,
to blogs, to
complex portals and enterprise websites, and even applications, are
built with
WordPress (WordPress Foundation, 2019).
HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3
Hypertext Markup Language revision 5 (HTML5) is a markup language
for the
structure and presentation of World Wide Web contents. HTML5
supports the
traditional HTML and XHTML-style syntax and other new features in
its markup,
New APIs, XHTML and error handling. HTML5 is an effort to bring
order to web
development chaos by organizing common practices, embracing
implementations
from various browsers. HTML5 is simply just an umbrella term for
the next
generation of web applications and how functionality will be
expanded with better
markup (HTML), better style (CSS), and better interactivity
(JavaScript)
(Technopedia, 2019).
Moreover, modern JavaScript is a safe programming language. It does
not provide
low-level access to memory or CPU, because it was initially created
for browsers
which do not require it. For instance, in-browser JavaScript is
able to add new HTML
to the page, change the existing content, modify styles. It can
also react to user
actions, run on mouse clicks, pointer movements, key presses; it
can send requests
over the network to remote servers, download and upload files;
remember the data
on the client-side (“local storage”). Java Script offers full
integration with HTML/CSS,
simplicity and support by all major browsers. JavaScript is the
only browser
technology that combines these three aspects which makes it the
most widespread
tool for creating browser interfaces (JavaScript, 2019).
CSS3 is the latest version of the CSS specification. Some of the
most important
CSS3 modules are: Selectors, Box Model, Backgrounds and Borders,
Image Values
and Replaced Content, Text Effects, 2D/3D Transformations,
Animations, Multiple
Column Layout and User Interface (Quora, 2019).
Overall, HTML is the markup language that one uses to structure and
give
meaning to one´s web content, as an illustration, defining
paragraphs, headings,
and data tables, or embedding images and videos in the page. CSS is
a language
of style rules that one uses to apply styling to the HTML content,
for example setting
20
background colors and fonts, and laying out the content in multiple
columns.
JavaScript is a scripting language that enables the user to create
dynamically
updating content, control multimedia, animate images, among many
other services
(Developer.mozilla, 2019).
1.2.3.2 amCharts Library of maps
With amCharts, just a few lines of code allow the user to add
full-fledged interactive
maps to its web site or application. For its functionality,
amCharts 4 uses GeoJSON
– an open mapping standard. The maps work with a technology of
vectors, providing
exact geographical locations based on a sexagesimal coordinates
system. If a map
exists, it probably exists in GeoJSON format, or at least is easy
to convert to.
amCharts 4 comes with support for a lot of map projections which
allow displaying
the same map in different ways. A single line of code adds neat
control enabling the
users to zoom in and out the map. Another line enables the slider
and all elements
can be controlled using mouse, touch, and since they are accessible
controls,
keyboard control is also possible (amCharts, 2019).
All in all, either Word Press or amCharts proved to be useful and
appropriate for
the available conditions in Cuba and for the easy-to-use and
state-of-the-art features
that allow to integrate a variety of functional and aesthetics
means to the Atlas.
Moreover, these technologies guarantee the fulfillment of two of
the most important
requisites of the Atlas: comprehensive content (allow the
integration of diverse
formats: images, texts, videos, etc.) and user-software
interactivity (offers the
introduction of properties like zooming, differentiation of colors,
icons, slide bars
etc.), and only require a computer program or server to run the
site called Xampp,
that needs neither high RAM performance nor high hard drive
capacity. Besides, the
widespread use of these CMS and maps library also reaches the field
of educational
purposes, for instance: a project to develop interactive digital
atlases of human
anatomy by the European Society of Radiology, the Interactive Atlas
of Romance
Intonation by the Grup d´Estudis de Prosódia; UNESCO Interactive
Atlas of the
World's Languages in Danger; the Atlas of the Columbia River Basin
by the College
of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University,
Corvallis,
21
USA and Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke by the
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention of the United States of America.
1.2.4 Using an interactive atlas in the educational field
Interactive atlases are being created nowadays in various fields
such as medicine,
geography, education, engineering, social studies, language studies
and many
others. Technological developments of the last two decades have led
to a wider
range of different cartographic media implicated in cartographic
information and
communication systems (CICS). The most important and complex
systems enabling
the user to search for new knowledge are interactive and multimedia
atlas
information systems (MI-AIS), which include cartographic,
linguistic, mathematical,
statistical, acoustical, and visual languages. Cartographic
information in thematic
and/or topographic maps, virtual space maps, dynamic
three-dimensional satellite
images, geo-texts, videos, photos, sound, computer simulations,
statistical graphs,
and diagrams allow to construct individual worlds of space
information (Lechthaler,
2010). This type of ICTs has become a valuable mean to organize
information, to
manage diversely related contents and to make up for the lack of
availability of
bibliographical material related to specific matters.
In education, atlases have always been a handy tool to teach
important courses
like geography but interactive atlases go beyond the scope of
geography and reach
courses that need a geographical reference to achieve their goals
with more
proficiency. Atlases offer a compilation of data: images, text,
video, that can easily
be used in teaching and improving the retentive memory of students;
teachers can
better explain complex instructions and ensure students'
comprehension; and they
can create interactive classes and make the lessons more enjoyable,
which could
improve student attendance, motivation and concentration.
Furthermore, the lack of
bibliographical material does not represent an obstacle for the
learning process
because with the aid of technological means and a wide variety of
resources,
students will have access to valuable knowledge to achieve the
different goals set
for the intended courses.
Moreover, like other ICTs, atlases help the individualization of
learning, allowing
each learner to relate to the medium and its content on their own;
with the user-
22
software interactivity, learners can relate to the content, go
forward and backward
and start at any point depending upon prior knowledge instead of
following always
a sequential way; it can serve multiple teaching functions and
diverse audiences:
ICTs, especially the computer and Internet based, can be useful in
drill and practice;
to help diagnose and solve problems, for accessing information and
knowledge
about various related themes (Vyasulu, 2003). With ICTs like an
interactive atlas,
the classroom leaves the traditional teacher-centered approach and
evolves to a
learner-centered one, in which the learner acquires new skills
resulting from the new
level of independence or individualization, however, the teacher
cannot adopt a
secondary role under any circumstance, he/she needs to stay as
unnoticed as
possible but always leading the activity and controlling the
discipline for learner
independence not to become abuse of confidence leading to failure
of the desired
objectives.
Finally, an interactive atlas is a direct, organized and easy
access to information
which meets the users´ requirements. For this reason, it could be a
good
methodological alternative to be implemented in the foreign
language teaching and
learning process, in a context in which higher education in general
needs to keep
pace with the outside world in order to form professionals as
capable and prepared
as possible.
1.3 Teaching history and literature. General considerations
The study of history has a particular contribution to make in
delivering a vision of
national idiosyncrasy and commitment. The historical analysis
provides tools and
lays the foundations for the personal growth and rational thinking
of those individuals
who can master the intrinsic morals and lectures behind the
different historical
events. Moreover, history offers insights into the complexities and
diversity of past
human behavior; it fosters the ability to interrogate differing,
even conflicting,
narratives; it requires that arguments are supported by an
understanding of wide-
ranging evidence. But history in schools can only make such a
contribution if what
is taught, how it is taught and the quality of the available
resources enables it to do
so (Council of Europe, 2018). On the other hand, the study of
literature is aimed at
enhancing students’ language proficiency, and it is also geared for
the purpose of
23
generating the aesthetic part of the language that is personal
response from
students. According to the Malaysian Online Journal of Educational
Science, the
aim of literature is not only meant to address the interpersonal,
informational
aesthetic value of learning, but also the learning of the language
in general, about
people, culture, ethics, behaviors and other social norms. The
introduction of
literature component into the educational syllabus is to enable
students to improve
their proficiency through reading, respond to text, draw lessons
and insights from
slices of life, understand and appreciate other culture, relate to
events, characters
and own life, as well as expose students to models of good
writing.
Traditionally, the teaching process of history and literature has
followed a lecture-
centered approach due to its abstract but comprehensive nature. The
arrival of the
technological era demands changes in that teaching approach, since
according to
Kelly (2016), teachers are losing the rising generation of students
because the
approach to the past seems increasingly out of sync with the
students´ heavily
intermediated lives. Concerning history, the future of its teaching
depends on the
teachers´ ability and willingness to accommodate themselves to the
rapidly
accelerating, technology-driven cycle of change that is
transforming the teaching,
learning, research, and production of historical knowledge. By
giving students the
freedom to experiment, to play with the past in new and creative
ways, whether
using digital media or not, they have the possibility of doing very
worthy and
interesting historical work and of achieving significant learning
gains. When students
work on topics they are interested in, in ways that make sense to
them, the level of
their engagement not only with the assignment, but also with the
fundamental
historical assumptions that the assignment raises, certainly goes
up, and the
classroom contributes to more than the development of the most
basic skills of
historical analysis.
Writing about the past is one way students acquire and demonstrate
the desired
higher order thinking skills. Other methodological approaches can
be learning
exercises that emphasize active learning, community-engaged
learning, problem-
based learning, or other teaching methods demonstrated to engender
the kinds of
historical thinking teachers strive for with their students.
Additionally, a much higher
likelihood of producing the learning gains can be achieved by
structuring the
teaching and learning about the past around ways that digital
technology now
24
promotes active engagement with, rather than passive acquisition
(and reading) of
historical content. Students ought to be taught the
correct/important/essential facts
about the past and that any consideration of historical methods or
analysis is
secondary to the acquisition of the proper set of the facts. Unlike
the traditional
lecture/paper/exam model of history instruction, digital media
offer the possibility of
creating new, exciting ways for students to be historians as they
learn about the past
(Kelly, 2016).
As to literature, and following a traditional and conventional
criteria, Carter, R. and
Long (1991) stated that there are three models in the teaching of
literature: (1) The
Cultural Model which view literature as a teacher-centered and
source of facts
where teacher delegates knowledge and information to students, (2)
The Language
Model which allows teacher to employ strategies used in language
teaching to
deconstruct literary texts in order to serve specific linguistic
goals, and (3) The
Personal Growth Model where the focus is on a particular use of
language in a text
and in a specific cultural context. These models have been
incorporated in various
approaches in the teaching of literature. They are the (1)
Language-Based
Approach, (2) Paraphrastic Approach, (3) Information-Based
Approach, (4)
Personal-Response Approach, (5) Moral-Philosophical Approach, and
(6) Stylistic
Approach. Not surprisingly, the teaching of literature in the new
century requires the
inclusion of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
with the
purpose of connecting the old with the new in authentic ways to
center the
knowledge demands of modern readers.
In the educational field, history and literature are usually merged
into one
discipline due to the similarities and challenges in their teaching
and learning
process and their connections to unveil the characteristics and
peculiarities of
peoples in given contexts. As expressed before, they both entail
the use of ICTs to
leave behind their traditional approach and to enter the new
technological revolution,
and specifically they both benefit greatly from the use of maps
which, though more
closely related with history, can also be valuable for the teaching
and learning
process of literature. Using maps in the classroom invites
curiosity, encourages
exploration and inspires problem solving. They can be used to
explore a multitude
of topics and can incorporate visual learning, spatial thinking and
quantitative skills
into a lesson. Their use provides context and relevance to topics
covered in class
25
as students can more easily visualize complex ideas and
situations
(Teachinghistory, 2019). Fortunately, thanks to the proliferation
of digital
technologies, they are also exciting interactive resources for the
classroom; visual
platforms that teachers and students can use to create, define, and
understand
themes and concepts as well as the geography in which events
unfold.
Partial Conclusions:
This chapter focused on giving a comprehensive bibliographical
review on the
definitions, main features, purposes and role of Information and
Communication
Technologies, Interactive Atlas and the teaching of history and
literature. Therefore,
when analyzing the different sources, it was concluded that the
technological
revolution reaches the field of education and the courses of
history and literature
need to be updated to live up to the new standards, to increase the
availability of
organized bibliographical resources, thus contributing to improve
the learner´s
motivation, the teacher´s preparation and the quality of the
courses in general, being
an interactive atlas a suitable technological tool for these
purposes.
26
Chapter 2. Need of an Interactive Atlas for the History and
Literature of the
English Speaking Countries Teaching and Learning Process at
Universidad
Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas
2.1 Methodology and stages of the research
The methodology of the research corresponds to a qualitative
paradigm since it is
based on the experiences, perceptions and suggestions of both,
students and
professors regarding the teaching and learning process of History
and Literature of
the English Speaking Countries for English Language Studies with a
Second
Foreign Language (French) at Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de
Las Villas
Aided by an Interactive Atlas. Nevertheless, methods of the
quantitative paradigm
were also used to complement the findings obtained.
This chapter will provide the necessary elements to describe the
research process
and the methods used for collecting and processing the necessary
data to achieve
the outcomes. The results to be presented here will show the
limitations regarding
the available bibliographical material for the content courses of
History and
Literature of the English Speaking Countries.
The research was divided into three main stages:
The first stage was devoted to establishing a theoretical
background to
systematize the main concepts and the relationships deriving from
them. At this
stage, the most important definitions such as Information and
Communication
Technologies, Interactive Atlas and their influence not only on the
world but also on
education, and specifically in higher education, as well as general
considerations of
teaching history and literature were analyzed. Hence, a
bibliographic review was
developed.
The second stage focused on the determination of needs concerning
the
bibliography of the content courses of History and Literature of
the English Speaking
Countries and the availability of ICTs to support these subjects in
addition to the
research context for both, teachers and learners of 4th and 5th
years of English
Language Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French). The main
purpose of
this stage was to fulfill the second scientific task of the
research. Accordingly, the
27
research tools for collecting information were designed and
implemented. Then, the
analysis of the data obtained was carried out using different
research methods.
Finally, the results were stated showing the need for the proposal
of an interactive
atlas.
The third stage consisted in designing the Interactive Atlas of the
History and
Literature of the English Speaking Countries. It was based on the
principles,
features and technological resources for the elaboration of the
Interactive Atlas
stated in the chapter of the theoretical analysis. Finally, the
proposal was assessed
by the specialists´ criteria.
2.2 Description of the sample
The research was carried out at the Universidad Central “Marta
Abreu” de Las Villas
in the context of the major English Language Studies with a Second
Foreign
Language (French). Specifically, this study was undertaken in the
courses of History
and Literature of the English Speaking Countries. Therefore, the
selection of the
sample followed some reasoned and intentional criteria. The sample
included
twenty-four (24) students of the 4th and 5th years of the English
Language Studies
with a Second Foreign Language (French) who were taking these
courses and also
six (6) professors including the main professors of the subjects
and those with some
experience teaching these subjects or others subsumed under the
same discipline.
Thus, there were thirty (30) participants in total.
To choose the sample, some aspects were taken into
consideration:
Academic Level of students: Students of the fourth and fifth years
of the
English Language Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French)
at
Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas since they are the
ones
taking or who took the courses on History and Literature of the
English
Speaking Countries.
Academic and scientific degree of professors: these professionals
hold
scientific degrees of Bachelor, Master of Science (MSc) and
Doctorate (PhD)
and academic degrees of assistant professor, associate professor or
full
professor and some of them are pursuing their MSc or PhD
studies.
28
Literature of the English Speaking Countries or other subjects
whose
contents are closely related with these two.
Willingness: All the students and professors surveyed were willing
to
cooperate.
The main objectives of the research as well as the impact were
explained to the
participants. The research work had all the support and
collaboration from the
department authorities and staff in providing all the necessary
information in respect
to the topic.
2.3 Research methods used and results
As mentioned before and stated in the introduction of this paper,
in this research
some methods were applied to collect the data, such as theoretical
methods
(historical and logical, induction and deduction), empirical
methods (analysis of
documents, surveys) and statistical and mathematical methods (the
percentage and
frequency analysis). As it was mainly a qualitative research, for
the results analysis,
the method of content analysis was used accompanied with the
interpretation of the
data and verbalizations of the participants supporting the results.
Hence, in this
section, a descriptive analysis is carried out for each of the
empirical methods.
2.3.1 Analysis of documents
Five documents were analyzed during the research process:
Curriculum ‘‘D’’,
History of the English Speaking Countries Syllabi (Great Britain I
and United States
II), Literature of the English Speaking Countries Syllabi (Great
Britain I and United
States II) and the Computer Strategy of the course English Language
Studies with
a Second Foreign Language (French).
The Curriculum “D” was analyzed in order to know the main
objectives of the
academic course English Language Studies with a Second
Foreign
Language (French), alumni profile, importance of the English
Language
29
discipline and the subjects of History and Literature of the
English Speaking
Countries.
History of the English Speaking Countries Syllabi (Great Britain I
and United
States II) and Literature of the English Speaking Countries Syllabi
(Great
Britain I and United States II) were analyzed to identify the
general objectives,
assessment criteria, contents and system of skills to develop in
the learners.
The Computer Strategy of the degree course of English Language
Studies
with a Second Foreign Language (French) was analyzed to determine
the
level of computer literacy which the students of 4th and 5th years
must master.
Results of the analysis of Curriculum “D”
The Curriculum was the latest modification until the moment of this
research2, and
includes 11 disciplines, from which two are considered to be basic:
English
Language and French. The main aspects analyzed here were the
general objectives
for the intended academic course, exercise of the profession,
fields and areas of
action. According to Curriculum “D” bachelors of the English
Language with a
Second Foreign Language (French) should be able:
To get acquainted with the international phenomenon and realities
of
Anglophone world as well as of the second foreign language, and
apply them
in the studies, taking into account, Cuban revolution´ s
principles, reality and
point of view.
To apply the universal principles of translation and interpretation
during their
professional performances. The translation and interpretation from
the two
foreign language to the mother tongue Spanish and vice versa.
To work as translators and/or interpreters in a concrete historical
situation.
To contribute to the communication between Spanish speakers and
non-
Spanish speakers acting as mediators, as means of linguistic
and
interlinguistic communication and as means of knowledge diffusion
and
cultural development through the use of the three languages,
English (as first
foreign language), French (as second language) and Spanish (the
mother
tongue).
2 In the course 2018-2019 a new curriculum was implemented
Curriculum “E” but the most important aspects of these courses
remained unchanged.
30
To teach English efficiently in order to contribute to the cultural
development
of a foreign language in our society.
Finally, the curriculum states that their professional performance
will be mainly in
areas of tourism, international events and foreign affairs,
etc.
Results of the analysis of the syllabi of History and Literature of
the English Speaking
Countries I and II
According to the Curriculum D, this discipline has a
multidisciplinary nature with the
aim of covering, in a general and panoramic way, the fundamental
characteristics
of the country under study considering its geographical, economic,
historical,
literary, political, social and cultural features. History and
Literature of the English
Speaking Countries I and II are subjects helping graduates of the
English Language
Studies with a Second Foreign Language (French) to play an
outstanding role as
mediators between people in the communication process, since these
subjects can
be used to develop their language skills and as an advantage to
transcend the
intercultural barriers. This discipline requires abundant
audio-visual support
including political, physical and economic maps, slides and videos,
historical films,
tapes, tables and diagrams, among others. It also considers the use
of novels and
illustrative stories of the contents of the subject.
The methodology for the delivery of the discipline and the forms of
evaluation vary
according to the linguistic and communicative competence of the
students, the
specific objectives of each level, the bibliographical availability
and others.
Likewise, the discipline is based on the practical activity of the
students through the
realization of research works linked to specific topics in which
they are supposed to
deepen the content exposed with the support of ICTs and the
appropriate use of the
corresponding language skills.
Both History and Literature of the English Speaking Countries I
(Great Britain) are
currently studied within the 4th year of the academic course, in
its second semester.
History I is delivered in 48 hours and Literature I in 64 hours. As
for the form of
assessment in History I there is the suggested final portfolio,
which is periodically
checked. Literature I uses a mid-term exam and a final paper or
academic essays.
31
In the case of the History and Literature of the English Speaking
Countries II (The
United States of America), these are studied in the first semester
of the 5th year of
the academic course. The course of History II has 48 hours and that
of Literature II
has 64 hours. As to the assessment system, both have two mid-term
exams and a
final paper or academic essay upon assigned readings.
History of the English Speaking Countries
The course on History of the English Speaking Countries has been
designed to
provide a historical, social and cultural characterization of these
nations. It consists
of two parts, History I (of Great Britain) and II (of United
States), which allow
students: to acquire fundamental knowledge of the life in these
countries throughout
different stages of their history; to learn about the cultural and
social basis of their
development and about the legacy of these two in their
idiosyncrasy. The countries
that are dealt with allow students not only to get familiar with
the origins of the
English speaking countries ‘culture but also with its development
in countries heirs
to English settlement that have also enriched the cultural overview
of the English
speaking world.
This course is aimed at developing a set of skills subsumed under
the previously
mentioned objectives. As an illustration, some of them are provided
below:
To know the geographical location of the English speaking countries
and
regions, as well as the geographical, economic, political, social
and cultural
features of those nations that are more relevant to the Cuban
reality.
To analyze the cultural legacy of the different ethnic groups of
the English
speaking countries.
To explain the history of these countries and to find its nexus
with the
characteristics of their present.
To find the similarities and differences among the different
English speaking
countries regarding the culture, history, economy and
politics.
To know the most important issues of the English speaking world and
analyze
them considering the precepts of the dialectic materialism.
To identify the intercultural differences between the culture of
the English
speaking countries´ culture and Cuba in order to perform better in
the
professional career.
Literature of the English Speaking Countries
This discipline focuses on the knowledge of the major genres of the
Anglophone
literary production and on the most significant peculiarities of
these genres through
the works and authors of the two countries that are selected. It
also includes the
study of the literary development of these countries, the knowledge
of the spiritual
life of these nations through the analysis of their respective
literary manifestations.
The importance of this discipline lies on the fact that it can
bring students closer
to the traditions, art and socio-cultural life of the peoples
studied. Furthermore, it
allows a development of literary appreciation and the abilities of
analysis and critical
assessment of students on a more solid basis. Moreover, the subject
is addressed
to contribute to the enrichment of the student´s sensitivity and
creativity as well as
to their cultural, linguistic and aesthetic competence.
This course also includes a set of specific objectives as it
follows:
• To analyze and assess the scientific and objective approach of
the world based on
the Marxist-Leninist philosophy through the study of the literary
expressions of the
target countries, in order to raise the student´s
political-ideological, cultural and
aesthetic formation.
• To perform a serious literary analysis that contributes to the
development of logical
thinking, critical reasoning.
• To recognize the characteristics of literary language in
different genres and literary
trends.
• To value and criticize literary works considering the
socio-historical context in
which they originate and the message of the author.
• To educate the student´s aesthetic taste by appreciating the
genres, authors and
the most significant literary works of literature in the English
speaking peoples
studied.
• To continue to develop the students´ linguistic skills on the
basis of academic
language in the debates and essays that are assigned.
Concerning the bibliography suggested for these courses, each
subject has its
basic textbooks: History I, British History by Harold Schultz;
Literature I, English
Literature: An Anthology by M. E. Rodríguez; History II, Historia
de los Pueblos de
Habla Inglesa II (Estados Unidos de América: Historia y Actualidad)
by Paul Boyer,
et al; and Literature II, An Anthology of Famous American Stories
by Burrell and
33
Cerf. However, none of this is enough to meet the curricular goals
for each subject,
because most of those textbooks are not available any longer, some
are out of date
and even obsolete, and in general, fail to motivate 21st century
learners. For that
reason, the Local Network of the Universidad Central “Marta Abreu”
de Las Villas
allocates folders where teachers develop, keep and make available
all the
necessary information and resources to study them all.
Overall, the analysis of these documents allowed identifying the
priorities and
peculiarities of the intended subjects as well as their input to
complete the
professional training of the learners.
Results of the analysis of the Computer Strategy
The overall aim of the strategy is to develop the students’
computer skills to prepare
a more competent professional who lives up to the standards of the
demands of the
working world. According to this strategy, it is crucial to master
skills concerning the
use of text processors, Microsoft Office, text tabs and email. It
is also important to
elaborate and use databases and surf the web (Local Network or
Internet) looking
for specific information. In addition, this document highlights the
importance of using
professional software and tutorials related with the specialty as
well as using
information from servers and Remote Databases in the students´
research
component of the curriculum.
Specifically, the students of the 4th and 5th years of the degree
course (who are
the ones selected for the sample of this research) must use
monolingual and
bilingual encyclopedias and dictionaries, search information
through the Internet
and use programs either for automatized or computer assisted
translation, all of
them in line with the subjects of Literature of the English
Speaking Countries I and
II, Computer-Assisted Translation, Translation of Socio-Economic
and Socio-
Political Texts and Bilateral Interpretation. The development
skills related with the
two latter are critical for an outstanding performance in the State
Exams.
In order to meet the objectives of this strategy the university
offers various
resources at the disposal of students: computer laboratories, a
Local Network,
wireless and cable connection. In the Local Network, there is site
which has
available (organized by faculties, degree courses, years, semesters
and subjects)
34
different folders with the bibliography needed collected by the
main professors. In
the case of the Faculty of Humanities, there is a computer
laboratory for the English
Language with a Second Foreign Language (French), Journalism and
Philology
courses equipped with several computers, though not all of them are
fully
functioning and there are some tables at the disposal of those
students who have
personal computers. Specifically, the degree course of English
Language Studies
with a Second Foreign Language (French) has available two more
laboratories:
CAELTIC and the French laboratory which are specialized, however,
duly
programmed, they can be used to the benefit of other
subjects.
All in all, having computer literacy, of ICTs in general, offers
countless
opportunities to manage a wide scope of resources and information.
The subjects
of History and Literature of the English Speaking Countries have
most of the
bibliography in digital form which means using an interactive atlas
as part of the
computer strategy developed in this university, can be of valuable
help to increase
the level of availability, organization and access to updated
bibliography to improve
the teaching and learning process.
2.3.2 Survey to English language students
As previously described, the study involved twenty-four (24)
students of 4th and 5th
years of the English Language Studies with Second Foreign Language
(French) at
Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas. The survey was
carried out in order
to explore the students´ views concerning the teaching and learning
process of
History and Literature of the English Speaking Countries and their
knowledge of and
opinion and recommendations regarding the use of an interactive
atlas to enhance
the quality of such content courses.
The questionnaire given to the students (Appendix II), consisted of
five (5)
questions of various formats but all aimed at facilitating the
answering and data
analysis process and at getting honest opinions and suggestions.
Therefore, the
types of questions chosen by the author were dichotomous scale
questions (Yes-
No or Sufficient and Insufficient responses), multiple choice
questions with delimited
answers decided in advance and open-ended questions.
35
Once the data collection process finished, the next step was the
analysis of that
data. Percentage as a relative frequency calculation