Keywords

Background of ELT in Pakistan

English is taught both as a foreign and second language in Pakistan. Since Pakistan achieved its independence from the British in 1947, English has remained in use as the official language of the country, especially in administration, judiciary, and higher education. Mahboob (2002: 2) reports the knowledge and use of English in Pakistan as ‘a passport to entry to high governmental, bureaucratic, military, and social positions’. It is, thus, regarded as the key to success by masses in the country. Shamim (2009) highlights that English language is essential for individual development, success, social mobility, and national progress.

Abbas (1993) believes that the colonial legacy and the absence of a rival foreign language, both account for the power and prestige attached to English language in Pakistan. Hence, it is observed that parents from all social classes prefer sending their children to private English-medium schools instead of government-run Urdu-medium schools. However, despite the prevalent preference for English-medium education, college and university graduates do not really demonstrate an acceptable level of proficiency in English language. The reason behind this, in my observation, is that English is mainly taught as a subject in schools and colleges and not as a vehicle for communication. Another reason is likely to be that teachers follow the direct transmission model of teaching in which they try to ‘transmit’ the knowledge of English into students’ heads.

The National Committee on English (NCE)

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan constituted the National Committee on English (NCE) in 2003 to address the concerns pertaining to the declining standards of ELT in higher education. Mansoor’s (2005) study investigating the availability and quality of ELT resources in degree-awarding institutions revealed that the students and the teachers were generally dissatisfied with the ELT practices in higher education institutions. This dissatisfaction raised the need to establish English support programs in higher education institutions. She also highlighted the need to develop resources (textbooks and teaching materials) that are aligned to local contextual and cultural needs, update testing and assessment procedures, strengthen research and to set up online and CALL programs in ELT (ELTR 2004 available at www.hec.gov.pk).

The English Language Teaching Reforms Project (ELTR)

ELTR (2004) was the first exclusive English language-based project of Pakistan that was launched by the HEC following the recommendations of the NCE. It was aimed at effective and sustainable teacher development in ELT and research in the Pakistani higher education context. The project was also part of the vision 2020 plans.

The purpose of the ELTR (2004) project as identified by the HEC website is summarized below:

  • To impart long/short-term professional development and training to higher education faculty teaching English Language and Literature.

  • To provide training on research in order to enhance the research capacity of English faculty.

  • To develop CALL expertise among English faculty for integration of information technology in teaching and learning and to set up Self Access Centers (SAC) in public sector universities.

  • To train English faculty in designing and administering the latest testing techniques so that they are equipped to meet the demands of ongoing assessments in semester systems.

  • To liaise with international experts in learning and assessment and organize their visits to Pakistan for knowledge imparting and facilitating a suitable model for education systems in Pakistan.

Under the banner of this project, several professional development courses, workshops, and seminars along with national and international conferences are regularly organized. Phase 1 of the ELTR project made a significant contribution toward the improvement of ELT and research standards by training 1,398 English language faculty from colleges and universities in the public sector. Faculty development through Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses of varying durations aimed at the professional development of in-service ELT faculty in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within Pakistan. Training courses offered through this project included areas such as Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), testing, evaluation, research skills, andragogical/pedagogical skills such as those associated with teaching practicum and communication, and a host of customized programs in areas related to ELT. These included English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English for Specific Purposes (ESP), English as a Second Language (ESL), and English Language Teaching (ELT).

The NCE administered the ELTR project goals through six subcommittees of which one was solely focused on CALL during the first phase of this project.

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

The use of computers in the field of language learning is technically referred to as CALL, a term that Levy (1997: 1) defines as, ‘the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning’. This early definition implies that computers were rarely used in language learning.

CALL, which can be either individualized or self-paced learning, is learner-centered rather than teacher-centered and focuses on facilitating the language learning process. It has been made possible following the invention and subsequent development of the ever-evolving computer technology. Although computers have been used in the field of ELT since the 1960s, CALL had no significant impact on the field until the advent of the internet, which provides ESL learners with instant access to authentic resources and the global community of English language speakers.

In the contemporary world where human lives are continually impacted by rapidly changing technology from kitchen gadgets to entertainment to travel to business, it is only natural to explore the possibilities to integrate it in the field of teaching and learning both inside and outside the classroom. Traditional teaching in developing countries such as Pakistan mostly entails a push or transmissive approach. Educational technology has the power to turn this to a pull or constructive approach to learning.

Language learners and teachers in the twenty-first century have access to a range of technologies that can be used in language learning and teaching. The manner in which various technologies are being implemented in classrooms worldwide has become central to language practice. Digital tools that are central to the field of CALL are now increasingly becoming a core part of ELT in general.

Educators are always keen to explore the impact of technology on the development of pedagogy. Blended Learning has evolved as a key methodology in the world of technology and language learning (Motteram & Sharma, 2009). When handled properly, a blended learning approach can be the best starting point for getting teachers to incorporate technology in their regular teaching practice. Up until 2020, most teachers have worked in physical classrooms. Motteram (2013) suggests that educators start looking into the ways in which classrooms can be supported or supplemented with technology. The pandemic arising in the first quarter of 2020 has been a good starting point not leaving much choice but to integrate technology into learning environments.

Objectives of the NCE’s Sub-Committee on CALL

Anniqua Rana, one of the international consultants for the ELTR 2004 project, mentions the objectives of the CALL subcommittee in her CALL Report (Rana, 2007: 3) submitted to HEC. She writes, ‘The CALL subcommittee has been working with national and international experts in the field of integrating technology in language learning/teaching to:

  • Provide training courses and workshops to ensure that teachers and students are computer literate and can access and make use of computers for language learning/teaching.

  • Evaluate the success of the programs for ongoing improvements and replication in selected higher education institutions.

  • Facilitate the provision of SACs with computers and internet facilities in model departments/centers in higher education institutions.

  • Develop online ELT teacher training courses in conjunction with the subcommittee on teacher training.

  • Provide access to distance/online language learning and testing via authentic language learning websites in coordination with the sub-committees on curriculum development and testing’.

Although all sub-committees including the CALL sub-committee of the NCE were dissolved once the first phase of the ELTR project was completed, the objectives of CALL training imparted during phase-II remained the same.

A Study to Analyze the Impact of the CALL Training Under ELTR (2004)

I embarked on this study at a time when the first phase of the ELTR project had been completed, and the second phase was halfway through. The research question that I had in mind was:

  • What is the impact of CALL training on the use of computer technology for English language teaching in higher education institutions in Pakistan?

Research Population

The population of this study included:

  • Members of the NCE’s CALL sub-committee

  • Resource persons of the CALL workshops

  • International consultants on the CALL sub-committee as appointed by the HEC

  • Teachers of higher education institutions who participated in the CALL workshops

  • ELTR project teams.

All individuals who participated in this research were informed adult volunteers. The total number of CALL trainees during ELTR Phase-I (2004–2009) was 91 according to the HEC figures while 92 teachers were trained during Phase-II (2010–2014). This population was scattered across Pakistan since the CALL workshops were conducted in six major cities—Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, and Islamabad.

This study attempted to identify how technology is used in higher education ELT contexts in Pakistan and highlight some strengths and limitations of teachers in their engagement with CALL.

Research Methodology

A mixed-method research design was employed in this study to collect both quantitative (survey questionnaire) and qualitative (interviews and document analysis) data. One limitation of this study was that only 28 out of the 91 phase-I participants could be reached successfully as the HEC had maintained no contact with them following the training. However, phase-II data collection provided more information as HEC was able to provide the contact details of 64 out of the 92 participants from this phase.

The questionnaire (see Appendix 1) was thus administered to 92 CALL trained participants from both phases, and it was possible to interview a total of seven participants including trainers, consultants, and the ELTR project team members (see Appendix 2 for interview schedule).

The CALL progress report for training during the years 2005–2007 prepared by Anniqua Rana (available with the HEC) was also analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the training sessions conducted by the CALL sub-committee that was formed by the NCE during phase-I of the ELTR project. It is imperative to mention here that no such report existed for phase-II of the project.

Findings from the Study

Like all empirical research, this study yielded some positive (encouraging) as well as negative (alarming) findings, which are grouped under achievements and possibilities, challenges and future directions to consider.

Achievements and Possibilities

Teachers are Very Positive About the Place, Role, and Usefulness of CALL in ELT in Pakistan

There was absolutely no doubt among phase-II trainees about this statement. All of them confirmed that CALL indeed facilitates the language teaching and learning process in the class.

English Teachers Believe that CALL Offers Multiple Advantages for Language Learners

Expressing their views on students’ autonomy in learning, 65% of the teachers trained in phase-I agreed that CALL makes learners independent and makes learning more student-centered helping them move away from the traditional teacher-centered lecture-based approaches. Participants in phase-II of the ELTR project gave approximately 10% more positive responses than those in phase-I.

Another area of interest that emerged was the usefulness (or otherwise) of CALL in improving the English language skills of students. Interestingly, 89% of the teachers from amongst phase-I participants confirmed that CALL helped their students improve in English language while only 11% were unsure about this. Phase-II participants, however, expressed no doubts about the potential of CALL in helping their students attain a better command of English language skills.

CALL Should Assist Traditional ELT Practice Rather Than Replace It

This study intended to investigate whether teachers desired a complete overhaul of the current ELT processes and practices so that CALL could replace traditional classroom teaching. Findings revealed a strong opposition to CALL replacing traditional English language classroom teaching in Pakistan both by ELTR training participants as well as resource persons. However, the percentage of those disagreeing with the idea of replacing traditional teaching with CALL dropped from 75% in phase-I to 50% in phase-II. This demonstrates the confidence that CALL-trained teachers developed in their ability to use technology for facilitating language learning and teaching.

Similarly, most of the ELTR project team members (except one) were in favor of replacing previous traditional teaching practices with innovative technology-facilitated learning. They indicated the desire to integrate computer technology in the existing English language curricula in Pakistan.

Teachers Are Satisfied with CALL Training Imparted by HEC Under ELTR

Upon investigating their satisfaction with the amount and quality of CALL training received, only 47% of the phase-I participants reported to be satisfied. However, the ratio of positive responses emerged to be a significant 73% among phase-II trainees. This is indicative of the fact that the government and HEC’s efforts to train teachers did in fact bring about a positive change with the passage of time.

Challenges

CALL is not a Part of Assessment Procedures in Higher Education

90% of teachers trained in phase-I and 82% of those trained in phase-II confirmed that the final promotional/exit assessment of students was still paper-based at the time of this study. It is understood that there is a need to include a CALL component in the exit assessments for students in order to not neglect CALL in higher education by virtue of it not giving them any benefit in their final grades.

Training Colleagues/Fellow Teachers is not a Common Practice Among CALL Trained Teachers

Teachers who were trained as part of the ELTR project were clearly fortunate considering that it was not possible for HEC to nominate and train every single teacher at the time this project was launched. While there was an unspoken expectation from those who were trained to share their new knowledge with colleagues, the reality was far from satisfactory. Of those trained in phase-I of the project, only 54% had attempted to train colleagues or had shared any knowledge with them. On the other hand, among those trained in phase-II of the project, a mere 42% had actually made that effort toward sharing the knowledge gained with colleagues. It was alarming to note that trained teachers in higher education tended to retain valuable knowledge and skills and took no initiative to share information with fellow teachers.

I can verify this from personal experience at my own university where I was employed at the time and where teachers who had participated in CALL training courses did not share anything with other colleagues including me. Numerous colleagues even kept the fact that they had ever received any training in CALL when their role would have been of great help during the time that I was assigned to teach CALL courses in the postgraduate programs offered by the ELT department at the university. The interesting fact was that their names emerged in the CALL training participant data lists obtained from the HEC for this study.

English Language Classes Are Large, Heterogeneous, and Short in Duration

Large size classes are quite common in higher education contexts in Pakistan. 83% of the participants from phase-I and 72% from phase-II reported to have more than 30 students in each English class. Statistics pertaining to minimum class size verified these claims as 36% of the participants from phase-I and 33% from phase-II, respectively, reported to have more than 30 students as the minimum number.

Large, heterogeneous classes can hinder the effective use of CALL since it is not possible for the teacher to pay individual attention to each student in a class of limited duration. At least 37% of the participants from each phase reported having less than an hour for the English language class, which is clearly insufficient to satisfy the needs of the students using CALL. Hence, it is proven that classes of short duration with large numbers of students prove to be extremely difficult for teachers who can barely go beyond attendance taking and discussing a few points.

Minimal Use of AV Aids and Modern Technological Tools in ELT Classes

All the participants in this study confirmed the use of white/blackboard and marker/chalk as the basic teaching aids in their classes. An insignificant number of teachers made use of other resources such as bookshelves, notice boards, newspapers, handouts or worksheets etc. Less than 50% of the trained teachers employed technological devices such as a tape recorder, overhead projector, computer, internet connection, and multimedia projector. However, 27% of phase-I participants and 34% of phase-II participants, respectively, reported to have decreased the use of older technological tools such as the tape recorder and the overhead projector while phase-II participants definitely reported a slight increase in the use of multimedia projectors.

The use of printers attached to computers was also seen to come down to 14% among phase-II teachers whereas, almost 21% of phase-I teachers continued to use these. At any given time, it is noticeable, that use of the computer and internet connection in the class did not go beyond 50%. These figures are neither too discouraging nor too satisfactory. On average, approximately 21% of the teachers do not use any technological tools in their classes, which clearly demonstrates that they are not practicing CALL. Hence, all the time, energy, and resources spent on training them has not given the desired results so far.

Lack of Technological Resources and Support

An overall decrease was recorded in the on-campus availability of technological resources to phase-II participants, which appears critical given that technology is becoming commonplace with each passing day. Therefore, while these teachers should have reported an improvement in the technological infrastructure available to them, this did not seem to be the case over the 5 years following their training.

Both trainee participants and trainers on the ELTR project unanimously expressed that there were hindrances in bringing about a substantial change in the field of ELT in Pakistan. Most participants perceived the lack of resources and infrastructure as an obstacle in introducing new trends in ELT. All stakeholders unanimously expressed the absence of financial support and material resources to be a hindrance experienced by learners, teachers, institutions, and HEC alike.

Lack of Institutional Support in Implementing CALL in ELT

In addition to the lack of resources and a decrease in funds received from the government and the HEC, teachers also complained about the lack of institutional support in introducing CALL for teaching English to their students. 50% of the phase-I participants and 61% of the phase-II participants cited a shortage of material resources in their institutions.

Research on CALL is Rare Among English Teachers

The figures pertaining to CALL-related publications are alarming both among phase-I (75%) and phase-II (91%) participants. There appears to be an urgent need to develop a research culture among the teaching faculty of colleges and universities in the country.

The Need for More Training in CALL

An alarming 72% of the respondents among both phase-I and phase-II teachers had participated in only one or two workshops during their entire teaching career. A total of 61% of the participants from phase-I and 25% from phase-II appeared to be unsure about whether they had received sufficient training to fulfill their professional goals and enhance their competence in ELT through CALL. On the other hand, about 7% of the participants in phase-I and 23% in phase-II clearly announced that they did not possess the competence required to be proficient CALL teachers. This large-scale uncertainty calls for more training to be organized both by HEC in its CPD program for English language teachers as well as individual institutions where possible. An overwhelming 100% of the teachers who participated in this research study expressed the need for organizing such training courses on a regular basis for continuity and sustainability.

Future Directions

The objective of this research was to analyze the current situation of CALL in ELT in Pakistani higher educational institutions and to present an unbiased picture of the impact of CALL training courses on ELT in the context. Findings from this study highlight the achievements of the ELTR project in CALL, the benefits of CALL training for English teachers as well as some shortcomings in the researched context.

This section suggests ways to overcome limitations and issues experienced by teachers and teacher trainers in implementing CALL in their ELT classrooms. There are also some suggestions to explore future possibilities of integrating modern computer technology in the field of ELT in Pakistan.

It is proposed that heads of institutions and English departments need to be made aware of the fact that CALL facilitates ELT practices so that they can facilitate their teachers in making use of the CALL training that teachers receive. There is a need to ensure that teachers who are given the opportunity to attend a particular training course are also encouraged to share their knowledge with colleagues to encourage a sustained impact of CALL training courses on a larger scale.

Research findings show that CALL is not a part of annual assessment procedures. It is imperative for courses on English language, literature, and ELT to include an assessment component based on CALL. Both students and teachers are likely to be inclined to take it more seriously when there is promotional weightage in the form of exams.

Computer labs or smart classrooms in proper working order should be available in every college and university. English language learners should be able to access computer labs or smart classrooms with multimedia and have internet facility to use CALL.

The ongoing ELTR project of HEC should provide financial and human resource support for initiating smart classrooms in institutions with limited resources and other infrastructural constraints. Such smart classrooms can act as models for implementing CALL practices in language classrooms with minimum resources. This will positively support the impact of CALL training on ELT.

There is also the need to arrange more training courses in CALL along with ongoing follow-up sessions for teachers. Those teachers who perform well in their institutions after being trained themselves need to be brought forward as ‘master trainers’ to make up for the shortage of trainers in the field of CALL.

College and university teachers should be encouraged to undertake follow-up training courses to become CALL specialists, based on their personal interest, strength in a discipline, and students’ feedback. Universities need to encourage teachers through monetary or other incentives for promoting CALL in ELT.

A strong collaboration among the recipients of training on research methods and CALL is needed. Participants should share the acquired knowledge and skills to help one another. This will help in promoting research and innovation in CALL within ELT in Pakistan.

The HEC needs to maintain a proper database of CALL trained participants with a systematic follow-up on their performance post-training. The ELTR project should have the capacity to verify the impact of CALL practices in English language departments for the improvement of English language teaching and learning. It would help support larger numbers if the HEC, in collaboration with institutions initiated a mechanism to ensure that skills development is not restricted to the few teachers who got trained directly through CALL workshops. The heads of respective institutions should be made responsible to encourage and facilitate trained faculty to share knowledge by conducting short training workshops on campus for their colleagues. There should also be a mechanism for them to report success or otherwise of the process to the HEC.

A regular evaluation of the effectiveness of CALL training programs needs to be carried out to find out the strengths and weaknesses of training programs. Impact analysis reports of training workshops and cascading activities in institutions of higher education regarding CALL should be made public for the benefit of all stakeholders.

A CALL website and online groups need to be launched/activated immediately and teachers need to be informed and encouraged to make use of the resources available there to enhance their competence in CALL. Resource sharing among institutions and at the national level should be encouraged to facilitate post-training follow-up activities as well as the implementation of CALL practices in language classrooms.

More Self-Access Centers catering to the needs of ELTs involved in CALL should be established in higher education institutions across the country. These centers should be able to support CALL training, research and language teaching practices in classrooms.

As part of digital learning strategies for the twenty-first century learners, CALL-related seminars, international conferences, and workshops should be supported by the HEC to boost the impact of CALL teacher training courses. HEC should prepare a policy document to introduce CALL training as part of English language teachers’ qualifications for a sustainable impact of CALL training courses.

Conclusion

The ELTR project launched by the HEC in Pakistan was initiated with a strategic mission and vision in 2004 and has come a long way since then. It has set new standards of innovation in English language teaching and learning in Pakistan by introducing CALL in public institutions of the country. This study attempted to highlight both its strengths and shortcomings, appreciating positive outcomes on one hand and suggesting remedial steps to address the limitations on the other. It also highlights the significance of devising a mechanism of regular monitoring and implementation of plans and training so that the efforts of all stakeholders bear results.