O n f e r e n c e

 
 

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-33- 
2014 CALL Conference 
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PAPER PRESENTATIONS 
 
 
 
 

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-34- 
2014 CALL Conference 
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be 
Pineteh E. Angu 
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa 
[e-mail], [e-mail] 
From Brick Walls to Virtual Space: Using a Computer-Assisted 
Programme to Enhance the Language and Communication Skills of 
Information Technology Students. 
 
 
Bio data 
Pineteh E Angu
is a Communication lecturer in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at 
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa. 
Abstract 
This paper is based on the pilot of a computer-assisted language programme-
Learning 
100
- in the Department of Information Technology at Cape Peninsula University of 
Technology, South Africa. It analyses quantitative and qualitative data gleaned from an 
online mini survey, open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The 
interviews and mini survey sought to evaluate the usefulness of the programme in 
enhancing the language and communication skills of Information Technology students. In 
addition, they aimed to assess the challenges encountered by students, lecturers and 
technical support staff during the pilot. A total 280 first year students participated in the 
pilot during the first semester of academic year 2013. After the pilot, an online 
questionnaire was immediately emailed to all participants. To complement the online 
questionnaire, open-ended questionnaires were administered to 40 students and semi-
structured interviews conducted with two Communication lecturers. The quantitative data 
were coded and analysed using SPSS while a thematic content analysis approach was 
used to identify and discuss relevant themes from the qualitative data. Responses from 
the survey and the interviews revealed that by completing multiple activities, students 
were able to hone their language, reading and writing as well as general cognitive skills. 
Moreover, students were able to engage independently and interactively with very 
technologically diverse peers. Although participants commended the usefulness of the 
programme, they stressed that there were several challenges that hindered the overall 
effectiveness of the pilot and the online survey. Firstly, because CPUT is still a resource-
constraint university, there was inadequate technical support to deal with recurrent 
computer glitches. Consequently, the pilot and the online survey were repeatedly 
interrupted because of malfunctioning computers and/or limited internet connectivity. 
Secondly, the programme is designed for an American context, so many students 
grappled with the set of phraseology and accent in both visual and auditory exercises. 
Finally, the students were not fully committed to the online language activities and the 
research because of their mixed feelings about the inclusion of a language and 
communication course in an IT programme.