Friday, 4 April 2014

Evaluating Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab Website


            Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab http://www.esl-lab.com/ is an online, multimedia listening website that is designed to assist Second Language students around the world to practice and enhance their English listening and comprehension skills. This website has been created by Randall Davis who graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, with an undergraduate degree in Spanish education and a master's degree in TESL. However, Every Site Has a Reason for Being There and Randall Davis site there to enhance listening comprehension, as well as improving the teachers and students communication skills with authentic and interesting audio.
            On the other hand, the design of the website presents the information on easy way to find and use, it has been organized according to the different levels with supplementary links such as, vocabulary exercise. Also, there is a developed quizzes to test the audience knowledge based on their levels .Moreover, The page on the websites load in a reasonable amount of time and it is consistently available and load without problems, but the main problem with the site is its background colors as well as the smallest size of the font that may cause problem to people who has vision problems.
           The content on the website is easy to read and understand by the audience. Also, it has enough information to make visiting the site useful and informative. Moreover, the title of the site appropriate to its purpose, as well as, the voice in audio records very clear and each lesson have activates promote the listening skills; each audio has pre-listening, while listening, vocabulary and post- listening exercise. In addition, each lesson clarifies the learners’ level, topic, and type of audio record, speakers, and length. And users can easily download the audio record while it found in website as written form also. There are a lot of links in a website as Randall’s other site where it is clear and easy for learner to move from one website to another.

              In conclude, the site grade level is appropriate as an extra activity for the audience and they are able to choose the listening records according to their levels, needs and interests. Although the site is not that much interactive and engaging for them, because its design does not attract them; it looks very formal; whereas, the content look attractive for them and cover all their needs for the different real life situations.  

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