Use and Efficiency of Various Technological Methods in the Different Aspects of Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language at 16 Universities in New York

The purpose of this paper was to find out more about the use and efficiency of various technological methods in the different aspects of teaching and learning a foreign language and the barriers associated with using technology in foreign language education at the university level. The study design was cross sectional using an on-line survey distributed via e-mail. The sampling frame was 127 full time professors of a foreign language at 16 State University of New York (SUNY) schools who offered a degree in a foreign language. A total of 74 respondents completed the survey with a response rate of 58%. The majority of respondents had been teaching for 20 or more years and most respondents (80.6%) had never taught an online course although there was a high response rate for attendance in technology training (64.3%). The Internet (35.7%) was the most popular form of technology used in various ways. Technology is being used by many instructors who are teaching foreign languages at 16 SUNY institutions, and is seen as very important for teaching and learning a foreign language. Attention should be paid to the ways in which technology use can be facilitated for both instructors and students.