School of Information Technology and Communication Design

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

MONTEREY BAY

Basic Iraqi Survival (BIS) Language Guide

CAPSTONE REPORT

Submitted in partial satisfaction of requirements of the degree of

MASTER OF

Instructional Science and Technology

Selwa Alkadhi

July 31, 2010

Capstone Approvals:

Dr. Nancy Lockwood__________ ___________________________ _____________

Advisor Name Signature Date

___________________________ ___________________________ _____________

Capstone Instructor Name Signature Date

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 2

Introduction and Background ............................................................................................. 3 Background on project .......................................................................................................3 Problem Description ..........................................................................................................3 Target Audience characteristics ..........................................................................................6 Literature Survey ...............................................................................................................8 Existing Research and Theories ...........................................................................................9 What has been Going on in the Field ................................................................................ 10 Goals of the Project.......................................................................................................... 10 Instructional Strategies and Justification for the Strategies ............................................... 11 Media Components .......................................................................................................... 12

Methods and Procedure ................................................................................................... 13 How the Project was Designed and Developed ................................................................. 13 Encountered Challenges and Difficulties ........................................................................... 14

Resources .......................................................................................................................... 15 Time ................................................................................................................................ 15 Hardware and Software ................................................................................................... 16 External Expertise ............................................................................................................ 16 Technical Skills Required to Complete the Project ............................................................. 16

Timeline and Progress report ........................................................................................... 17 Process Checklist .............................................................................................................. 17 Deliverables ..................................................................................................................... 17

Evaluation and Testing Results ......................................................................................... 18 Formative Evaluation and Findings ................................................................................... 18 Summative Evaluation and Findings ................................................................................. 19

Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 23 What Has Been Learned from the Project ......................................................................... 15 Future of the Project ........................................................................................................ 24 Advice to Fellow Language Course Designers .................................................................... 25

Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 26

2

Executive Summary

The LFAST program focuses on language and culture familiarization in a

condensed and fast-paced presentation. One of the distinct features of this

approach to teaching is that it defies some of the conventional rules of grammar

when learning a language, specifically verb conjugation. Generally, learning a

language is equated with conjugation and other grammatical concepts. Basic Iraqi

Survival (BIS) Language Guide that I utilize in my instruction at the LFAST

program, however, focuses on teaching SURVIVAL language in a short time span.

The goal is oriented more towards comprehension and simple sentence structure

rather than grammar. Students who are taught with this method will be able to

communicate ideas, without necessarily perfecting the grammar of the language.

Conjugation dismissed, the pronouns in the sentence are able to sufficiently relay

the orientation of the verb to the audience. BIS Language Guide utilizes a

template on which all sentences are based, despite tenses.

This project will introduce the concept of incorporating words of different parts of

speech in an additive manner in correspondence with their positions within a

sentence structure according to a provided template. Each slide will introduce a

specific part of speech, such as verbs, pronouns, prepositions, and functions as a

building block for creating a sentence. The first few slides illustrate the most basic

form of sentences by the conjunction of a pronoun and a verb. This template of

sentence structure provides speakers with an approach to survival language, in

which conjugation and detailed grammar are of less importance.

Because of the limited time allotted to the training, and the fact that the Arabic

alphabet, script familiarization and writing take a rather long time to master,

Arabic script will not be taught. Instead of using Arabic script, Arabic words will

be transliterated using English alphabet.

3

Introduction and Background

Background on project

The background of this project stems from ultimately the background of the

LFAST (Language Familiarization and Area Studies Team) program for which I

instruct. The distinct mission of the LFAST program in terms of goals of

instruction for the military personnel makes the type of learning I am introducing

in my capstone appropriate and effective. The manner in which LFAST training

commences is by a deploying military unit requesting the training and specifying

the extent of proficiency that is needed for their deployment mission. These

military units are not made up of linguists, hence, generally need survival

language skills rather than fluency capabilities. Depending on the level of skills

needed for the military unit, LFAST is able to determine the amount and length of

coursework needed through the program to achieve survival language goals.

LFAST‟s curriculum focuses on survival language as well as cultural

familiarization and awareness.

The cumulative mission of the LFAST program and the deploying military units

trained through the program pave a way for a tailored type of learning that is not

typical in the language instruction realm. This capstone project delivers the type

of instruction that is most efficient and effective in achieving survival language

skills in a limited period of time. The project aims to approach instruction with a

shift from the traditional grammar-conscious language teaching to one that is

more focused on basic sentence structure to deliver an idea.

Problem Description

At the Defense Language Institute (DLI) Continuing Education LFAST, the

program seems to lack a unified approach to the introduction of vocabulary and

situational phrases to the learners. The students typically receive booklets called

LSKs (Language Survival Kits), which they use to search for vocabulary needed

4

to communicate their ideas. . The vocabulary in the LSK booklets is categorized

by themes or topics that will most likely face the deployed troops. The military‟s

duty is mainly to train and guide the Iraqis in different areas of need. Hence,

simply memorizing words and phrases alone will not be sufficient for specific

military objectives. Students lack the means to learn the “language” as a survival

tool rather than as a holistic language.

In addition, the curriculum is terse and limited to a time period between eight to

thirty hours of instruction. Hence, it is not a surprise that the students are

overwhelmed with the large amount of vocabulary, phrases, and cultural elements

that they must retain in a given time. Students often memorize provided phrases

and vocabulary without a notion of when and how to manipulate these language

tools in the context of real life situations. The new information does not cohere

with any pre-existing knowledge.

The miscellaneous words and phrases that students learn are necessary for their

communication. They receive the language training immediately before their

deployment and do not get introduced to any form of tools, or templates that they

could utilize during and after deployment to express a simple idea. As a result,

they use words randomly out of the LSKs to get by during their deployment to

Iraq. While this method achieved minimal success, it did not equip or help the

troops achieve a satisfactory level of communication in situations where

communication was instrumental to the success of their mission.

For security and logistical reasons, most of the troops named for deployment get

selected not long before the actual deployment date. This leaves not a sufficient

amount of time for proper language training. Hence, it becomes critical that they

get their training in the most effective and efficient teaching methods that

maximize their learning in the short time available. Because the students will tend

to forget the learned words and phrases, they should be given a template or a

mould they can use to incorporate words from the LSK in order to produce

5

relatively understandable sentences. This is where my proposed capstone project

fits in and fills the void the current curriculum faces.

Impact of the Problem

Many instances of fatal incidents resulting from military personnel‟s poor

communication with the Iraqis have been reported. The reasons for such

miscommunications were oftentimes attributed to the troops‟ poor Arabic

language skills and lack of cultural awareness. With the rise of such incidents, the

Coalition Military Command made it mandatory that the troops receive a crash

course on the Arabic language and culture as well as the art of negotiation. In

addition to teaching the Basic Iraqi Survival (BIS) language, I taught many of the

mandatory training sessions that focused on teaching the troops proper interaction

with Iraqis and effective negotiations and mediations that are held. LFAST

Department at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) is tasked with the language

training and cultural awareness.

A Needs Analysis has been conducted to determine the training needs as well as a

Learner Analysis for the learners who are military personnel. After holding

language diagnostic assessments sessions for the troops, in addition to my

personal contact with the troops via telecommunication, I was enlightened on the

most recent and frequent language errors and needs that would contribute to the

elimination of such errors.

The data gathering process included questionnaires, interviews, and surveys

which helped determine the type of instruction needed for the LFAST department

as well as the Dari and Pashtu Departments since they too, are heading towards

the same goal.

6

In addition to the data gathering process, I have significantly depended on the

perspective from personal experience in the classroom and student comments and

responses.

Projected Solution Description

Rather than establishing these lists of vocabulary and phrases as the base of their

developing knowledge of the survival language, I proposed a method with a more

practical approach based on which the previously provided vocabulary lists and

phrase lists can be supplemented.

The solution consists of two parts: The Basic Iraqi Language Guide, which is

taught during the training in the short time available. It will be the foundation for

their survival language acquisition. The second part of the solution is designed for

the post-deployment period as students receive a template in PowerPoint format

that they can open in Iraq and use as a refresher and practice guide. In addition to

the template, students receive a “word bank” in the form of a chart that contains

additional words categorized according to the Iraqi sentence structure.

Target Audience characteristics

The target audience of the program is non-linguist active-duty military personnel

who are being deployed to Iraq within a month of completing the given course.

There exists diversity in students‟ characteristics in terms of age, rank,

educational backgrounds, and social backgrounds.

Age-wise, students range from 21-55. However, they tend to be on the younger

side. Because they are mostly younger, they tend to be of lower ranks as they are

the ones who will be interacting with the Iraqis while patrolling or holding

trainings. As for their level of education, they mostly have high school or

equivalent education. A minority of them, however, do have bachelors education

or above. This explains the fact that the majority of them never had a chance to

7

academically study another language. They have limited training or no training in

either the Arabic language or the Arabic culture. They may or may not have had

exposure or direct contact with the Middle East; its language or its culture.

However, a very small percentage of them had a previous deployment. It is worth

noting that there are no prerequisites for them to attend the pre-deployment

language and culture training. Gender-wise, they are overwhelmingly males with

few females. The male/female percentage varies depending on the branch of

service they come from.

Context of Use

The LFAST (Language Familiarization and Area Studies Training) is often the

primary means of exposing the students to this type of information in a manner

that prepares them for their specified objective when deployed.

Military units request this training so that they can depend on survival language

skills in a variety of situations they may face as a part of their mission. Their

goals are not to be linguists and hence do not need fluency for their objectives.

The training my project provides them would be utilized to varying extents

depending on situational needs during their deployment. Survival language

capabilities will provide them with greater efficiency in achieving their main

goals of their deployment mission.

As for the training environment, there is no specific designated teaching facilities

used for teaching at LFAST department; instructors travel to the different bases

where the deploying troops are and give them the training at whatever facilities

available on such bases, which might or might not be ideal for training. While

most of the training facilities are not equipped with teaching aids or tools, such as

boards, smart boards, worksheets, educational games, flash cards, charts, etc.,

some do have computers and sometimes projectors.

8

Literature Survey

Everyone has the facility to learn any language, sometimes just to enrich our

culture knowledge; to apply this knowledge to our daily work, or when we need

to travel and want to understand and to be understood. One can describe multiple

reasons of why one would want to learn another foreign language. However, most

often, the essential reason is “to understand and be understood”. Ultimately, the

market offers valuable and varying tools to learn how to speak any foreign

language. Designers continue to present a variety of advances on how one can

learn to communicate in another language in the shortest period of time and with a

basic degree of communicative competence.

One needs not speak like a native to understand and be understood, especially if

one has limited time and diverse objectives that pertain to special missions. Most

language familiarization courses will present one with already written phrases to

memorize which again may not be convenient most of the time in practical

contexts. Every theory on language acquisition is based on some type of empirical

data. I have collected the actual needs from classroom experience. From

interpreting both experience and research, I have realized that a comprehensive

and communicative approach, that values ease of use over accuracy, will keep

learners engaged in using the target language more often as they will not hesitate

to assess if they utilized the language completely correctly. Ultimately,

communicative competence not accuracy is the main goal. A realistic goal at the

initial stage of language learning is set, such as focusing on a small number of

vocabularies and mastering their use in sentence structure. By setting such modest

goals, the learner will be motivated to continue. This program aims to present the

language in a way that shifts military personnel from not having any knowledge

to basic-level proficiency of the language being studied.

Professional development resources for instructors are based on MSA (Modern

Standard Arabic). The focus is on Linguistic-oriented theories of language

9

learning and teaching the language according to language rules and grammar.

Resources and text books are designed to teach the language from A to Z for

students learning a language throughout a long duration of time. Such a time span

is a luxury that the LFAST program does not have. The results are highly

dependent upon the nature of the task and differ across learners. The demand of

this field is evident and continues to grow.

According to Cpl. Gabriela Gonzalez at the Marine Corps Base Camp in

Pendleton California, “Since Marines deploy to „every clime and place,‟ being

prepared to break down language and cultural barriers is an important asset”. The

Commandant‟s Marine Corps Vision and Strategy for 2025 explains that the

Corps will go to great lengths to understand enemies and the range of cultural,

societal and political factors affecting all people with whom Marines interact. The

same statement calls for new training and educational programs to provide skills

that enable military personnel to effectively conduct civil-military lines of

operations connected by a language familiarization program that blends

instructor-facilitated classes with self-paced, computer-based training to fit the

needs of units and individuals alike.

There exist many programs and software for learning languages, each with its

own learning objectives, unique approach and method of presentation.

Existing Research and Theories

The Communicative Language Theory inspires the approach I took with this

capstone project. The goal of this language teaching parallels the goal of my

capstone project, which is ultimately communicative competence. According to

Alexandra Altenaichinger in her Theories of Second Language Acquisition:

Interface between theory and practice, “Communicative competence is defined

as what a speaker needs to know in order to be communicatively competent in a

speech community including both knowledge and ability for language use”.

Language is not acquired through memorization but rather through

10

communication and use of what is learned. The project‟s atmosphere allows the

students to experience and learn by doing. The Communicative Language Theory

focuses on communicative and contextual concepts in language use much like my

project. Rather than focusing on a grammar-conscious approach to teaching, my

capstone project is experience based. In accordance with this theory, I aimed to

deliver this capstone in a learner-centered approach.

What has been Going on in the Field

Since the start of the LFAST program, instructors always had the freedom and

flexibility to pick and choose the methods and materials they deem relevant to the

training they provide. The only part that was not left to instructors and is

consistent among all instructors in the program is the decision of the general areas

and categories to be taught to the students such as greetings, numbers, references

to family members, pronouns, question words, different kinds of common foods

as well as survival phrases. Due to the fact that instructors did not have to restrict

themselves to a specific curriculum or method, random teaching methods and

learning content often surfaced within the program. One of the goals of my

capstone project is creating standardization that can lead to specific performance

standards.

Goals of the Project

To serve deploying military students acquiring survival communication language

skills by expressing simple ideas using basic sentence structures, without regard

to traditional grammar-conscious teaching will be achieved by utilizing an

interactive, visualized, technology-based prototype that provides students with an

easy to use template of basic sentence structure in the Arabic language.

11

Instructional Strategies and Justification for the Strategies

After researching the most suitable teaching strategies pertaining to the language

and cultural training I am teaching, I chose Gagne‟s nine events of instruction.

Gagne‟s method provided me with the skeleton of my instructional design. It

resonated with the principles of teaching I gained from studying the learning

theories at the MIST Program. Trying it out in classroom proved its suitability to

language class as the most effective pedagogical method. This is the reason why I

incorporated Gagne‟s nine events of instruction in order to facilitate learning

effectively. I aim to gain attention of learners through an interactive atmosphere

achieved my multimedia prototype. By informing objectives, learners are

predisposed to what they will be encountering through the program and are aware

of their learning goals. Through this approach to teaching, I consistently stimulate

the recall of prior learning. I incorporate concepts that are familiar to learners in

order to introduce new ones. The prototype presents stimulus through a step-by-

step tutorial. Learner guidance is provided through the prototype itself as it

facilitates learning through its multimedia structure. The prototype elicits

performance by allowing the learner to produce his or her own sentences through

an interactive learning environment. Feedback is consistently given from the

instructor as well as the prototype itself. Assessment of the learner‟s performance

is consistently tested through quizzes provided within the prototype. Enhancing

retention through this prototype is achieved by having learners apply what they

have learned to real life situations, which is the main goal in survival language

learning.

The modules will provide a variety of interventions including direct instruction,

guided practice, and independent practice that provides opportunities for the

students to be involved in a comfortable and self-paced atmosphere to implement

their new knowledge of the language.

12

The design of this program is triggered to provide students with an efficient and

effective means in teaching three general concepts; (1) the familiarization,

recognition, and association of new vocabulary terms of all types of parts of

speech, (2) the understanding of where these new terms belong in an Iraqi dialect

sentence structure, and (3) the ability to produce new sentences utilizing the

correct word order and appropriate terms. The program acts as a skeleton upon

which instructors can base all sentence structure and vocabulary teaching. The

program functions by utilizing a word bank, in this case the words provided in the

LSKs.

The justification for this approach is that the mass of isolated words normally

presented to the students is reorganized in a manner in which instructors can relay

to the students new terminology in association with particular themes or instances

of use. The program does more than provide the skeleton for sentence structure

with these new terms, an innovative way to present this new knowledge.

Media Components

In order to create a multimedia atmosphere within my capstone project, I

primarily utilized Adobe Captivate in conjunction with supplemental software. I

incorporated the use of Adobe Photoshop, MS PowerPoint as well as uploading of

audio files in order to create interactive modules. I used color-coded and

different-sized fonts in order to enhance students‟ cognitive skills and

comprehension. In addition to that, I used graphics and illustrations in

conjunction with the words or phrases describing them. For user interface and

interactivity, I used clickable buttons, hover-over areas, quizzes, and feedback.

13

Methods and Procedure

How the Project was Designed and Developed

My method in designing and developing this capstone project paralleled the

approach illustrated in the ASSURE Model. Amidst working at LFAST as an

instructor, I was able to analyze the learners of my instructional design project. I

assessed the strengths and weaknesses in our department‟s already established

approach to language teaching and probed into the reasons for the stated problem.

I also looked into already established interventions for the problem such as the

Berlitz program and Rosetta Stone. In addition, I formulated several interventions

that would deal with the problem. After weighing the risks versus benefits of each

of my proposals, I concluded with the intervention that would soon become my

capstone project. The analysis of the learners was an asset to my project because

it gave me a guide as to what type of teaching deemed successful with the

students according to their learning styles. I was also able to define the student‟s

competencies in the language at the commencement of the course to set a

practical learning goal for the project itself. With the combined information I

attained about my learners, I was able to develop objectives for the capstone that

would deliver the expectations of the LFAST program. Upon writing the

objectives, it was crucial that I recognized a practical extent of language

development given the limited time of the course in the LFAST program. The

time constraints helped structure the capstone‟s objectives.

I then turned to guidance from Subject Master Experts in order to select

instruction methods, media and material. My goal was to create interactive

modules, especially because I have found that that approach is the most effective

in experiencing language to learn. Adobe Captivate seemed to have enough

interactive tools to deliver the type of modules I wanted to create. I proceeded to

create the lesson plans of my capstone project, which ultimately mirrored my

teaching approach in the classroom. It was my goal to structure the modules so

that they provided a template, which the students could utilize in forming basic

14

survival sentence structures. I wanted to consistently refer back to English

grammar so that learners would be able to relate to the new lessons. Much similar

to how I teach in the classroom, I would introduce a new part of speech to the

basic sentence template introduced in the start of the first module and so on. The

next part of my design I was able to translate my ideas and lesson plans into

modules by utilizing the media I had chosen. This was a time consuming process

as it took ample time to familiarize myself and master the program in order to

take advantage of all the tools the media provided. Teaching aids such as visual

and auditory materials were gathered and uploaded into my project, as well as

some PowerPoint slides I had created to further create an interactive project. I also

researched potential graphics and animated gestures to help illustrate concepts in

the lessons. I also searched for images that could correlate with meaning of

Arabic terms that I included in the lesson in order to match the new terminology

with a visual. Learner participation was also achieved through the inclusion of

interactive quizzes that I created within Adobe Captivate at the end of each lesson.

These quizzes would cohere with the objectives I had stated at the beginning of

each module. Again, the goal of this capstone was to teach through experiencing.

Finally, the last part of the design was the evaluation and revision of my project, a

crucial step. Aside from analyzing for any glitches and quality assurance, I also

wanted to make sure that each part of the capstone correlated back to the goal of

the project, the goal of the learners, and the objectives stated at the beginning of

the capstone. I also turned to SMEs in the evaluation process for their valued

feedback. Overall, the ASSURE model approach to designing the project allowed

me to achieve my instructional goals in a structured and organized manner.

Encountered Challenges and Difficulties

The greatest challenge I faced in designing this project is deciding the audience of

the capstone; either the instructors in the LFAST department or the military

students of the LFAST program. My original design was to offer my instructional

method illustrated in the capstone project to LFAST department instructors. I

struggled with many components of the capstone project in regards to this original

15

audience. In general, it was much more difficult to make the project interactive

when instructing instructors on how to teach survival language skills. The

inclusion of quizzes would be much more limited, especially since the objectives

for instructors, as an audience would not be assessed as directly as an audience of

military students. Similarly, valid means of evaluating the effectiveness of the

capstone would also have to include evaluating the students in order to assess the

efficacy of the instructor‟s teaching. Due to these limitations, which gradually

appeared as I progressed through the designing of the project, I decided to redirect

my target audience to the military students.

Technology-wise, incorporating the PowerPoint format slides into Captivate

without losing the animation and control features that are available only in

PowerPoint but not in Captivate was quite a struggle. I also shifted from Adobe

Captivate Version three to the newest issued version five which contained more

features and ultimately more learning. The newer version required more time in

terms of adjusting to the new format.

Resources

Time

The preparation of each module took approximately seventy-five hours on

average, total of around 150 hours. This entire process was rather time consuming;

starting from the design of each lesson to the application of these ideas into an

interactive media via Adobe Captivate. The product of each module had to be

constantly evaluated and revised. On top of the time spent in designing and

developing the modules, I had to devote time for learning the Adobe Captivate,

especially the extra features in Adobe Captivate version 5.

16

Cost

The cost was minimal in terms of physical spending. The only actual cost spent

on this project was the cost of the Adobe Captivate software utilized to create the

modules of this capstone project. Ultimately, my time was the greatest cost. The

project was tested and assessed by DLI students within the LFAST program and

hence the evaluation of this project did not cost anything.

Hardware and Software

The production of this project demanded minimal hardware and software for its

completion, requiring only Internet connection and Adobe Captivate.

External Expertise

The main resource I have always used whether it is when I am teaching in a

classroom or producing this capstone project, is feedback from students and the

teaching experiences I have obtained through the years in the field. The MIST

program has provided me with a foundation in technology through which I can

apply and develop my teaching experiences. I consulted with two Subject Matter

Experts (SMEs) who were fellow instructors in my language department. My

collaboration with one SME in particular provided me with insight on the

capability and potential my capstone had when applied to the practical world of

language teaching. By exposing my teaching method through my capstone to a

fellow French Language instructor, I was able to further develop and structure my

project in a manner so that it may be more flexible and adaptable to other

languages, not just Arabic. Through collaboration with these SMEs, I was able to

produce a template that can be applied to teaching a variety of languages in

differing teaching environments.

Technical Skills Required to Complete the Project

The most prevalent technical skill that I needed to master to produce my capstone

project is the Adobe Captivate Software. This technical skill was the most time

consuming to acquire but was crucial in order to create an interactive,

multimedia-learning atmosphere. I utilized several resources to help me develop

17

my skills including “The Essentials of Adobe Captivate” by Kevin Siegel as well

as “Adobe Captivate: The Definitive Guide” by Brenda Huettner. I found myself

referring to these sources among others often in order to grasp the capabilities of

this tool and how they pertain to my project. One of the skills I needed to master

is branching the project slides for effective and controlled navigation.

I also used this opportunity to further develop my skills in software that I was

familiar with prior to this program such as MS PowerPoint, MS Word and most

importantly Adobe Photoshop.

Timeline and Progress report

Process Checklist

The steps in the process of developing my capstone project are outlined below.

The following illustrates the timeline in which all these steps were completed

towards the final product. Please note the extension on the time period of this

project utilized to further develop my capstone from its preliminary design.

Complete design document of capstone----------------------- September 20, 2009

Develop a rough draft of capstone project-------------------- October 5, 2009

Outline learning objectives and formulate quizzes---------- October 20, 2009

Complete the development of the capstone and its design-- May 1, 2010

Assess the quality of the capstone ---------------------------- July 6, 2010

Complete formative evaluation-------------------------------- July 16, 2010

Present completed capstone project--------------------------- July 30, 2010

Deliverables

Capstone Final Report (on CD)

Capstone Portfolio (on CD)

Final Capstone Project (on CSUMB Server)

Capstone One page Summary

18

Evaluation and Testing results

Because the evaluation of a prototype is one of the most important phases of any

instructional design project, I made sure to conduct it thoroughly. It is the honest

gauging tool that reveals the extent of success or failure that my project had in

achieving its goals. I utilized both types of evaluation: the formative and the

summative evaluation.

Formative Evaluation and Findings

Students have been an important part in the evaluation process throughout the

course of designing and developing this project. Because my job is to teach the

troops the basic survival language on a daily basis, I was able to get continuous

feedback from them on my project as I developed it. Additionally, and just as

importantly, two SMEs have guided me though the development journey. Please

refer to Appendix B for a copy of the survey provided to the students to receive

feedback as a form of formative evaluation.

The following improvements were introduced based on the on-going review and

revisions resulting from the students‟ and SME‟s feedback:

1. Interactive features and clickable buttons were added.

2. A PowerPoint template was made available to students to have for their

post-deployment self-training. This was especially important since the

language training time period is so limited and short-lived. It is also more

practical because of the easy access to computers with MS Office

PowerPoint. In addition, utilizing the template will not require Internet

access to function.

3. I was able to eliminate unnecessary and ineffective steps, parts, images,

extra rules, etc.

4. I reworded certain phrases for more clarity.

5. I changed fonts and color-coded some words for easier processing and as a

means to better accommodate visual learners.

19

6. Setting the length of time for each slide and each sentence as it appears on

the screen was also achieved through such feedback. Some sentences were

given more time because students expressed that they needed to see it

longer on the screen either for comprehension or using it as a reference for

other sentences on the slide. Likewise, it was deemed that certain

sentences should disappear from the screen as soon as they are read.

Summative Evaluation and Findings

My approach to evaluation was confounder-conscious. I wanted to make sure that

the results I received from my evaluation were reliable and valid. Before

implementing my method of teaching through this project to my students, I first

had the students take a pre-test competency exam at entry of the program. I was

able to measure not only their competency in the language comprehension and

vocabulary, I took the pool of 30 students and had all of them complete the

aptitude test illustrated in Appendix D at entry of the program. Upon completion

of this aptitude test, I also had all 30 students complete a survey that would allow

me to acknowledge any confounders in the pool of students and hence stratify

them in the evaluative analysis that would be done later. The students completed a

short survey illustrated in Appendix E that would reveal deployment history,

previous Arabic language instruction experience, previous other language

instruction, and travel history in the Middle East regions. With this data, I was

able to stratify the group of 30 into two groups of 15 with similar outlines of

experiences and confounders. After stratifying the group of students, I was able to

do comparative analysis to test the effectiveness of the capstone by having

students complete the post-test and compare scores of students who used the

capstone instruction versus those that did not and just were instructed using the

current method of teaching in the LFAST program. This type of evaluation

allowed me to assess the achievement of learning objectives and goals through the

capstone. The post-test questions were made criterion-referenced, based on the

objectives stated at the start of the capstone. The raw data of this comparative

20

analysis is illustrated in a table shown in Appendix F. According to this data, the

mean of both group‟s pre-test scores were 9.26 out of 30 (30.8%) and 9 out of 30

(30%) respectively. The group of students who took the post-test after two hours

of the tradition approach to LFAST instruction scored a mean of 15.86 out of 30

(52.8%). Over a 20% increase in scores is seen in the same amount of time of two

hours of instruction with my proposed method. The average score seen in the

post-test with students instructed using this capstone is 22 out of 30 (73.3%). It is

important to note that these students came from varying backgrounds in

competency, with a couple of students who have had previous deployments in the

Middle East and/or previous basic Arabic language. However, the majority of

students came in with a very basic or nonexistent entry competency in the Iraqi

dialect. Those who have had previous Arabic language training were trained in

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and had no experience in the very different Iraqi

dialect. Hence, generally speaking, the audience was an equal pool of unexposed

military personnel. It is also important to note that the training that was tested

were both limited to the two hour time period, including the instruction that did

not utilize the prototype. In assessing the data, it is evident that a lot of the

students have varying learning styles and may need to adapt the use of the

prototype to their learning needs. For example, some students need the tool of

repetition in their learning experience. Students as such could repeat aspects of

the module over and over again to more effectively attain the knowledge. The

advantage of the prototype is that the speed of the slides, and the repetition of the

slides can be changed to suit the student‟s learning needs. Below are graphs that

illustrate the student‟s scores

21

Graph #1: Pre-Test vs. Post-Test scores without the use of my prototype for instruction.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Test Score out of 30

Stu

de

nts

Pre-Test vs. Post-Test Scores WITHOUT Prototype

Post-Test

Pre-Test

22

Graph #2: Pre-Test vs. Post-Test scores with the use of my prototype for instruction.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Test Score out of 30

Stu

de

nts

Pre-Test vs. Post-Test Scores WITH Prototype

Post-Test

Pre-Test

23

In addition to the pre and post testing, I utilized the personal direct in-class observation. I

sat down and observed the students interacting and communicating using the material

learned in a semi-authentic scenario I prepared in advance. The scenario I prepared was

that I split the class into pairs. I asked the students to take turns with their partners to give

directions to the nearest grocery store from our classroom. The following were my

observations: Students seemed to be able to give directions more confidently without the

hesitation of second-guessing their word order ability. They were able to utilize all the

parts of sentence structure to get their point across. Simultaneously, students were able to

utilize new vocabulary as landmarks in giving directions. The prototype was very helpful

in providing students with a template with which they could be flexible to any situation.

The students spoke with more confidence, as they were able to rely on the template to get

their point expressed. Such confidence is a vital gift in language learning.

Conclusion

Amidst teaching military personnel Iraqi dialect survival language skills as an instructor

in the LFAST program, I was able to formulate a new approach to instructing deploying

troops language skills in a short period of time. Using this method, beta testing it and

continuously revising it have proved to me and to my students that it is the most effective

means to learn to communicate simple ideas during critical times. My method is one that

aims to achieve a competency that is not grammar-conscious but rather utilizes those

basic components of a sentence to make a template to which students could refer to when

trying to communicate during their missions in the Middle East. This basic sentence

structure template allows students to utilize the mounts of vocabulary that they are

provided by the program, and insert them accordingly as to formulate survival sentences

to deliver an idea. I have learned to analyze learning as a process, with causes and effects.

What Has Been Learned From the Project?

The MIST program has allowed me to translate teaching skills that I have acquired over

decades of experience into more structured and organized approaches. I was able to grasp

the methodology and theories behind the many layers of the instructional realm, and

24

further was able to learn more ways to deliver knowledge to varying learner types. This

capstone is ultimately a teaching method that I have utilized to teach languages for

decades. However, without the MIST program, I would not have been able to structure it

in a way so that it is more flexible and adaptable to varying audiences. My scope of

teaching methods has expanded tremendously, and the power of the inclusion of

technology in instruction has been evident throughout the entire process.

The Future of the Project

The original concept of this project can certainly be further developed with more time

and resources. One way in which it could develop in the future, is to make it more

interactive with the inclusion of dialogue between the student and the program. I will

need to look at the possibility to utilizing a software that could incorporate an interactive

system with which we can receive student audio responses to questions and pronunciation,

and have the program deliver feedback on the student‟s delivery. One of the most

important components of survival language is also comprehensive pronunciation. It is

important for students to not only hear more vocabulary words pronounced the correct

way by the capstone, but also to be able to check whether or not they are retaining and

grasping the manner in which to pronounce these new phrases. Another avenue this

project could enter in the future is the inclusion of more dialogue within the project. I

would like to record different dialogues between natives to illustrate varying situations

and themes. For example, we could have recorded dialogue concerning giving directions,

in which the video would include new vocabulary words that the students can witness in

context. I would like to also see the project introduce students with more vocabulary

words and organize them into themes. For example, words used to describe places, words

used to provide directions, medical words, and weaponry. With the vocabulary word

structures in such a manner, it will be easier for students to visualize these words in

context and also be able to input them into the template provided through my teaching

method. One of the main developments I would like to include in this capstone is

something that I recognized when I was trying to design this project. I think it would be

very useful to expand the use of this project using other languages. The vocabulary

template can be incorporated into a variety of languages including Spanish and French,

25

which I was able to attempt when I was doing research in the design of my original

capstone. My method is effective for all survival languages, not just Arabic.

Advice to Fellow Language Course Designers

Language course design requires a number of elements and skills that a designer needs to

have or be well versed at. The most important of all is having the passion and conviction

to bring it to existence in the most professional manner possible for the purpose of

helping students. In other words, working for a cause. Such a cause can be the driving

force behind striving for perfection. Below are a few points that a designer must follow.

1. A designer must be well rounded in the course content and its potential. Resources

should be obtained either by research or by SMEs or both.

2. A design and development plan that is based on proven scientific and instructional

design principles. You need to know your learners very well and the more you

explore them and their instructional needs the more you can efficiently accommodate

those needs.

3. The technology and tools needed to create the course in the most suitable format. In

general, I advise NOT to use Adobe Captivate because it is very time consuming and

often times some completed work can go wrong after it is published and results in

extra time trying to fix it. Time spent on designing and fixing the problems is better

invested in learning web site design which supersedes Captivate in its capabilities.

4. The method you will employ to convey and communicate the course content to the

learners in a way that suits their learning style and guarantees the transfer of

knowledge.

26

APPENDIX A

CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH

Title of Program: Basic Iraqi Survival Language Guide

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Selwa Alkadhi, student in IST 695,

Educational Assessment and Evaluation at California State University, Monterey Bay and instructor at

the CE-LFAST Program at the DLIFLC in Monterey, CA.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of an instructional prototype on Language

familiarization and cultural training to evaluate the effect of instructor inclusion in a module presentation.

You were selected as a prospective participant in this study because you are currently a sample of a large

population of Iraqi Survival language learners. No particular level of computer experience is assumed or

required for this study.

Taking part in this project is entirely up to you. You can choose whether or not to be in the

study. If you volunteer to be in this study, you may withdraw at any time without consequences

of any kind. You may also refuse to answer any questions you do not want to answer and still

remain in the study. The investigator may withdraw you from this research if circumstances

arise that warrant doing so.

If you decide to participate in this research, you will be asked to do the following: Answer survey

questions (three general demographic questions, in addition to language based questions. The process

will take between 30 minutes to 45 minutes to complete.

You are not being asked to sign any portion of the evaluation or to identify yourself in any way. Any

information that is obtained in connection with this study and that could be identified with you will

remain completely confidential. After the results are compiled, the paper surveys will be promptly

destroyed.

If you want to know more about this research project or have questions or concerns, please contact

Selwa at Selwa.alkadhi@us.army.mil

You will get a copy of this consent form. Thank you for considering participation.

Sincerely,

Selwa Alkadhi

Consent Statement

I understand the procedure described. My questions have been answered to my satisfaction and I freely

agree to participate in this study. I know what I will have to do and that I can stop at any time.

I have been given a copy of this Consent Form.

Signature Date

27

APPENDIX B

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of the presented material

throughout this course and to make necessary revisions both in the content and structure

of the course before its implementation. Your feedback is valuable to us and will be

utilized to make necessary revisions to improve this course. Please do not hesitate to

make any comments or suggestions

1. Strongly Agree

2. Agree

3. Neutral

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

1 2 3 4 5

1. The training meets the course objectives.

2. The course materials were well organized.

3. The concepts were delivered in a clear manner.

4. The length of the program was adequate in order to

meet goals.

5. The tasks and/or activities were well organized and

relevant to each subject.

6. Training units were detailed thoroughly.

7. The organization and layout of the design were

easy to follow.

8. Technology was well integrated into the course.

9. I will be able to apply what I learned here to my

job.

10. The course generally met intended objectives.

28

APPENDIX C

This is a screen shot for the Power Point template that are given to the students

to use after their deployment to Iraq and below is the word bank.

29

30

APPENDIX D

Aptitude Pre-Test A. Listen to the stress pattern of each of the following words. One of the words will have

a different stress pattern. Please indicate, by circling the letter next to the word which is

stressed differently from the rest. (6 points) 1- a. total b. brother c. autumn d. replace

2- a. weapon b. beyond c. humor d. collar

3- a. defense b. navy c. army d. model

B. Below are words containing the consonant cluster th. Circle the letter next to the word

where the th sound is pronounced differently from the rest. (8 points)

1- a. mother b. weather c. clothes d. breath

2- a. thermal b. python c. breathe d. worth

3- a. Thomas b. thyme c. Athens d. Thames River

4- a. this b. wrath c. leather d. either

C. Below are words containing the vowel “a”. There is one word in each group where the

pronunciation of the letter “a” differs. Circle the number next to the word with the

different “a” sound. (6 points)

1- a. far b. past c. glass d. camp

2- a. brass b. has c. track d. part

3- a. talk b. stalk c. stack d. call

D. If “Go” in Iraqi was “rooH” (5 points)

“there” in Iraqi was “hnak”

“now” in Iraqi was “hessa”

Then “Go there now” in Arabic would be _________________________.

E. If “my” in Iraqi transliteration is written “ee” (5 points)

And “weapon” in Iraqi transliteration is “slaH”

And in Iraqi dialect, ownership is expressed as “weapon belonging to me”

Then “my weapon” in Iraqi dialect/transliteration would be _______________.

31

APPENDIX D1

BIS Post-Test

Field Support & Special programs

Name------------------------------------- Date------------------------------

Listen to the following phrases. Depict the most applicable meaning of the overall phrase

and circle your choice

1.

a. This soldier is in Iraq.

b. There are no soldiers in Iraq.

c. This soldier is not Iraqi.

d. This soldier is Iraqi.

2.

a. What‟s in your hand?

b. Drop your weapon.

c. Raise your weapon.

d. Drop your weapon and put your hands

up.

3.

a. How is your family today?

b. Where is your family?

c. Who is with you in the house?

d. Is your family home?

4.

a. Where is the school?

b. The hospital is far.

c. How do I get to the school?

d. Who is at the school?

.

5.

a. My house is not too far from the

bridge.

b. How far is the bridge from here?

c. Where is the bridge?

d. The house is not near the bridge.

6.

a. Where is the closest city?

b. Are you from this city?

c. Where are you from?

d. Are you going to the city?

7.

a. That officer is by the black car.

b. There is a black car there.

c. Stand by that car.

d. I want you to go to the car.

8.

a. My son is injured.

b. I am injured.

c. Help me.

d. Go with the soldier.

9.

a. There is a weapon in his car.

b. Is there a weapon in the car?

c. How many weapons are in your car?

d. There are no weapons in the car.

10.

a. Do you need a weapon?

b. Where is the weapon?

c. I don‟t have a weapon.

d. Drop your weapon.

APPENDIX E

Pre-Test Stratification Survey

Please circle a suitable answer to the following questions:

1- Have you previously been deployed to the MiddleEast region during your

military career?

2- Have you had any previous instruction in the Arabic language?

3- Have you had any other language instruction?

4- Have you been to the MiddleEast region for reasons other than the military?

APPENDIX F

Comparative Study Raw Data

Score out of 30 Points

Without Prototype With Prototype

STUDENTS Pre-Test Post-Test Pre-Test Post-Test

1 8 10 22 29

2 9 12 15 26

3 3 20 7 20

4 13 20 8 22

5 8 12 3 18

6 7 10 3 21

7 12 16 3 21

8 15 24 14 21

9 9 15 9 25

10 21 25 19 30

11 6 10 7 17

12 20 23 13 27

13 2 13 3 18

14 3 16 3 16

15 3 12 6 19

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no