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
(L2) 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 natural and interesting themes.
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; it may cause problem to people who has vision problems.
The content on the website easy to
read and understand by the students and teacher also, it has enough information
to make visiting the site worthwhile. Moreover, The title of a site has
appropriate to its purpose. The voice in audio records very
clear and each lesson have activates pre-listening, listening exercise,
vocabulary and post- listening. Also, in each lesson clarify the learners’
level, topic, and type of audio record, speakers, and length. Also, readers can
easily download the audio record and it found in website as written form also.
There are a lot of links in a website as Randall’s other site. It clear and
easy for learner to move from one website to another.
The information on the site not as
good as a book on the same topic. Because it has so many additional features,we can not found them in the book. Such as, worksheets with quizzes on
everyday conversations for all levels, short
listening exercises and long conversations ,students can submit their answers to correct them and
they can see the correct answers. and students can see the script of the
conversation and can listen to it as they read it.
The site grade level is appropriate as an extra activity for the students, and different students are able to choose listening texts according
to their difficulty, needs and interests. Although the
site is not that much interactive and engaging for the student, because the website design does not attract students,it is very formal, but
the content attracts students and topics for
the real life situation.
