This presentation describe some important aspects of the paper: Discussion Boards as Tools in Blended EFL Learning Programs published in Profile Journal in Colombia. The author is Diana Isabel Cantor from Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Bogota

1. Name of the experienceA blended program: ALEX Virtual – A new modality of the ALEX program. Discussion Boards as Tools in Blended EFL Learning Programs Institution: Universidad Nacional de Colombia-Bogotá, Colombia

2. Responsible:One tutor (an English Philology student) one teacher, auxiliary students. Number of students: The program is divided into four levels, each level with ten groups. This study took four groups (groups 13 to 16) of the same level (level II) that were guided by the same teacher and tutor and, therefore, with the same topics in the discussion boards. PARTICIPANTS Date ALEX Virtual was created in December 2001, ALEX Virtual-Blended program was created in 2007 due to the over demand in the university.

3. How to participate: Undergraduate students who need to certify foreign language proficiency to graduate Tipos de herramientas TIC empleadas: Blackboardplatform, video-chat, chat, emails Purpose: Providing students with a successful learning process of English as a foreign language in a virtual blended modality.

5. The methodology of ALEX Virtual consists of the following four main elements: Autonomous work by the students. It is done through the use of the contents designed for the program (modules in Blackboard) and materials available in the Resources Center. Face-to-face component. This component consists of one hour of face-to-face tutorial sessions a week (sixteen weeks in total) with a teacher responsible for a group of 25 students maximum. Each group also has a tutor, who is an English philology student, who supports the teacher’s work with the group. The tutor has four hours per week for on-line (video-chat) and four hours for face-to-face tutorial sessions. These hours are devoted to answering questions students have about the platform or the course and for the oral practice of the language. Students can also communicate with teachers and tutors via internal mail on the platform or ask for help of auxiliary students (English language students) at the Resource Center. Academic and Cultural Events. These are spaces provided by the University and the Program in which the students, guided by teachers and tutors, develop project works and show the result of their work in an event. Presentations, exhibitions, competences and games are part of the projects students can participate in. Evaluation. The courses have two progress tests and one final exam. The two midterm progress tests are not quantitatively meaningful for the course, but aim at showing students, teacher and tutor the strengths and weaknesses of each student. Both tests are required before taking the final exam. The final exam represents 40% of the whole grade of the course and passing the exam is a requirement for passing the course Description of the Project: Phases and type of activities

6. Contents The tutors and teachers meet ahead of time and think of a topic according to the contents studied during the time the board will be available as well as propose the topic which can help students review it and widen their knowledge. In some forums participants can create discussion threads; in other forums they can only answer threads proposed by the administrator and the interventions of other participants.

7. Discussion Boards The discussion board is an asynchronous tool which allows the exchange of ideas, debates and collaborative learning Discussion forums are often seen as an equalizing tool, which encourages universal participationin discussion compared to face-to-face dialogue These discussions allow for dynamic growth, development, and interchange of ideas among students, and therefore can play an important role in student learning This interchange and meaningful communicationhelp improve writing skills and autonomy but, overall, they promote the critical thinking Theoreticalsupport

8. Cantor, D. I. (2009). Discussion boards as tools in blended EFL learning programs. Profile, 11 (1), 107-121. REFERENCE