Date:
2025.4.16(Wed) 1:30pm-3:00pm (UTC+8)
Venue:
人社院B304
Moderator:
Chen-Yu Chester Hsieh (Assistant Professor, NTHU Department of Foreign Languages and Literature)
謝承諭助理教授｜國立清華大學外國語文學系
Speaker:
Yi-ju Wu (Associate Professor, University of Taipei Department of English instruction)
吳宜儒副教授｜臺北市立大學英語教學系
Minute Taker:
Sarah 賴語彤
Lecture Poster
Speech Record
The “Exploring Virtual Reality and GenAI for Language Teaching and Learning” Seminar, held on April 16, 2025, invited Associate Professor Yi-Ju Ｗu from the Department of English Instruction at the University of Taipei to share her practical experiences and research on the application of “Virtual Reality (VR)” and “Generative AI (GenAI)” in language teaching and learning.
Professor Wu began by explaining two key focuses in language learning: The first is “Situated Learning”, as language is a living entity—learners must understand and engage with authentic contexts to learn effectively. The second is “Interaction”, since language is inherently social and exists for communication, making interactive learning essential. In “VR-based language learning”, learners immerse themselves in realistic environments and engage in contextual social interactions, making virtual worlds an ideal space for language education. For example, learners might find themselves in a virtual restaurant, practicing how to order food through speech and the VR platform.
Professor Wu then introduced her research on the application and effectiveness of VR in medical English communication training, analyzing its impact on students’ communication skills, learning motivation, and cultural awareness. The study was divided into two phases: Phase 1involved first-year medical students and compared traditional drama-based role play with role play conducted in VR settings to assess their effect on professional doctor-patient communication. Results showed that the VR group significantly outperformed the control group in areas such as “context setting”, “empathy”, and “teamwork”. VR also fostered greater creativity and engagement while reducing anxiety in English communication. However, traditional stage performance remained superior in emotional expression, as physical gestures and in-person interaction cannot be fully replicated in virtual platforms. Notably, students in the VR group demonstrated a shift in intercultural awareness, moving from a traditionally hierarchical doctor-patient dynamic common in Asian contexts to a more patient-centered communication style, which is crucial in healthcare.
Moreover, Phase 2 focused on prospective English teachers designing English lessons using the “Engage VR” platform. A total of 50 students majoring in English instruction (language proficiency ranging from B1 to C1) participated. They created and set up virtual classrooms, incorporating whiteboards, textual prompts, gesture-activated objects, and breakout rooms. They chose appropriate scenarios based on lesson themes and designed “situated conversations and activities”, showcasing high levels of creativity and the ability to integrate pedagogical strategies. The study showed that these pre-service teachers could effectively utilize VR to create diverse English learning contexts—such as parks, cafés, and magical classrooms—while leveraging various interactive tools to enhance the sense of immersion and authenticity.
Another research project by Professor Wu focused on the use of ChatGPT in real teaching contexts involving pre-service teachers and elementary school students. The study found that teachers primarily used ChatGPT for lesson planning, formulating learning objectives, and material creation, as well as a collaborative tool during lesson preparation. Under teacher guidance, students also engaged with ChatGPT in CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) activities, such as generating slogans, revising language expressions, and producing written texts—demonstrating its practical value in language learning. The instructional task design evolved from basic information comprehension tasks to higher-order tasks, such as creative writing, language analysis, and content creation, highlighting the dynamic progression in AI-teacher interaction. Overall, teachers’ use of ChatGPT showed a shift from information retrieval to co-creation, with a stronger emphasis on instructional design than assessment. However, there is still room for improvement in teachers’ ability to instruct students in effective “prompt engineering”.
In conclusion, both Virtual Reality (VR) and Generative AI (GenAI) have introduced innovative changes to traditional language learning. Through teachers’ implementation and students’ active participation, these tools are no longer just technologies, but are increasingly seen as learning partners in the classroom, helping to co-create richer and more engaging learning experiences.
舉辦於2025年4月16日之「Exploring Virtual reality and GenAI for Language Teaching and Learning」講座，邀請到來自台北市立大學英語教學系的吳宜儒副教授與我們分享虛擬實境(Virtual reality, VR) 與生成式AI(GenAI)在語言教學及學習的應用經驗與研究。
吳教授首先向我們說明，在語言學習中有兩大重點：第一是「情境式學習(Situated learning)」，由於語言是活的東西，學習者必須了解應用的情境並從中學習；第二是「互動(Interation)」，語言具備社會性，是為了溝通而存在的，所以適合透過大量互動學習。在以虛擬實境（VR）為基礎的語言學習中，學習者會沉浸在擬真的環境中，進行具情境性的社交互動，而這使虛擬世界成為語言教育的理想場所。例如：他們可能會置身於一間虛擬餐廳，透過語音和VR平台練習點餐。另外，虛擬實境主要可分為兩種類型：沉浸式VR（例如使用 Google Cardboard 或 Oculus 等頭戴式裝置）與非沉浸式VR（例如透過電腦或類似遊戲的介面操作）。
接著吳教授引入了自己的研究內容，探討虛擬實境（VR）在醫療英語溝通教學中的應用與成效，進一步分析其對學生溝通技巧、學習動機與文化意識的影響。研究共分為兩個階段：第一階段以醫學系大一學生為對象，比較傳統戲劇角色扮演與VR環境中的角色扮演對學生專業醫病溝通技巧的影響；第二階段則由未來的英語師資生設計VR英語課程，以驗證VR在實際教學設計中的應用潛力。
在第一階段中，研究顯示VR組在「情境介紹」、「同理心表達」及「團隊合作」等面向表現顯著優於控制組。VR環境亦激發學生更高的創造力與參與感，並降低學生在使用英語進行醫病溝通時的焦慮，然而，在「情感表達」這一層面，傳統舞台演出仍具優勢，因為肢體語言與現場互動無法完全被虛擬平台取代。值得一提的是，VR組學生在角色互動中展現出跨文化意識的轉化能力，從傳統亞洲權威式醫病關係轉向更平等的「病人為中心」的溝通風格，這在醫療溝通中極為關鍵。在第二階段中，英語師資生利用 Engage VR 平台設計英語課程，參與者包含 50 位英語教學系學生，語言程度從 B1 至 C1 不等。學生透過平台設計並佈置虛擬教室，如設置白板、文字提示、手勢互動物件與分組功能等，並根據教學主題選擇合適場景設計情境式會話與活動，展現出高度的創造力與教學策略整合能力。研究結果顯示，準教師能有效運用VR平台設計多樣化的英語課程情境，如公園、咖啡廳、魔法教室等，並整合平台中的多項互動與教學工具，提升教學的沉浸感與真實感。
吳教授的另一項研究主要是探討師資培育生在實際教學中使用 ChatGPT 的經驗，涵蓋 50 位師培生與國小學生的教學互動情境。研究發現，教師主要運用 ChatGPT 於教案設計、學習目標撰寫與教材產出，亦作為備課與共備的協作工具。此外，在教師引導下，學生也能使用 ChatGPT 完成 CLIL（Content and Language Integrated Learning）教學活動，例如：生成標語、修改語言表達與撰寫文本，展現其於語言學習中的實用性。教學任務設計亦呈現發展性，從初期著重於資訊理解，逐步轉向高層次的任務，如：創意文案撰寫、語言分析與內容創作，顯示教師與 AI 的互動模式不斷演進。整體而言，教師對 ChatGPT 的運用呈現動態發展，從資訊檢索延伸至內容共創，使用比例在教學設計上高於評量領域，然而，關於「指令輸入」的教學指導能力仍具提升空間。
總結而言，不管是虛擬實境(Virtual reality, VR) 還是生成式AI(GenAI) 已經為傳統的語言學習帶來創新的轉變，透過教師的應用以及同學的參與，從純粹的工具到被視為教學中的學習夥伴，協助教師與學生共同創造更不一樣的學習經驗。