Evaluating Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab Website

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.