Improving Online Readability and Information Literacy

Abstract

This chapter integrates important challenges of how to improve accessibility, readability and learnability of online content. It is concerned with issues of how to create effective and enjoyable contents for online learning that is linguistically accessible, textually comprehensible and readable for foreign language learners. Information literacy is an umbrella term encompassing computer, critical, digital, and media literacy. Yet a crucial area for research is the overlap of traditional reading literacy and new forms of online and digital library literacy. This area seems to have been largely overlooked and under-researched. This chapter elucidates how various threads can be more skillfully woven together so as to enhance online reading and language learning skills. The aim is to gain insights that enhance online learning and integrate information literacies in foreign language education.

Key Terms in this Chapter

Information Literacy: An umbrella term encompassing computer, critical, digital, and media literacy

TTS: Text-to-Speech online audio assistance

CALL: Computer Assisted Language Learning

Readability: A quality in online texts that includes discussion of four distinct constructs: The reading ability or level of the user; The readability level of a text; Vocabulary level; and readability assessment tests, instrument scales or indices themselves

Glossing: An operation that provides monolingual or bilingual meanings and examples of vocabulary