Reflections on the Development of a Web-Based Course to Support EFL Learning For Pre-Service Teachers in Thai Rajabhat University: A Case Study

ABSTRACT In a modern, information rich, economically driven society, Western universities as well as Thai Universities are turning towards the Web to disseminate and retrieve information. Integration of computers to support the learning environment in teaching language is still in its infancy in Thailand. Its implementation changes both the instructional strategy and also the teaching and learning environment. This paper examines how a web-based course was used as a tool to support English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning for pre-service teachers at a Rajabhat University in Thailand. INTRODUCTION This paper is based upon part of the work that forms a much larger doctoral study. It describes the development and evaluation of a pilot web-based course that was developed to be used as a tool to support English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning for pre-service teachers in Rajabhat universities in Thailand. It is hoped that further development of this course will lead to a web-based English language training system that will provide an enhanced preparation pre-service teachers for learning effective language and computer skills. As in all modern, information rich, economically driven societies, Thai Universities are turning towards ICT to disseminate and retrieve information (Bash, 2005; Chansilp, 2003; Neo, 2004; Shannon & Doube, 2004; Thongprasert, 2003). This includes the integration of computers into language teaching to support the language learning environment as an instructional strategy (Lo, Wang, & Yeh, 2004; Neo, 2004; Souza & Fardon, 2002; Tse-Kian, 2003; Wattanaboot, 2003). *Assistant Professor, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University Doctor of Education candidate School of Education and Arts, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. **School of Education and Arts, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.