Introduction
An interdisciplinary team of linguists, psychologists, educators and computer engineers who belong to GLOBE Innovation Group (Innovative Didactic Group for Languages in Open and Blended Environments) has explored the applicability of Data-driven Language Learning (DDL) in the context of formal and non-formal education in a two-year teaching innovation project. The G-Rubric tool, an automatic evaluator of discursive texts already used in previous projects -though only in Spanish - and recognised with several awards and distinctions (Jorge-Botana, 2015), has been used to provide immediate and personalised feedback to undergraduate students in their written production practices in English in the subject "English for Professional Purposes". To this end, a specific corpus in English already was created in the first phase of the project and has been used, as well as the other updates for the G-Rubric tool to provide immediate and personalised feedback to undergraduate students in their written production practices in English.
The tool has also been piloted through a mentoring programme by Master's students in the subject "Open Language Learning", who have had real practice with Open Educational Resources that improve writing skills (in this case G-Rubric). On the other hand, a new edition of the MOOC "How to Succeed in the English B1 Level Exam", previously created by the members of this GID for the CUID (Centro Universitario de Idiomas a Distancia), has been held, with the G-Rubric tool already integrated so that students can also reinforce and improve this written competence in the context of non-formal education, and enabling the opportunity to prepare for the free English B1 level test at the CUID and obtain external and official certification of their level in English.
Good practices
The aims of the project were as follows:
1. To explore the possibilities of Data-Driven Learning in the improvement of written English language proficiency in undergraduate and Master's students, incorporating the latest research in this field.
2. To offer more effective feedback on the lexis used in written production in English, using the G-Rubric tool in the context of English as a foreign language.
3. To initiate a mentoring programme for the improvement of written competence in English: Master students (from the subject "Open Language Learning" in the Master ICT in Language Teaching and Processing) will act as mentors for 1st year undergraduate students (from the subject "English for Professional Purposes" in the Bachelor's Degree in Tourism).
4. To show the students of the ICT Master's Degree in Language Teaching and Treatment a practical and real example of open language learning, closely related to the subject they are studying, "Open Language Learning".
5. To promote the accreditation of the foreign language level of UNED students through the preparation and completion of the CUID free language test, updating the free MOOC course "How to succeed in the English B1 Level Exam", already available on the UNED Abierta platform with tasks designed with G-Rubric, encouraging them to participate to enrich their learning experience and that it is not limited to that of the degree they are studying, but that they can obtain external and official certification of their level of English language at the university’s Language Institute.
The main results obtained are the following:
1. The students of "English for Professional Purposes" have had the help of a tool that has assisted them in practising and improving their WRITTEN COMPOSITION before the final delivery (G-Rubric);
2. A positive assessment is appreciated by the students in relation to the usefulness of G-Rubric to provide personalised feedback in English for Specific Purposes.
3. Students have also positively valued the mentoring of Master's students to undergraduate students;
4. Master's students have had real practice with open technologies for language learning; and
5. External accreditation of English as a foreign language has been promoted through a MOOC.
Conclusion
The most notable contribution of this work is the attempt to bring teaching innovation to different areas of the university community, building bridges between formal and non-formal education, between undergraduate and postgraduate studies, between teachers and students. Thus, in the teaching innovation project "Data-Driven Learning (DDL) for the improvement of written competence in English" the following contributions have been made:
1) the possibilities of Data-Driven Learning (DDL) in the improvement of written competence in undergraduate and master's degree students have been explored, incorporating the latest research developments in this field;
2) the G-Rubric tool (developed by UNED lecturers and already successfully used in other disciplines) has been adapted to offer personalised feedback on written production in English in the subject "English for professional purposes" in the 1st year of the Bachelor's Degree in Tourism and in the MOOC "How to succeed in the English B1 level exam";
3) a mentoring programme of Master's students with undergraduate students has been initiated;
4) students of the Master's subject "Open Language Learning" have been involved in a real example of open language learning and
5) accreditation of foreign language level has been promoted through the university’s Institute of Languages, with ad hoc contents of the MOOC "How to succeed in the English B1 level exam".
