From action research to the implementationof ICT pedagogical tools: taking intoaccount students’ needs to propose adjustedonline tutorial practice

This paper deals with the implementation of an ‘‘online pedagogical assistant’’ in a blendedlearning device for English for Special Purposes (ESP) students in a French university(UPMC, Paris VI). As it is now, it comprises a customized website designed to serve as a guidethrough the development of the students’ work.The architecture of this website and the way it is meant to be used are parametersderived from the conclusions of action research carried out in 2007–2008 in another Frenchuniversity (Perpignan) amongst B1/B2 ESP students.1 The perspective of that study was toexamine their needs when performing off site aural and written tasks. The data collectedshowed that the problems encountered were always the same – outlining a typology – and thatmost obstacles derived from A2/B1 elements they had already been through during theirsecondary education.This application has been named an ‘‘online pedagogical assistant’’ because, by targetingthe problems from the typology, it aims at leading students take care of their needs bythemselves before emailing their productions to their tutor(s), particularly by pushing theminto reflecting on a certain number of aspects they are already acquainted with but which theynonetheless tend to forget when working on their own.From the typology of problems, a system of semi-automatic correction meant to help studentsproceed to self-corrections – notably through online references to relevant online help and exercises– has also been developed. In the correction phase of the students’ tasks, the purpose istherefore no longer for the tutor to correct their productions but to help them do it themselves.Action research is in progress to evaluate the potential of those adjusted online tutorialpractices in terms of second language (L2) acquisition