Effects of Blackboard’s Discussion Boards, Blogs and Wikis on Effective Integration and Development of Literacy Skills in EFL Students

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the online course tools, specifically discussion boards, blogs and wikis, the built-in facilities of Blackboard as computer-mediated communication integrated in e-learning environments on improving integrated reading and writing and on the attitudes of EFL college students towards literacy skills in e-learning environments. A pedagogical model was designed and described in a background of relevant research. The study made use of both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the effects of these tools on both reading/writing performance and on attitudes. The findings indicated that the students' performance on an integrated reading/writing test was improved and so were their attitudes towards literacy skills. The findings also showed that the e-course tools at issue facilitated students' interactions and supported learning of the reading/writing skills in a growing online discourse community. The paper ends with a conclusion and discussion of pedagogical implications and recommendations for prospective research.