The Use of Blended Learning in EFL (Writing Skills): A Case for Rosetta Stone Software

The purpose of education at Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) is to qualify highly trained professionals who are ready to communicate and also take part in scientific sphere. We have created an English language course that blends in person instruction enhanced with wiki interactive tools. This study tests Rosetta stone software on MAI students' writing skills. We decided to find the difference between the results of blended learning approach as alternative to traditional course of EFL, especially we were focused on the progress in writing skills. We decided to start this hybrid course for some reasons: to encourage the students of MAI to read, speak and especially write properly; to find new ways of interaction between the professors and the students. Rosetta stone blended course is one of the key online language learning programs of educational success nowadays. Hence, we designed a treatment using Rosetta Stone software to examine its effect on EFL students' writing skills at MAI. Our department of linguistics and translation is well-equipped with modern personal computers, web cameras etc. A sample of 48 technical first-year students started a language course at MAI. 24 students represented the control group, and 24 students represented the experimental group. The control and experimental groups were taught by the same program. Throughout the course, the learners working within the framework of traditional paradigm followed the typical communicative approach routine. The participants of the experimental group were instructed to view the material posted on Rosetta Stone platform and to do extra homework several times a week. Among the benefits of course we can name: accessibility of materials, students' desire to study and to test something new, an opportunity to study whenever and wherever they want, ability to concentrate indoors home, progress in writing and other skills. The analysis revealed that the experimental group outstriped the control group with traditional way of education. In conclusion, we can say, that blended learning can successfully improve the progress in writing skills of EFL studies at MAI.