Mandarin is one of the ancient languages in the world and one of the United Nation's official languages. It has also gradually gained popularity overseas following China's rapid economic growth and enhanced influence in international affairs over the past two decades. The rapid development of the economy and the huge market in China has generated much interest in the learning of Mandarin throughout the world.Mandarin is the common language amongst Malaysian Chinese, the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia. Malay is the national language and the main language of communication among the various races in Malaysia. Meanwhile, English is the second language spoken among the various races. As such, it would appear unimportant for Malays to know or learn Mandarin. However, for self-improvement and self-advancement, Malay students at tertiary level like to learn Mandarin as an additional language. These students are usually exposed to Mandarin only in the classroom setting. They hardly or do not use the language at all outside the classroom. As such, Mandarin as third language is very much a foreign language rather than a second language among the Malays.
With the encouragement from the Vice Chancellor, the number of UiTM students who signed up for Mandarin courses is increasing dramatically. To overcome the problems of logistics, insufficient contact hours, lack of target language environment and the need for a learning tool (courseware) that can capture and enhance learning motivation especially among learners that have no prior knowledge in Mandarin, it is felt that an e-Learning tool should be developed. With this in mind, the researchers created an e-workbook that students can use as a selflearning material. The e-workbook consists of four levels with seven types of exercises in each level. Students are required to read, type in their answers, and they also have an option to listen to the recordings that are included. The general feedback obtained indicated that the e-workbook has managed to help students improve on their language skills. In this paper, a brief description on the development of the e-workbook is given. A brief discussion on the students' feedback on the e-workbook is also presented.
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