L2 Journal

This article presents a curricular model designed to strengthen oral production in asynchronous second language (L2) instruction. Developed within a Spanish L2 program at a large public university in the southern United States, the model responds to a persistent pedagogical challenge intensified by the post-pandemic shift toward remote learning: fostering communicative competence without real-time interaction. Grounded in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), the Output Hypothesis, Sociocultural Theory (SCT), and the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, the model integrates two complementary asynchronous oral activities: (1) Video Conversation Threads and (2) structured, proctored Oral Description Tasks. The first promotes interaction, confidence, and social presence through multimodal, low-stakes exchanges, while the second reinforces grammatical accuracy, lexical control, and procedural familiarity with formal assessment formats. These tasks establish a scaffolded progression that supports both communicative fluency and linguistic precision. Implementation across multiple course levels followed two sequencing configurations: a Sequential Scaffolding Model emphasizing gradual skill development and a Cyclical Scaffolding Model reinforcing iterative learning. Preliminary observations from instructors and students suggest increased learner engagement, confidence, and digital competence, as well as reduced anxiety in high-stakes oral assessments. This framework demonstrates that meaningful oral communication can be effectively cultivated in asynchronous environments through intentional design, iterative practice, and reflective feedback. It offers a transferable, theory-informed approach to integrating oral production into online and hybrid language courses.