The reports of the demise of the CD-ROM have proved to be a little premature, if one judges by the contents of this issue of ReCALL. Whilst it is true that there is a strong emphasis in the articles by Huw Jarvis, Julie Belz and Lina Lee on the opportunities offered by network-based learning – and the trend towards such a focus is inevitable – it remains the case that the CD-ROM is still capable of rich and significant exploitation, as shown in the articles by Gunther Kaltenboeck and Birgit Winkler. Gavin Burnage argues for a ‘broad inclusive approach to networking’ which declines to abandon the old data-carriers, whether floppy-based DOS programs or CD-ROMs and argues for the pragmatic integration of a wide range of disparate resources into a single, coherent framework. DISSEMINATE, the macro-structure articulated here by Philippe Delcloque and Alexandre Bramoullé, is a concept with a similar integrative ambition but from an authoring perspective.

To transform pedagogically sound classroom tasks into effective CALL-ware, it is advantageous to have an approach that takes into account the general principles applicable to all human computer interaction (HCI). This paper outlines an attempt at such an approach. Teacher-designed, pedagogically sound software often fails in terms of usability, while highly usable, professionally made software is often based on ideas that are not in accord with those of a particular curriculum or teacher. The approach outlined below may assist in the process of transforming pedagogic materials and practices already successfully used in the classroom into easily usable software.

This paper examines the provision of networked CALL services at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge. It argues that in such a context a broad, inclusive approach to networking – one which avoids any over-strict commitment to a single method or paradigm of network delivery, but makes the most of whatever is available – is often the most appropriate. This eclectic approach helps preserve the best of what has been created in the past while keeping up with everything technological advances offer, and respects the wide-ranging and widely-differing views and approaches of Faculty teaching staff. The aim of the MML Network Service is therefore to present a wide range of disparate resources in a single, coherent framework. While welcoming the many advantages the use of the World Wide Web brings, the article stresses that in a broad infrastructure both older programs which have proved their worth and newer, highly-developed programs which have come after them need not be lost while the functionality of the Web is still developing. It also lays out in general terms some technical suggestions for those seeking ideas on the implementation of networking strategies in a Windows-based local area or university-wide network, partly with a view to reinforcing the credentials for CALL and humanities computing generally to be afforded high-quality computing infrastructure both in the present and with whatever technological advances bring in the future.

Building on the experience of developing a CD-ROM for English intonation practice, this article explores some advantages and limitations of this medium for the teaching of suprasegmentals. Despite their undeniable potential for foreign language learning, computers prove to be rather limited in their feedback to pronunciation, especially in terms of error identification and correction, which calls into question one of their very strengths, viz. that of teacher-independent learning. As a possible solution to this dilemma, the present paper proposes to build into the design of a CD-ROM for intonation teaching the concept of learner autonomy, i.e. transferring to an increased degree responsibility for the learning process from the teacher (computer) to the learner. Drawing on the discussion of autonomy by, e.g. Broady & Kenning (1996) and Little (1999), it is demonstrated how incorporating a metacognitive level (by offering the learner the choice to access intonation in different ways) and a metalinguistic level helps to make the CD-ROM users more autonomous in their learning and equip them with the necessary tools for self-assessment and self-monitoring, which in turn can make up for the lack of computerised diagnostic feedback.

This paper discusses the findings of two empirical studies which investigated how students of English used two English learners’ dictionaries on CD-ROM. The outcome of these studies will indicate in what way such dictionaries can serve as reference and language learning tools. It is argued that an English learner’s dictionary on CD-ROM could be much more than an ‘ordinary’ reference work because it includes facilities that are not available in book form, such as audio and visual elements, exercises and games. The studies suggest, however, that a number of changes in content and design will have to be made in order to make such dictionaries more effective and beneficial to their users. Learners, on the other hand, may need to acquire special skills in order to benefit from all the information an English learner’s dictionary on CD-ROM contains.

This paper begins by documenting general usage of the Internet as a tool for delivery of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. It then goes on to illustrate how a number of specific internet-based classroom activities might be integrated onto EAP courses in order to equip non-native speakers with the main skills that they are likely to need when following an academic course at a British university.

Network-based language teaching (NBLT) involves the application of global or local communication networks within foreign and second language education (Warschauer and Kern, 2000). In telecollaboration, a type of NBLT, distally located language learners use internet communication tools to support dialogue, debate, collaborative research and social interaction for the purposes of language development and cultural awareness (e.g. Kinginger et al., 1999). To date, the research on NBLT has been limited, focusing primarily on pedagogical implementations of technology and linguistic features of online communication. In particular, researchers have not robustly explored social and institutional dimensions of telecollaboration (Chapelle, 2000:217) nor have they adequately investigated the pervasive assumption that telecollaborative interaction will necessarily and unproblematically afford language learning (e.g. Kramsch and Thorne, to appear). Drawing on social realism (Layder, 1993), a sociological theory which emphasizes the inter-relationship between structure, i.e. society and institution, and agency, i.e. situated activity and psycho-biography, in researching and explaining social action, I present a sociocultural account of German-American telecollaboration. In particular, I explore the meanings that the macro features of (1) language valuation (Hilgendorf, 1996); (2) membership in electronic discourse communities (Gee, 1999); and (3) culturally determined classroom scripts (Hatch, 1992) may have for the differential functionality of virtual group work in this partnership. Differences in group functionality are reflected at the micro-interactional level in terms of (1) frequency and length of correspondence; (2) patterns of discursive behavior such as question-answer pairs; and (3) opportunities for assisted L2 performance and negotiation of meaning. Ethnographic data (e.g. interviews, electronic and classroom discourse, surveys and participant observations) on individual psycho-biographies are interwoven with macro-level descriptions and statistics to paint a rich picture of learner behavior in intercultural telecollaboration. This project is funded by a United States Department of Education International Research and Studies Program Grant (CFDA No.: 84.017A). The author is a research associate for the German component.

Online interactive exchange offers learners many opportunities to use the target language to negotiate both meaning and form in a social context that is crucial for second language acquisition (SLA). This paper discusses the interaction between non-native speakers (NNSs) and the types of communication strategies employed during the online communication. A total of forty students participated in online discussions using a private chatroom. Data from this study suggest that interactive strategies facilitate comprehension of input and output. The results show that regardless of proficiency level, students used a variety of communication strategies. However, students tended to use more comprehension checks, clarification checks, requests and self-repairs to negotiate with each other. The quick interactions taking place in cyberspace impeded students from producing correct and coherent discourse, especially during the learner-learner interaction. Pedagogically, students need to be advised of the need to write correctly to maintain a balance between function, content, and accuracy. One of the corrective techniques is to make students re-examine and revise their exchanges with guided instruction. The current study focused on online interaction among NNSs. To claim the effectiveness of online interaction in SLA with certainty, future studies on online negotiation must include both NNSs and native speakers.

This paper describes an experiment in which an attempt was made to show that Japanese Computer Assisted Language Learning (JCALL) with Animated Graphical Annotation (AGA) is more effective and useful in assisting learners to acquire Japanese language listening skills compared to JCALL without AGA. The independent variable in the experiment is AGA. The principal research question addressed was, “Does the AGA used in the JCALL contribute to the students’ overall pronunciation and listening performances in elementary Japanese language courses by looking into its AKUSENTO (symbol missing), SEION (symbol missing) and DAKUON (symbol missing) and TANON, CHOUON & SOKUON (symbol missing)?” The experiment was conducted in Malaysia last summer. One hundred and twelve students (25 male and 87 female) who were enrolled in Japanese language courses participated in this study. The students were randomly divided into two groups and the pre-test/post-test approach was used in this study. The results of the research showed AGA’s effectiveness in assisting the students to improve their listening skills. However, AGA appeared to be less effective in helping the students to improve their pronunciation skills.

This paper examines the role of checklists as a device for evaluating CALL courseware. After defining checklists, it examines the reasons why courseware is difficult to evaluate compared to other educational materials. It then covers in detail the main objections to the use of checklists for courseware evaluation; articles in the CAL literature from the 1980s through the 1990s have complained that checklists are inaccurate, cannot deal with educational issues, lack objectivity and reliability, are biased, etc. The present paper then examines these claims one by one, finding either that the criticism is unjustified or that it applies equally to any form of courseware evaluation. The paper concludes with speculations, drawn from postmodern literary theory, as to why the checklist has been the target of so many unsubstantial attacks.

This paper presents a proposed initial implementation for the DISSEMINATE concept and architecture first presented in 1998 at WorldCALL. Via an explanation of the explosion of the acronym, the article summarises the key points made in the initial article published by Swets and Zeitlinger in a volume edited by Chambers and Davies (Delcloque, 2001) where the project was described as the “implementation in the digital domain of the ring-binder philosophy”. It explains the slight changes and refinements brought to the general approach since its inception, presents briefly the results of a survey designed to examine authoring requirements and authors’ attitudes to authoring tools, summarises evidence of partially similar approaches taken by other developments and outlines the possible paths to the implementation of the project. It discusses some early proposals relating to the Macro Infrastructure and presents a Micro Module example. The article concludes with an explanation of the proposed provisional distribution structure, including commercial considerations, which, in the authors’ view, cannot be separated from the theoretical and practical questions which the concept poses. The conclusion also suggests that the principles of DISSEMINATE, whether or not resulting in a product, could nevertheless influence present and future digital learning authors.

The International Conference Eurocall 2001 was held from 29 August to 1 September 2001 at the Catholic University of Nijmegen, Netherlands. The conference attracted more than 350 participants from all over the world.