SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES IN COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE

SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES IN COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING: DEVELOPMENT, PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATIONS, AND RESEARCH

THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a relatively new and rapidly evolving academ ic field that explores the role of information and comm unica tion tec hn ol og ies in lan gu ag e le arn ing an d te ac hin g. It provides fertile ground for leading edge, innovative, and highly creative thinking and scholarly work. Because of the mu ltiplicities and changeability of the field, which include the emergence of ne w theoretical, methodolog ical, and learning paradigm s, sp ec ial un de rsta nd ing an d e xpe rtise is required to assess the qua lity an d d ep th o f su ch sch ol arl y ac tivities. This docum ent has be en drafte d for dep artme nts, institutions, professional associations, and other decision-making bodies in order to provide them with: (a) a clearer unders tanding of the range and variety of CALL activities and (b) a framework and useful resources for evaluating development, pedagogical innovations, and research projects in CALL.

INTRODUCTION The field of CALL is inherently multidisciplinary. It applies research from the fields of second language acquisition, soc iolo gy, linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, cultural studies, and natural language processing to second language pedagogy, and it melds these disciplines with technology-related fields such as c om pu ter scie nc e, a rtif icia l int el lig ence, and me dia/com mu nication studies. In integrating these disciplines, CAL L wor k req uires a wide ra nge of co mp lex activities and initiatives in develo pm ent, pedagogical inno vation s, an d re sea rch . As ind icate d by th e inc rea sing pre sen ce o f tec hno log y in professional conferences and pub lication s, researchers in the fields of language learning and applied linguistics recognize the value of work in CALL, and they draw on CALL research and pedagogical innovatio ns to fu rther r esea rch in th eir own fields.

W hen the field of CALL began, limitations of computer hardware narrowly restricted pedagogical options. Today, CALL activities exploit improved technology to produce highly interactive learning environm ents, providing effective support for the acquisition of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. High-speed networks allow access to authentic cultural materials and link learners to speakers around the world. When integrated into a pedagogical plan, these new technologies enhance learning opportunities beyond anything previously possible. CALL researchers explore and evaluate these new instructional options to establish how they can best integrate them into effective pedag ogy. They also resea rch w hat the se ne w instruc tional a ppro ach es ca n tell us ab out la ngu age lear ning p roce sses.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS IN CALL Scholarly activities in CALL include the development of learning environments, pedagogical innovations, and research on teaching and learning methods and second language acquisition. CALL researchers ma y stress one or m ore o f these area s, as the y enga ge in syste ma tic inquiry see king to discover new information, create or revise theories, and develop learning tools. Depending on the needs and goals of the project or institution, pedagogical, budgetary, or student needs may drive the search for new technology-based materials and improved instructional approaches. Development of these CALL solutions leads to ne w practical a pplications a nd to additional research. Success (or failure) in this cycle provides a better understanding of CALL and generates new theories on second lan gu ag e a cq uisit ion . In establishing criteria fo r aca dem ic standa rds, e valuation, recognition, and rewards, work in CALL must be analyzed in a mul tidisciplinary context and evaluated in term s of develop me nt, pedago gical innovations, and resea rch.

Development CALL researchers who work in developm en t ar e in vol ved in a var iety o f co m pl ex ta sks . Th ey b uil d authoring too ls a nd ap pl ica tion s fo r la ng ua ge inst ruc tor s to pro du ce ne w in teractive language learning ma terials. Th ey de velo p ric h m ultim edia con tent by re sea rch ing a nd c oll ect ing r ele vant documents and creating new cultural materials that include written, aural, and visual media. They also design and program

inter act ive learning enviro nm en ts, r eq uirin g a co m bin atio n o f co m pl ex te ch nic al skil ls a nd expe rtise in design and pedagogy. Quite often, development projects are based on previous research and/or include new research plans in which the materials are tested with learners and resulting data are integrated into the de velop me ntal p roce ss.

Pedagogical Innovations Pedagogical work in CALL typically means adop ting and adapting existing technology-based m aterials or learning environments to a specific course or learning program. Off the shelf software can rarely be used without modification. Usually, significa nt cus tom ization a nd expa nsion a re ne ede d to integ rate technology into the curriculum in a way that maximizes learning opportunities and language exposure.

Therefore, pedagogical innovations require the instructors to be prof icient no t only in the peda gog y but to be knowledgeable about current technological applications and tools as well. Another important way of integrating technology into powerful le arning environm ents is to put the tools of c reation into the studen ts' hands, designing instructional units that channel student creativity into effective language learning activities. Under an instructor's skillful guidance, students can gain valuable language practice while they develop cultural web sites, create digital video class projects, and establish contacts with students in other cities and c oun tries thro ugh interne t-base d, m ulti-user, interactive environm ents. It is in these pedagogically innovative environments that researchers investigate how technology-based learning affects the la ngu age acqu isition proc ess.

Research Research in the field of CALL is continually expanding into new areas, drawing on theories from related fields and creating its own theoretical and methodological paradigms. Terminology has been standardized, points of reference established, and research is organized in a sign ific ant number of subbranches of CALL. Research in CALL may refer to qualitative studies such as the description of a new learning environ me nts, stud ent r esp onses to program interface options, reactions to diverse modes of presenting information, and mapping of student usag e patterns within learn ing environm ents. It may also refer to qu antita tive stu dies suc h as the te sting of th e ac quis ition o f ph ono log ical and syntactic elem ents, the systematic investigation of psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic variables and their effect on learning with tech nolo gy, and statistical a nalysis o f the e ffec tiveness o f alte rnative instr uction al stra tegies.

Technology-based language learning materials can provide a superior environment for researching aspe cts of l an gu ag e a cq uisit ion . As an exam pl e, a CA LL res ea rc h st ud y m igh t co nf irm or disprove a hyp oth esis generated by Second Language Ac quisition (SLA) theory. The process orientation of much current SLA research can significantly benefit from the collection and analysis of data on student use of CALL ma terials. Studies on how students learn with these materials can contribute to our knowledge of SLA and to the de velop me nt of C ALL th eory itsel f, that is, und ersta nding how the use of technology affe cts the proc ess of lang uag e lea rning.

CONCLUSIONS CALL draws on the em piric al and the oretical work in man y fields and return s tangible rese arch resu lts, new perspectives, and a deeper understanding of the nature of language learning and human/technology interaction. CA LL als o p rod uc es t oo ls, lea rnin g ma terials, a nd pe dag ogica l app roac hes o f imm ediate con crete value in enhancing language learning programs. Increasing the use of comp uter-ass isted learning system s is a p rim e go al o f virtua lly e very e duc ation al in stitutio n. H owe ver, f ew in stitutio ns h ave developed effective frameworks for assessing these systems or have formula ted guidelines for properly evaluating and rewarding those whose contributions advance our understanding of the field. The evaluation of peda gogical inno vations, developm ent, and rese arc h in CALL can be based on assessment m echanism s as objective as those used in other fields. Such assessment requires an understanding of the particular challenges of CALL that is not yet widespread in lan gu ag e d ep art m en ts a nd ac ad em ic institutions. Effective evaluation systems m ust draw on the current, organized, and demonstrable kno wled ge of nation al an d intern ationa l exper ts in the fiel d.

References to documents, organizations, and experts in the field, and, eventuall y, m odel assessment systems, can b e obta ined fr om lead ing org aniza tions suc h as E uroC ALL, www.eurocall. org, th e Computer Assisted Lang uag e Instruc tion Co nsortiu m ( CAL ICO), www.calico.org, and the International Association for L ang uag e Lea rning T ech nolo gy (IALL ), iallt.ne t.