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CALL Computer AssistedLanguage Learning, TELL Technology Enhanced Language Learning, "educationalsoftware", MPS Multimedia Presentation Software are now buzzwords in ELT..  Evaluating t

PART A: INTRODUCTION

I RATIONALE:

It goes without saying that technology is all around us and it is inevitable to get incontact with it in every single action of our lives Whether we like it or not, we can hardlydeny the fact that technology has bettered our lives in an unprecedented way Since itsappearance in our lives, technology have changed the way we live, the way we work, theway we think, the way we entertain ourselves and the way we learn

In education, particularly in the area of language teaching and learning, new termshave been coined along with the arrival of technology CALL (Computer AssistedLanguage Learning), TELL (Technology Enhanced Language Learning), "educationalsoftware", MPS (Multimedia Presentation Software) are now buzzwords in ELT Theycould be easily caught in publications, language websites, online forums and dailyconversations among language teachers It is impossible for language teachers to carry ontheir jobs without technological applications Consequently, the question left is notwhether to accept technology or not but how to make the best of it

It is partly for this deep-rooted reason that the author decided to conduct a study onhow to better the technological application, especially educational software to designlectures As a teacher of English at Faculty of Information Technology - Thai NguyenUniversity (FIT -TNU) working with IT students, the author enjoys the advantages of IT inher job Investigating CALL applications in ELT has long been pursued by her As amatter of fact, this issue has been discussed a lot in literature but such research into MPSapplications in English teaching and learning at TNU is quite few Furthermore, the credit-based training system has been adopted at FIT -TNU, which allows more outsideclassroom self-study and less in-class lessons Therefore, teachers of English need toincrease in utilizing technology to make the best use of in-class hours All above-mentioned reasons have motivated the author to carry out the research in evaluating MPS

to design English lectures for second- year students at FIT - TNU

ii Aims of the study

The study aims at the following targets:

 Studying the influence of CALL applications in English teaching and learning ingeneral and the extent to which MPS can assist English learning and teaching

 Evaluating the uses of some MPS in English teaching and learning, especially theuse of Microsoft Producer in comparison with Microsoft PowerPoint, AdobePresenter and Articulate Presenter

 Applying and assessing Microsoft Producer in designing English lectures at FIT TNU

-iII Research questions

In order to achieve above-mentioned aims, the study focuses on answering the

research questions: Do MPS facilitate the design of English lectures at FIT - TNU? More

specifically, it aims to address the following sub-questions:

(i) Research sub-question 1: How has MPS been exploited in designing Englishlectures?

(ii) Research sub- question 2: How has Microsoft Producer software been evaluated

in comparison with other MPS?

(iii) Research sub- question 3: How has Microsoft Producer software been applied

and assessed in designing English lectures at FIT - TNU?

IV Methods of the study

The subjects for this study are four representative MPS: Microsoft Producer, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Presenter 7.0 and Articulate Presenter 09 Based on

methodological framework created by reliable software evaluators, these MPS arecompared and analyzed both objectively and subjectively on the author's real experiences

of teaching General English for the second-year students learning at FIT - TNU

After these MPS evaluations, an application and assessment of the best-evaluatedMPS, Microsoft Producer, will be implemented in designing English lectures at FIT -TNU

V Scope of the study

It would bee too ambitious for this minor thesis to cover all aspects of CALL inEnglish teaching and learning Thus, the author would like to focus only on evaluating fourMPS: Microsoft Producer, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Presenter 7.0 and Articulate

Presenter 09 Especially, Microsoft Producer software will be evaluated to be applied andassessed in designing English lectures for second-year students at FIT - TNU

VI Design of the study

The study includes three main parts: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion

Introduction presents the rationale, the scope, the methodology and the design of

the study

Development consists of three chapters:

 Chapter I gives the theoretical background of the study with the theories related to

CALL software in EFL in general and multimedia presentation software (MPS)used in designing English lectures in particular

 Chapter II details the evaluation of MPS in English teaching and learning and

Microsoft Producer applications in designing English lectures at FIT - TNU

 Chapter III is centered on Microsoft Producer software applications and

assessment in English teaching and learning at FIT - TNU

Conclusion provides the main findings of the study and proposes the limitations of

the study and suggestions for further research

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter I: Literature review

I.1 Theoretical background of CALL in English teaching and learning

Since the first time being introduced to EFL teaching and learning in 1960s,computers have had certain effects on the general picture of EFL education However,along with the continuous development of information technology, the impact ofcomputers in EFL teaching and learning is still under discussion

The following sub-sections provide an overview of (1) definition of CALL, (2) briefhistory of CALL, (3) CALL applications in English teaching and learning, (4) advantagesand disadvantages of CALL in English teaching and learning

I.1.1 Definition of CALL

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is often perceived somewhatnarrowly, as an approach to language teaching and learning in which the computer is used

as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learnt, usuallyincluding a substantial interactive element Since 1980s, CALL widened its scope,embracing the communicative approach and a range of new technologies, especiallymultimedia and communication technology Technology Enhanced Language Learning(TELL) is an alternative term to CALL, however, TELL has not gained as wide acceptance

as CALL

Levy (1997) defines CALL more broadly as "the search for and study of applications ofthe computer in teaching and learning" This definition is in line with the view held by themajority of modern CALL practitioners

I.1.2 Brief history of CALL

Warschauer, M & Healey, D (1998) categorizes the development of CALL into

three phases: behaviouristic CALL, communicative CALL and integrative CALL.

Behaviouristic CALL conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the 1960s and

1970s This phase was based on "then-dominant behaviouristic theories of learning" whichemphasized repetitive language drills (drill and practice) in language learning

Communicative CALL emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as

behaviouristic approaches was both theoretically and pedagogically, and personalcomputers offered more possibilities for individual works Communicative CALLcorresponded to cognitive theories, which stressed that learning was "a process ofdiscovery, expression and development" (Warschauer, M & Healey, D, 1998) Thoughcommunicative CALL was viewed to be a breakthrough compared to behaviouristicCALL, it received criticisms in the late 1980s for being used in "an ad hoc anddisconnected fashion" and just focus on "marginal rather than central elements" of the FLlearning process There was a trend to move from cognitive view to a more social -cognitive one in FL teaching This leaded to the new phase, integrative CALL

Integrative CALL based on two important technological developments of the last

decade in the 20th century: multimedia computers and the Internet Multimedia

technologies allow a variety of media (text, graphics, sound, animation, and video) to beaccessible on a single machine When multimedia resources are all linked together, thistechnology becomes more powerful and is called hypermedia However, multimediatechnology rarely involves the integration of meaningful and authentic communication intoall aspect of language learning curriculum This is then solved with the help of anothertechnological breakthrough, electronic communication and the Internet Supported by thesocio-cognitive view of learning, integrative CALL referred to technology to createauthentic learning environments, which integrated reading, listening, speaking, and writingskills in a target language

Warschauer (2002) adds the next phase of CALL development in the 21st century,

collaborative CALL, in which technology is considered more as a tool for individual and

societal development rather than just isolated language and literacy skills This approach isunder the influence of socio-cultural theories of education, where human learning anddevelopment are tied to collaborative purposeful activities mediated by tools and the socialenvironment Both integrative and developmental CALL support highly interactive andcommunicative language learning and include extensive use of the Internet

All of the four phases in the development of CALL can be illustrated in thefollowing figure:

Figure 1- The evolution of CALL

I.1.3 CALL applications in EFL teaching and learning

Computers are potential in various uses in English classroom with the domination

of technological features The current main uses of computers in language teaching andlearning can be generated as follows:

I.1.3.1 Reference tool:

Through CD/ DVD-ROMS or Internet, teachers and students can search for allsorts of information related to their language teaching and learning There are now variousencyclopedias available on CD-ROM or on line, offering not only definitions but alsopronunciation, practice exercises and activities as well Internet is considered the mostconvenient reference tool Accessing directories or search engines such as Google, MSN,

Yahoo, etc can help to find out "any subjects under the sun" (Hammer, 2001:146).

I.1.3 2 Computer mediated communication (CMC):

According to Abrams, Z (2006), this is the process of using computers to facilitateauthentic communication between to or more people Such kind of communication could

be an asynchronous form such as email, electronic bulletin board, and electronicnewsgroups or in a synchronous such as real internet chat or instant message Using CMC

in EFL language teaching and learning seems the main trend in the process of applying IT

in EFL education

I.1.3 3 Websites:

Harmer, J (2001:148) claims that almost website has great potential for students ofEnglish in getting in touch with the authentic language They can search for anyinformation in various forms such as text, audio, video There are also a number ofwebsites specially designed for EFL students to exchange emails, do exercises, playinggames EFL teachers also can make lesson plans online or download many activities fortheir language classes from these websites.

I.1.3 4 Word processor:

Word processor is one of the computer software used earliest in EFL learning andteaching Harmer (2000:150) suggests that word processor is the most successful use ofcomputer Word processor has been mainly used in writing skill, which serve both personaland group writing, can be a successful tool for the process approach in EFL writing Wordprocessors can also be used to create an endless number of exercises in English, filling inthe gaps; rearranging disordered paragraphs in a text; replacing incorrect words by thecorresponding correct ones etc Doing exercises in a word processor implies givingtraditional exercises a new format Nevertheless, this way of working in the Englishlanguage classroom results in a quite successful experience, since students enjoy the merefact of being manipulating computers

I.1.3.5 Teaching and learning programs:

Most of the programs in this group offer two different versions: tutorial programs and authoring programs

Tutorial programs with short introductory notes are followed by a series ofquestions, to which the student responds at the keyboard Discrete comments can be built

in, and error, review routines are automatic If required, a set of help notes can also becalled up during the question-answer sequence in order to understand the student who hasnot fully understood the point of the exercise The results of students' attempts at eachexercise are stored on the computer Language teaching software is currently muchavailable on CD- ROM to meet the demand of learners at different levels and variouslearning purposes These software packages offer students chances to participate in manylearning activities at the same time The current trend is that many EFL learning programsare available on the Internet There are also websites where students can sign up to takeself-study courses, accessing course information and sending work to tutors who monitorthe progress Langmaster, DynEd, EDO, etc are such popular programs in Vietnam

Authoring programs allows teachers to create their own different exercises or unitsunlike as in ready-made "dedicated" or "turnkey" programs, where the contents, questions

and texts come with the program and cannot be changed Hot Potatoes and Quizmaker are examples of popular CALL authoring packages Hot Potatoes is especially developed to

create Web-based language exercises, including multiple choice, gap-filling, matching,jumbled sentences, crosswords and short text entry It is used extensively on websites thatprovide interactive exercises and tests Quizmaker is a comprehensive yet easy-to-use

quiz creator for making highly customized Flash-based quizzes, assessments and surveyswithout the need for difficult programming

The applications of authoring software in EFL teaching and learning are various; however,the author will focus on multimedia presentation software (MPS), which will be clarified inthe next part

To sum up, a few main uses of computers in EFL teaching and learning have been

mentioned As Warschauer, M (1996) points out, "the use of computer does not constitute

a method", but it is only a "medium in which a variety of methods approaches and pedagogical philosophies may be implemented".

I.1.4 Advantages and disadvantages of CALL applications in English teaching and learning:

CALL has much to offer English language teachers and will have more to offer inthe future Let us guide ourselves just as if we were blind by the seductive and powerfultechnology that CALL represents It is vital to develop and maintain a critical eye on it.According to Philip (1986), one of the advantages of CALL is that it offers a powerful self-access facility; that is, it helps to generate autonomous learners who will experiencefreedom of choice The tools that learners find in computers allow them to assume mastery

of their own learning experience Students can call up the programs held by computerswhenever they want; besides, computers are sensitive to the learners level of proficiency.This advantage, though, can also be seen as a disadvantage, since many teachers mayconsider that computers are undertaking functions that should be performed by trainedteachers In this paper, the author will not demonstrate that this disadvantage which is not areal one, since, in fact, computers should be used by teachers as a complementary tool inthe teaching process

Another advantage of CALL is that it gives a new role to teaching materials Out of

the context of CALL, teaching materials are passive Before computers were used in theclassroom context, nothing the student said or did could influence in any deep sense thelinear progression of the content In CALL, materials adapt themselves to the requirements

of the individual student, thus, they become interactive To this advantage, Phillips attaches

a counter-argument: to what extent is it desirable that more of the management of learning

be embodied in the materials themselves rather than in the way they are exploited?

In the field of methodology, the author also finds one advantage and onecorrespondent disadvantage The advantage is that CALL, like other new technologies,brings about changes in the teaching methodologies of English There are cases, though, inwhich computers are just used to give old materials a new aspect This is the case ofteachers who put students in front of the computer just to make fill-in-the-gap exercises

Those advantages make us aware of an important fact in relation to CALL, we have

to constantly analyse whether the uses to which CALL are just reinforcing currentpractices or if they are promoting curriculum renewal In order to fully benefit from thepotential of the computer for language learning, language teachers have to promote acomplementary relationship with computers The technology that computers offer has to beintegrated with pedagogic programs that guarantee a real evolution of the teachingmethodologies and procedures The teachers abandons their informative role to take on amore active part in the teaching process thanks to computer co-operation, since thecomputer is now going to be the new source of information This results in an innovativeteaching methodology in which the dichotomy teacher/transmissor - student/receiver isbroken Now, teachers are going to promote communication/interaction with students; inorder to attain this objective and to encourage students to take risks, leaving aside penaltiesfor producing incorrect bits of language Besides, the teachers' analysis of the teaching-learning process and their planning of its development will make possible for them tocorrect possible errors in this process Finally, the introduction of the unexpected will bedeterminant to give students enough motivation for them to take an active part in theirlearning process With the practice of this kind of activities, curriculum renewal isguaranteed, so that there is no doubt that a real and evident progress in teachingmethodologies is taking place

One final aspect should be analysed in relation to the implementation of computers

in English language teaching is ultimately an ethical question: What is the kind ofenvironment that is going to be created by means of the computer? Personally, the authorconsiders that the creation of autonomous learners should not be associated to the concept

of human alienation The CALL classroom should not be conceived as a room in whichevery learner is studying in isolation in front of his/her computer Teachers must think ofactivities that enable group work/human interaction and computers to be compatible

Otherwise, men as social beings will be replaced by men as alienated computer slaves

I.2 Theoretical background of multimedia presentation software (MPS)

I.2.1 Definitions of MPS

“Multimedia” is a term frequently discussed among educators today Unless clearly

defined, the term can alternately mean “a judicious mix of various mass media such asprint, audio and video” or it may mean the development of computer-based hardware andsoftware packages produced on a mass scale and yet allow individualized use and learning

In essence, multimedia merges multiple levels of learning into an educational tool thatallows for diversity in curricula presentation

Fenrich (1997) claims that “Multimedia is the exciting combination of computer hardware and software that allows you to integrate video, animation, audio, graphics, and test resources to develop effective presentations on an affordable desktop computer” Another definition of multimedia given by Phillips (1997) is "the presence of text, pictures, sound, animation and video; some or all of which are organized into some coherent program”

Multimedia Presentation Software (MPS) is defined in ICT Glossary as the use ofcomputer software to create slides similar to those used on an overhead projector, exceptthat the display can include text, sound, still and moving images Slides are prepared inadvance, can be edited and are stored in the correct sequence MPS assists in the creation

of 35-mm slides, overheads, and electronic presentations Microsoft PowerPoint is one ofthe most commonly used presentation software packages

I 2 2 Different levels of MPS:

According to Rhyne et al (2005), there are three levels of MPS: desktop, production, and enterprise However, the author distinguishes between only two levels of MPS: desktop and enterprise, which are sufficient for the author's studying purposes

I 2 2 1 Desktop level MPS:

The desktop level MPS is characterized by an instructor or even a student using aprogram or programs that are free or relatively inexpensive This level involves a singlecomputer with the software installed, even if the computer is part of a larger intranet

The author specifically avoids discussing production-level MPS that would requireexpertise, training, or resources not generally available to or of interest to the typicalfaculty member

Followings are two representatives of desktop level MPS: Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Producer.

 Microsoft PowerPoint

EFL teachers have been so familiar with the popular presentation programPowerPoint developed by Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, the Microsoft Office presentationgraphics program, allows you to create an impact in person or online With improvements

to the user interface and support for Smart tags, PowerPoint 2003 makes it easier to viewand create presentations Multimedia support in PowerPoint 2003 is also improved We caneasily save PowerPoint 2003 files to a CD, and integration with Microsoft Windows MediaPlayer allows you to play streaming audio and video within a slide show

a handy integrated set of wizards which further facilitate the creation of rich-mediapresentations

Though Microsoft calls Microsoft Producer a PowerPoint add-in, the software cancreate a multimedia presentation with or without importing PowerPoint slides along withthe PowerPoint animations, transitions and effects Producer imports many popular mediaformats for images, video, audio and Web-based files The application can capture stillimages from a Web camera, video camera (both digital and analog) and from the computerscreen Producer outputs files in Producer's proprietary format but also exports files inHTML We can save published presentations to a recordable or rewriteable CD These

presentations can then be easily distributed via CD or streaming media over the Internet aswell as being archived for later on-demand access Microsoft Producer has been positivelyreviewed in trade magazines by industry professionals (Muratore, 2004) It is free to

licensed users of PowerPoint 2003 and can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com

I 2 2 2 Enterprise level MPS

The enterprise level MPS involves server-based programs available via either an

application service provider (APS) or a dedicated server solution Adobe Presenter 7.0

and Articulate Presenter 09 are two MPS to be considered in this study.

 Adobe Presenter 7.0

In the website Centre for Learning & Performance Technology(http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/authoring.html), Adobe Presenter 7.0 has beenvoted the Top 10 Tool 2008 by e-learning professionals worldwide Adobe Presenter isuseful for adding audio to a PowerPoint presentation and outputting Flash for the web

With PowerPoint plug-ins like Adobe Presenter, users are empowered to construct

dynamic multimedia audio-based Flash-light presentations

The Adobe Presenter application helps to simplify and accelerate the creation,delivery, and sharing of rich media presentations and courses for teaching and learning Italso provides a rich multimedia presentation and content-creation system that supportsauthoring, managing, delivering, and measuring education and training activities Teachers,administrators, and students alike can use familiar content-creation tools such as MicrosoftPowerPoint to quickly and easily develop Flash based multimedia learning content inminutes without having to develop new technical skills or depend upon web professionals

Adobe Presenter is a tool that allows rapid development of e-learning andpresentation materials It can also be used to host online meetings It is a plug-in toPowerPoint Once Presenter has been installed, it can be accessed from the tool bar inPowerPoint The basic method of operation is to set up a presentation in PowerPoint andthen add to it using the features contained in Presenter These features include:

* A variety of pre-designed skins & navigation buttons

* Record a voiceover track and key it into slide/slide animations

* Import sound files

* Import video

* Import Flash files

* Sync PowerPoint animations with video and audio

* Set MCQ, True/False, Cloze, Short Answer, Matching

* Set up and deliver Surveys

* Track user responses and performance

* Manage student groups

 Animated annotations that highlight important points

 Clear, crisp images and video

 Multi-level navigation and branching

 Embedded live web pages and other objects

 Multiple publishing options, including Flash, Word, CD and podcasts.

Articulate Presenter '09 saves the content in the universally accepted Flash format, so itruns on any Web server or LMS It also creates SCORM and AICC-compliant content so

we can easily track results on your LMS

I.2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of using MPS in English teaching and learning

I 2 3 1 Advantages in the use of MPS

 Greater Class Capacity

It is much easier for teachers to explain as well as for students to understand points beyondexpression by using dynamic presentations in class Besides, for those courses emphasizingpractical skills, MPS is also helpful in expanding teaching capacity and improving teachingefficiency

 Solving Focal and Difficult Points

Unlimited in time and space, MPS will give more intuitionistic contents and effects,disintegrate the complex contents of knowledge, skills and information more completely,convey the teaching information, solve difficult points in teaching, display information inmore variable ways and give prominence to focal points For example, with the use of flashsoftware, vivid and straightforward effects will be produced

 Increasing Interactivity

Interactivity should be the most distinctive characteristics of MPS as well as the core ofmultimedia teaching In a multimedia-aided class, teachers can have heuristic teaching bygiving on-the-spot analysis and answers to students’ feedback

 Stimulating Students' Enthusiasm

The pedagogical strength of MPS is that it uses the natural information processing abilitiesthat we already possess as humans Our eyes and ears, in conjunction with our brain, form

a formidable system for transforming meaningless sense data into information The old

saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words" often understates the case especially with

regard to moving images, as our eyes are highly adapted by evolution to detecting andinterpreting movement With multimedia providing for students comprehensiveinformation with vocal, video, pictorial and literal effects, students will keep their attentionlonger and will have higher enthusiasm for learning The use of MPS in teaching is quitenecessary in EFL, in which only blackboard will not achieve desirable effects

 Optimizing teaching Contents

When making their courseware, teachers tend to optimize their preparation for class.Therefore, it helps to improve teachers’ teaching ability in a short time In this sense,teaching with slides will help teachers a lot in grasping their courses as well as organizingtheir classes

I 2 3 2 Disadvantages in the use of MPS

In spite of the widespread use of MPS nowadays, there are some disadvantages which aremainly shown as follows:

 Technical requirements

Multimedia requires high-end computer systems Sound, images, animation, and especiallyvideo, constitute large amounts of data, which slow down, or may not even fit in a low-endcomputer Unlike simple text files created in word processing, multimedia packagesrequire good quality computers

 Poor Priority Control of MPS

Teachers are supposed to use multimedia flexibly to ensure reasonable teaching tempo andatmosphere However, if multimedia courseware is used at improper situations, poorpriority control will be caused Furthermore, if the prerequisites for using multimediainclude to computers with related software, the user must possess a minimum level ofcomputer literacy in order to exploit the capabilities of this medium for learning Of theeducator who is unfamiliar with the production and design of MPS or packages can beequally complicating

 Lacking in circumstances

The significance of interest for learning can be revealed in Einstein’s quotation of

“Interest is the best teacher” In fact, profound interest will stimulate learning motivation

and encourage enthusiasm for learning effectively However, multimedia teaching, due toits boring and one fold forms, fails to arouse students’ learning interest

 Lacking in Instances

Teaching coming from our life, applied to our life, displays some practical problems inour life to students with certain multimedia means and therefore, arouses their interest toexplore knowledge However, some multimedia courseware, only with simple literalintroduction and lacking in practical instances, will surely fail to encourage students’enthusiasm for learning

 Financial issues

While proponents of this new technology are very enthusiastic about its potential, theyoften leave the financial issues unattended Development costs in multimedia are very highand the process of developing effective multimedia takes time Time spent on developingmultimedia package requires money so that the true cost of an interactive programmemounts with each delay

In short, it should be avoided to “refuse multimedia courseware when necessary orabuse it without purpose or plan” In my teaching process, multimedia courseware should

be designed, developed and used properly in order to optimize my teaching contents andimprove my class efficiency, hence exerting the real value of multimedia-aided teaching

CHAPTER II:

AN EVALUATION OF MPS IN DESIGNING ENGLISH

LECTURES AT FIT - TNU

II 1 Introduction

When teachers evaluate a textbook for possible adoption in a language course, theyare working in familiar territory They have used textbooks for years as students and mayalready have significant experience teaching with them Although teachers can profit fromreceiving instruction in how to approach textbook evaluation more analytically (Byrd,2001), textbooks are relatively straightforward to evaluate because they tend to have atransparent structure allowing teachers to skim through them to get an overview of theorganization and content Furthermore, teachers can almost always get a full version toreview in advance of making a selection

However, it is not the case with software Although this profile is changing, manycurrent language teachers have limited experience with CALL software from the learners’perspective and may be novices as well using technology for teaching Unlike textbooks,software structure is often not transparent and can be difficult to “skim” for both contentand program operation Additionally, for commercial materials it may be difficult to get afully operational version for review Finally, as Bradin (1999) notes, “language teacherswho are not accustomed to looking at CALL software may perceive its purpose verydifferently than those who are more experienced” All of these factors combine to makeCALL evaluation a unique challenge Evaluation refers to the process of

(i) Investigating CALL to judge its appropriateness for a given language learningsetting;

(ii) Identifying ways it may be effectively implemented in that setting;

(iii) Assessing its degree of success and determining whether to continue use or tomake adjustments in implementation for future use

The author thinks of these three stages respectively as selection, implementation, and assessment MPS evaluation has been primarily concerned with the selection stage to

choose the right software to be implemented Then, the implementation is taken place inthe real setting at FIT - TNU Assessment will be touched on after the stage ofimplementation

II 2 Purposes of Evaluation

II 2.1 Selection for a Course

The most common reason for doing an evaluation is for a teacher to selectappropriate software for his or her own class In this situation, there is a lot of knowninformation that can be brought to bear on the evaluation process Such informationincludes

(i) An understanding of the technical infrastructure of the institution or thecomputing hardware and software available to the students if they are using their ownequipment,

(ii) Relevant data about other course materials, the student characteristics, and thestructure and specific objectives of the course, and

(iii) The teacher’s/evaluator’s assumptions about how language is learned Besidesthe classroom setting where many of the preceding factors are known, teachers may alsoevaluate software for use beyond their own courses

II 2.2 Selection for Self-access or Other Instructors’ Use

In some situations, teachers may be asked to recommend software selections for aself-access lab or for an entire language program In this case, the same considerations oftechnology infrastructure will presumably be taken into account, but the information aboutstudent characteristics, course objectives and materials, and teacher assumptions may beless readily available In addition, there can be a great deal of variability in student andcourse characteristics that can make the selection process more challenging Evaluators inthis circumstance would do well to begin with some investigation of these factors ratherthan simply relying on their own assumptions and biases

II 3 Three Approaches to Evaluation

Levy and Stockwell have identified three major types of CALL softwareevaluation: evaluation driven by checklists or forms, evaluation guided by methodologicalframeworks for language teaching, and evaluation linked to second language acquisition(SLA) theory and research-based criteria Each of these is discussed briefly below

II 3.1 Checklists

Checklists have been present from the earliest stages of CALL and remainwidespread Typically, a checklist presents a series of questions or categories for judgment

and the evaluator is expected to make a response based on information gathered throughthe reviewing process Many checklists simply ask for a yes/no indication or a responsealong a Likert scale Others, despite the “checklist” label, also include space for open-ended commentary following specific prompts Published checklists have been criticizedfor a number of reasons, including focusing too heavily on technology at the expense ofpedagogy and for being biased and restrictive (Hubbard, 1988) In the end, as Susser(2001) notes, checklists can be adapted and updated for particular purposes They have thecapacity to provide teachers with a useful tool for recognizing the variety of elements thatmake up a software application and for triggering reflection on some of their ownassumptions about CALL

II 3.2 Methodological Frameworks

Methodological frameworks are compatible with some checklists but differ in twosignificant ways First, methodological frameworks attempt to be largely descriptive ratherthan judgmental in their form Second, they attempt fundamentally to link with thelanguage teaching and learning considerations that take place outside of technology Asnoted in Hubbard (1988) The framework approach to courseware evaluation is differentfrom others A framework in this context means an integrated description of thecomponents of CALL materials, with respect to a particular goal in this case evaluation.Rather than asking a specific set of questions, a framework provides a tool through which

an evaluator can create his or her own questions or develop some other evaluation scheme.Until the mid-1980s, evaluation had largely been conceptualized in terms of checklists andprocedures borrowed from general education and were lacking an appropriate languagelearning focus But in 1985, Phillips offered a framework more explicitly linked tolanguage teaching methodology It included categories for the CALL program types of itsera but also described dimensions such as language difficulty, learner focus (i.e., skill area:listening, speaking, reading, and writing), and language focus (i.e., lexis, grammar, anddiscourse) that were important to the language learning character of the program Hubbard(1988) expanded Phillips’ system and integrated it with one developed independently byRichards and Rodgers (1982) for describing and analyzing language teaching methods.Richards and Rodgers characterized language teaching methods in terms of threedescriptive categories: