CALL Research Seminar

Past Event Summary

This event looked at current issues in CALL research and the contribution of C&IT to language teaching and learning.

There were presentations from language teachers who have conducted CALL research, who discussed their studies and shared experiences and lessons learnt. There were suggestions for criteria for evaluating CALL materials and their use. The day included plenty of opportunity for discussion.

Graham Davies began the day with an overview CALL research past and present and asked "Is CALL a suitable subject for research?" He went on to highlight the "crucial considerations" for CALL research.

Adela Gnem Gutirrez (University of Southampton) presented "CALL in the Modern Languages Classroom: The processes of collaborative activity in computer mediated tasks". This discussed the contribution computers may make in encouraging collaboration and therefore effective language learning.

In "Using WebCT for CALL: a pilot study". Steve Rodgers and Colin Simpson (University of Gloucestershire) described their use of this online environment to deliver materials and support to students of French, and concluded that students generally responded positively to the environment.

"Criteria for Evaluating CALL Materials" were discussed in the session by Brian Tomlinson (Leeds Metropolitan University). Brian pointed out that we are still not taking full advantage of the range of learning opportunities that technology can provide, and argued that computers have the potential to develop "high level skills" among language learners.

Miranda van Rossum (University of Hull) presented "Online Language Learning: the student experience". The general view among students of Lagelands, a tutor-supported online Dutch course for beginners, was positive. User-friendliness, feedback provided and the texts used in the course were the more positive features, whilst the structure of one part of the online course, technical problems, and links to external sites were less positive.

Programme