This paper proposes a theoretical framework for the conceptualization and design of help options in computer-based second language (L2) listening. Based on four empirical studies, it aims at clarifying both conceptualization and design (CoDe) components. The elements of conceptualization consist of a novel four-part classification of help options:…

This paper discusses the role of authenticity and authenticity claims in computer assisted language learning (CALL). It considers authenticity as the result of a social negotiation process rather than an innate feature of a text, object, person, or activity. From this basis, it argues that authenticity claims play an important role in both second…

This paper introduces an open learner model approach to learning analytics to combine the variety of data available from the range of applications and technologies in language learning, for visualisation of language learning competences to learners and teachers in the European language context. Specific examples are provided as illustrations…

This paper illustrates how a freely available online corpus has been exploited in a module on teaching business letters covering the following four speech acts (functions) commonly found in business letters: invitations, requests, complaints and refusals. It is proposed that different strategies are required for teaching potentially…

The ultimate goal of CALL teacher education is to enable L2 teachers to integrate CALL technology into their classroom with confidence and knowledge. As a way to achieve this goal, an increasing number of studies have paid attention to the integration of CALL technology into the teacher education program and into the classroom. Nonetheless, there…

This article discusses an experiment in sending regular Short Message Service (SMS) messages to support language learning, and vocabulary learning in particular, at beginners' level in Italian at an Australian university. The approach we took built on the initiatives of Thornton and Houser (2005) and Dias (2002b), and was informed by the results…

Learner corpora, electronic collections of spoken or written data from foreign language learners, offer unparalleled access to many hitherto uncovered aspects of learner language, particularly in their error-tagged format. This article aims to demonstrate the role that the learner corpus can play in CALL, particularly when used in conjunction with…

This study introduces a new computer-based methodology, "concgramming", that has as its primary aim the automatic identification of the phraseological profile and hence the "aboutness", of a text or corpus. It is argued that this methodology can be employed by language learners and teachers to raise awareness of the importance of the…

Despite the increase of teacher preparation programs that emphasize the importance of training teachers to select and develop appropriate computer-assisted language learning (CALL) materials, integration of CALL into classroom settings is still frequently relegated to the use of selected CALL activities to supplement instruction or to provide…

This paper is a descriptive summary of a research project on blended learning in the Faculty of Arts at the University Complutense Madrid. The project was conducted as action research in 2002-06 by the research group LEETHi. LEETHi's projects focus on the teaching of literature from an intercultural perspective while helping to develop new media…

People learning a new language have problems with various aspects of the language they want to learn--with its grammar, with its pronunciation, with its morphology... CALL tools have been provided for most of these linguistic levels, but comparatively little has been done about helping students with problems of meaning. We will argue that language…

In the course of designing, writing and implementing CALL-supported material, it has become evident to me that a systematic investigation into the factors that shape the Blended Learning (BL) experience in the context of language learning and teaching is missing and urgently needed. The core question when designing a BL environment is: Which…

The advantages of computer-assisted grammar teaching and more recently, web-based grammar teaching, include the possibility, for the instructor, of devoting class time to teaching communication skills, and the capacity of individualizing the course work. Several websites have been created for these very reasons. However, most of these sites…

An analysis of the characteristics of education and educational institutions of the third millennium shows that predominant features are flexibility, inclusiveness, collaboration, authenticity, relevance and extended institutional boundaries. Roles of both students and teachers have changed significantly as educational goals have broadened to…

The basic tenet of constructivism is that learners construct their knowledge on their own by associating new with prior information. The significance of the learner's interaction with his/her social and physical environment is here of great importance; the learner is at the center of the learning process while the tutor is seen as a facilitator, a…