This paper provides a critical review of the literature between 1980 and 2005 on the evaluation of resources for computer-assisted language learning (CALL) with a particular emphasis on elementary education. An analysis of that literature indicates that there are a range of approaches to evaluation that have been somewhat monolithic and possibly…

Suggests that, in considering the significance of emerging computer and information technologies, evaluators and potential users must consider not only the technologies' technical merits but also the contexts for their use, the economies of the technologies, their market perception, and their appearance within a methodological paradigm. (CB)

Describes an alternative approach to evaluation of computer assisted language learning software in the form of a flexible three-component framework. The approach targets operational description, teacher fit, and learner fit, from which teachers can develop their own evaluation procedures. (Author/CB)

Focuses on the assessment of the effects of instructional technology (IT) on the foreign language curriculum. Offers a general overview of the evaluation of IT and seeks to provide a clearer understanding of the evaluation parameters that need to be taken into consideration when establishing the infrastructure for the on-going assessment of IT.…