We are developing a Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) system for learners of Icelandic as a second and foreign language (L2). Based on pre-designed tasks in pronunciation exercises, this system will provide corrective feedback on learners' speech. One of the main features we are implementing is a new method for automatic…

Ipsative assessment is an approach to evaluating student progress that covers a wide range of assessment and feedback practices. In ipsative assessment, students receive an indication of their achievement that represents the extent of their improvements from their previous assessed task(s) in relation to one or more objectives. In turn, ipsative…

In this paper, we report on a study that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and for which we interviewed ten experienced, university level, language instructors about their digital practices as they found themselves teaching in an Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) mode. The study sought to describe how, through their professional activities and…

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) is a digital communication method that transforms spoken discourse into written text. This rapidly evolving technology is used in email, text messaging, or live video captioning. Current ASR systems operate in conjunction with Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology to transform speech into text that people…

This chapter aims at presenting an overview of how our experiences as professors of Spanish, French, and English studies at the Department of Modern Languages (DML) of the University of São Paulo (USP) responded to the challenges put forward by the pedagogical and technological practices required since the outbreak of the COVID-19 health crisis,…

The benefits of peer interaction, support, and feedback in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for Languages (LMOOCs) are well documented, but there has been little research on peer correction in MOOCs. Classroom-based research suggests that peer corrective feedback has significant potential for language development, but it also identifies a…

This paper describes the use of screencast feedback to enhance teaching presence and weekly self-reflection surveys to enhance social presence among students and build a community of learners. These approaches were found to diminish the feeling of isolation in online learning environments. Further findings indicated that this multimodal approach…

The purpose of this chapter is to present the assessment practice carried out by means of learning diaries within institutionally integrated teletandem, a bilingual model of Virtual Exchange (VE) embedded into foreign language courses at São Paulo State University (UNESP), in Brazil. Teachers read learners' diaries on a weekly basis and provide…

The provision of effective feedback is challenging and remains a much-criticised element of the Higher Education (HE) student experience. This case study examines innovative approaches to providing feedback for modern foreign language assessment, based upon a small scale study at the University of Manchester (UoM). We identify problematic areas in…

The present study explored whether the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology can help lower public speaking anxiety in the L2. To this end, we conducted an exploratory effect-of-instruction study using a one-group pre-test/post-test design with nine learners of English as an L2. The results from the post-test show that using VR in combination…

Comparative Judgement (CJ) has emerged as a technique that typically makes use of holistic judgement to assess difficult-to-specify constructs such as production (speaking and writing) in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). In traditional approaches, markers assess candidates' work one-by-one in an absolute manner, assigning scores to different…

We describe how the open-source Learning and Reading Assistant (LARA) platform was used to convert a classic Old Norse text, the "Völuspá," into an interactive online form. The LARA version includes high-quality recorded audio, translations, notes on key words and phrases, an automatically generated concordance, and links to other online…

Email remains a key mode of communication between faculty and students in higher education institutions. Composing appropriate email texts is an important skill for learners; however, little technological support is available for the pragmatic aspect of email communication -- the ways in which social context influences language choices.…

Despite the benefits of multimodal technology in the language classroom and common practice to introduce digital tools in language teaching, research has shown that many language teachers do not feel confident to engage with and create online multimodal learning resources and environments. This exploratory study examines data from five experienced…

Voice interaction assistants, such as "Siri," "Alexa," or "Google Assistant," offer new opportunities to create meaningful, fun tasks for language learning that require accurate spoken production. Designing good tasks requires an understanding of the learning context and needs as well as the interactional…