Wall Street English has built online activities that allow students to record phrases and receive word-level Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) driven pronunciation feedback. Students in language centres in China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Italy (N=2,867) used ASR-Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) activities, and some (N=482) completed a…

Paper-based tools such as self-evaluation activities, learning plans, reflective journals and learning logs are commonplace for managing Self-Directed Language Learning (SDLL). Such tools not only promote ownership over learning and provide a sense of achievement to learners, but they also promote reflection and raise awareness of learning…

The methods and materials used in a language lab (LL) are analyzed. The theoretical advantages of the LL are enumerated, including its ability to provide a variety of programs and activities and its provision of an opportunity for students to listen critically to their voices. In order to determine if these advantages are being used, a set of…

The results of a process of designing, building, and "de-bugging" two replacement language laboratory hardware systems at Concordia University (Montreal) are described. Because commercially available systems did not meet specifications within budgetary constraints, the systems were built by the university technical department. The systems replaced…

A modular-type course in French was developed at the "Centre d'anglais et de francais" at McGill University (Montreal) to meet the needs of incoming students who were lacking skills in listening and oral expression. The course is composed of eight modules a semester, each module corresponding to 15 to 20 hours work on the student's part. The…

A change in language laboratory use at the University of North Alabama has given new meaning to the lab requirement and role. While developing a language program, the developer reviewed the language lab's traditional role and found a mixed history with many negative aspects. Personal experience also revealed problems, including: students and…

Perspectives on and methods in second language teaching have changed rapidly during the past 10 years. So also have the role and function of the language laboratory and the laboratory instructor. One area of concern, listening, has been somewhat neglected; generally it has been taught toward the end of increasing speaking proficiency. A review of…

An experiment was carried out at the University of Edinburgh to discover ways in which students might be helped to understand spoken language and to become more confident in their interactions in the language. As a result of the experiment findings, materials were designed to train students to perceive stress patterns, to internalize stress-timing…

Classifies several kinds of readily available foreign language computer programs. Most of the programs fall into either game/activity or testing categories. In all the programs, feedback to the student who has made an error is limited. Sees the computer as a specific information resource in self-directed learning programs. (SED)

This article reports on how foreign language instructors at Arizona State University at Tempe are encouraged and taught to use technology in their teaching. Section one introduces the reasons why technology is helpful for foreign language instruction. Section two describes foreign language instructors' attitude toward using technology in their…

A review of stages in the evolution of the language laboratory shows that its function has changed in the past 20 years. Originally it was described as a way of providing a means for abundant practice of audiolingual drills. Currently, it is described as a learning center with multiple resources and functions. It might be characterized as a…

This paper discusses the development and use of student self-study centers in language programs, focusing on the experiences of a language teacher in developing such a center at Cultura Inglesia in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Self-study centers may be defined as a set of facilities aimed at providing students with the opportunity of learning…

The experience of the second language team at the "Centre de Langue Francaise" (CLF) at McGill University (Montreal) is reported. The emphasis placed on designing courses and laboratory experiences in response to student needs is reviewed from the late 1960's until the present. Some of the factors that were operative in curriculum change were the…

Reviews trends in language instruction and the use of language laboratories in South African higher education from 1962 to 1990, paying particular attention to racial differences and the movement from an audio-lingual method to a communicative language technique. Questions the wisdom of equipping institutions with sophisticated hardware without…

The author is presenting a program that she designed for teaching liaison interpreting to translation students in their fifth semester of the translation program at the College of Languages and Translation (COLT), who are starting their training in liaison interpreting. The students never had any interpreting or translation training before. The…