Distance learning can be a lonely business. Distance language learning even more so. Context and communication can be substantially diminished, or completely lost, in the distance learner's world. For the distance language learner this can mean an impoverished learning environment in which (s)he will often founder.

The history of computer-aided language learning (CALL) dates back some 40 years. During this period two main types of system have been developed: frame-based and intelligent. These two types of programs are examined in turn below.

This paper deals with the analysis of a communicative activity involving English learners of French, its advantages and drawbacks as well as the outcome that teachers can expect of such an activity. The first part examines some reasons, both theoretical and practical for using communication technology, particularly electronic mail, for promoting language acquisition and developing learner autonomy. The second pan of the paper deals with the theoretical framework within which the activity was carried out, that Is, Stephen Krashen's language acquisition theory which establishes a distinction between language acquisition and language learning. Email interaction offers the possibility of addressing both processes.

Although there is now a growing volume of literature on the role of electronic mail in schools, relatively little has been published about the specific value to modern language teachers of using such technology. In the few cases where projects have been described, it is claimed that such links are ‘valuable’ (NCET, 1991), with an implication that school age students are able to go beyond ‘mere transactional language’ to develop ‘more creative use of language’. This paper describes a language project which began from the premise that for teachers to embark on e-mail, with its additional costs, new approaches to classroom learning and training requirements, it would be essential to establish what realistic learning improvements might be expected. To look closely at the ‘cost-benefit’ ratio was felt to be particularly important in the context of increasingly tight budgetary control in schools.

A multimedia learning environment would appear to benefit from an intelligent tutoring system that draws on didactic expertise, knowledge of the program structure, and knowledge of the learner's previous activities. On the other hand, one may argue against a tutor because of the damaging effects on learner autonomy: the tutor may hamper genuine learning by taking the learner by the hand, whereas what the learner needs is to have sufficient space to move freely through material in an explorative rather than an executive mode, generating her own queries and finding her own solutions. It is argued that tutoring may be a necessary stage on the road to autonomy.

Manning argued that exploratory teaching is well suited to learning with computers, as it increases the learners' autonomy and motivation. The main thrust of this paper is to evaluate the merits of exploratory teaching of grammatical rules as opposed to the more traditional explicit or implicit approaches. It provides a brief description of tests carried out on a group of learners of French in the UK, working on gender agreement rules, using a specifically designed CALL program and presents and analyses the results of the testing, which favour the Exploratory approach.

In the world of the 1990s, linguistic and traditional discipline boundaries are breaking down. Consequently, many companies and organisations are faced with considerable communication problems, including a growing need for translation. It has recently been estimated, for instance, that the number of pages translated in Western Europe in 1986 was 100 million; by 1987 this was said to have increased to 160 million. A number of factors have contributed to this growth in demand. Product cycles are shorter, requiring more frequent updating of documentation; documentation has become more complex, concomitant with the increasing complexity of technology; companies have begun to realise that multilingual markets are generally bigger than monolingual ones; and large companies arethemselves often transnational.

English listening ability has become increasingly important. Traditionally, the training of listening skills is mainly provided via tape-based language laboratories. However, the tape-based laboratory cannot cope with the rapid development of digital learning media. In addition, it fails to provide students with convenient access because of its limited space and opening hours. The faculty at National Taiwan Ocean University takes advantage of new Web technologies such as RealMedia and JavaScript to create a virtual language lab in the hope of helping students develop listening skills. This paper will discuss various problems and solutions in setting up a virtual language lab. It is expected that our experience will be useful for other language professionals.

This article discusses strategies for creating a supportive grammar learning environment, which have been implemented in CALL packages for Dutch. They stem from recent advances in cognitive psychology and cognitive linguistics, as well as our own experience. The basic metaphor behind our conception of the ideal CALL package is that of a toolbox rather than a set of instructions. Users select a tool from a range of available instruments because they think it is the one that suits their purpose best. Different learners may pick out different tools and use them in different ways, even if their goals are the same.

This paper reports on a pilot project which examined the effects on essay writing skills in advanced German of computer-based teaching which allowed a co-operative approach to writing and the pmvision of immediate teacher and peer feedback through the interactive display and networking of student work.

Third year German students were assigned to computer-based or conventional teaching groups taught by two different teachers using common materials and the same task-based approach. Prior to implementation of the project and again at the end, students were given a standard writing task to allow the level of their writing skills to be evaluated structurally and linguistically. The major focus was on the development of arguments, together with appropriate intmductions and conclusions. Grammar and expression were also measured to check whether the absence of an explicit focus on grammar had a detrimental effect on accuracy.

The students in these two groups along with all other third year German students completed a questionnaire that elicited information about their abilities and interest in German and their attitude to the use of computers. Teacher evaluation and qualitative data were obtained from participating students at the end of the project. Results indicated that the experimental students achieved significantly higher ratings for the logical linking of ideas in the body of their essays and were positive about the technology.

This paper analyses new research into learner-assisted testing. The results of this research, in addition to advances in computer technology and programming, have opened up the possibility of helping students to learn more effectively by providing immediate feedback or further information in the form of clues or hints. The implications of these developments regarding a formative approach to assessment and autonomous learning are reviewed. Finally, innovative approaches within computer-based assessment of language learning, such as modules entirely taught through the use of computer courseware and CAL methods, and applications of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) to foreign language learning, are discussed.

This paper reports action research into the use of electronic mail as a channel for giving feedback to English L2 writers in a sequence of writing process oriented technical communication courses. Four teachers used electronic mail feedback (EMF) regularly with 81 students on honours degree courses In information Systems and Computer Science. Electronic mail was used during planning and drafting stages in extended simulations of technical communication situations in concert with class meetings, workshop sessions, one-on-one and small group conference and with audiotaped summative feedback upon completion of major assignments.

Teachers and students reported in response to a questionnaire and in interviews that they found EMF significantly advantageous in that it supports prompt, complete, and instrumental commentary on student work, empowers students to use English for authentic communication, and helps build positive relationships between students and native speaking teachers. All participants agreed that the extra channel of communication contributed to students' motivation to use invention techniques freely, to take risks with language and style in drafting, and to make substantive changes to text in drafting. Students reported that the objectivity of EMF was face saving, allowing them to use critical commentary from their teachers more productively. They also said that they found their teachers' use of EMF was a powerful demonstration of their willingness to make themselves available as mentors to their students.

The Scandinavian countries are generally considered to have rather high standards in modern language teaching and learning, and at the same time to be reasonably well equipped with computers, videos and other information technology tools. This is true to a certain extent. Moreover, the situation differs a lot, not just from country to country, but within the same country from region to region. The following is not a complete survey, presenting the ‘state-of-the-art’ in the Nordic countries, but more a report of a number of initiatives taking place at the moment in the various countries or in a collaboration among countries.

The Robert Electronique is the CD-ROM version of the nine volume Grand Robert, roughly the French equivalent of the OED. This article outlines a project to produce some learning materials using this lexical database. It describes various types of exercises ranging from the semantic to the stylistic. Most of the exercises can be completed on screen within a wordprocessing application and can be done by a student working independently. The activities exploit as far as possible features specific to the CD-ROM version of the dictionary.