AUC Academic Conference 'From Virtual to Reality' The University of Queensland 1996

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Paper Title:

ESTABLISHING LEARNER-BASED
FRAMEWORKS FOR INTERACTIVE
MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS IN THE
LANGUAGE LEARNING DOMAIN

Presenter / Author:

Noel Watts, Associate Professor, Massey University NZ

(contact details)

Keywords: Multimedia, Languages

Faculty area: Second Language Teaching

INTRODUCTION

Second language educators are attracted by the potential of interactive multimedia seeing the advantages of increased flexibility compared with many conventional approaches, and greater opportunities for students to exercise control over what and how they learn. Furthermore, the mix of media sources - video, images, speech, still pictures, music, graphics, text - should make language learning distinctly more realistic and appealing than textbook-based courses. However, as language educators have become more experienced in using interactive multimedia they have also become acutely aware of a number of problems, notably the cost of hardware, the need for technical support and, perhaps more importantly, the variable quality of available software.

BREAKING WITH THE PAST

As Piper et al (1995: 226) point out: "There is a long suspicion among language teachers of pedagogical change that is led by technology". At times in the recent past it has been apparent that technological innovations in language education have failed to fully meet the needs of those for whom they are intended - the learners themselves. The language laboratory bandwaggon in the 1960s and 1970s is a case in point. Language laboratories were heralded when they first appeared as miracle workers. However, in hindsight it is apparent that too much attention was paid to hardware development and too little to the design of the learning materials. Largely because of the lack of software which could motivate and challenge learners, disillusionment set in amongst large numbers of teachers and students resulting in language laboratories becoming white elephants in many institutions.

There is also some evidence of a similar pattern of attitude change from expectation to disappointment in respect to computer-assisted language learning. In the language learning literature criticisms have mounted over the quality of computer programs. Nyns (1988:254), for example, claims that most CALL programs consist of "rather tedious drill activities" and fail to provide for creativity and initiative on the user's part. Cook (1988) criticises the lack of high-interest software and states that there is a mismatch between the views of language teachers that students learn by making realistic use of language and CALL assumptions that students learn through drilling and grammatical-rule learning. This links with the view of Buchholz (1992) that high standards of hardware are not being matched in software applications. Eastment (1996) also argues that it is still difficult to identify many multimedia packages for language learning on CD-ROM which exploit the considerable potential of the new medium.

While these criticisms do not necessarily apply to institutionally-produced materials which although sometimes lacking sophistication in presentation have the virtue of being closely linked to specific curricula requirements, there are concerns about a number of commercially-produced packages which target language learners. Most are attractively packaged but their actual content may differ very little from earlier CALL models with an emphasis on drill-based practice employing a restricted range of exercises and activities such as filling in blanks, sentence completion and answering multiple-choice questions. In many ways the learning principles embedded in some expensive language learning programs on CD-ROM marketed as up-to-date multimedia applications are throwbacks to the discredited behaviourist structural audiolingual methodologies found in second language textbooks one or two decades ago. That such outmoded language learning principles continue to live on in computer-based materials may perhaps be linked to what Steinberg (1991:5) calls a "mentality of add-ons" in program design in which software authors tend to follow older models rather than breaking with the past and attempting to exploit new technological capabilities in innovative and imaginative ways.

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GENERAL FACTORS IN SOFTWARE DESIGN FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

What information can be gained from studies of the effectiveness of different approaches to program design in the language learning area?

A number of macrostudies have been conducted into the effectiveness of computer-based language learning programs in general, and interactive multimedia packages in particular. However, as Rivers (1990) points out, the results of macroresearch are often inconclusive because of the number of variables included. Because of problems of validity and interpretability, Rivers concludes that microstudies rather than macroresearch is likely to provide more useful information. A number of these small-scale studies such as those of Buchholz (1992), Evans (1993) and Nicholas (1993) are worth citing as they have examined computer-based instruction in different language areas. The common trend in these pieces of research is that computer-based courseware items which lead to enhanced student achievement are strongly motivating, linguistically sound and pedagogically valid. In particular, the materials which are rated as effective are those which are open-ended and highly interactive, acting as a stimulus to student curiosity and creativity. These conclusions are echoed in the case study reported in Hodges and Sasnett (1993) of the language learning materials created as part of MIT Project Athena. The three main considerations identified in Project Athena as contributing to the success of the materials were richness in content, flexibility and appeal. Richness in content relates to the range and quality of the materials included in the multimedia packages. Flexibility refers to the provision of multiple paths of access that connect information and facilitate student exploration and discovery. Appeal is another important feature. Students prefer working with software packages that are attractively presented and contain material that is intrinsically interesting.

RESEARCH INTO SPECIFIC DESIGN FACTORS

In the previous section a brief resume was given of some general factors that appear to influence learner satisfaction and achievement. At Massey University studies are being carried out to identify appropriate design features for interactive multimedia language learning programs. These studies include an examination of teacher and learner evaluations of different design models and an analysis of different kinds of software for language learning. These studies will be summarised briefly below.

Teacher Views

A exploratory study among language teachers in central Auckland state secondary schools has been conducted to ascertain teacher views of multimedia as a learning tool. Overall, the teachers who responded to the questionnaire reported interest in, but limited use of, interactive multimedia in their institutions with the notable exception of the Tamaki Campus of the University of Auckland where multimedia materials form a strong component in studies of Asian languages. While, in the main, teachers recognised the potential usefulness of interactive multimedia they reported deficiencies in the software available, particularly as far as the development of listening and speaking skills were concerned. Furthermore, they perceived the materials available as lacking compatibility with current curriculum requirements (Insley 1995).

Student Views

The preliminary results of a survey of the reactions of students learning languages whose courses involve access to multimedia programs at Massey University indicate that many students have mixed attitudes towards interactive multimedia materials. Overall, there is a high interest in using multimedia initially as it is seen as an up-to-date method of language learning (though there is some negativity shown amongst a small number of students who appear to suffer a degree of technophobia and dislike working with computers). Students are also attracted by the possibilities of working at their own speed and following their own individual interests. However, there is a growing pattern of discontent as students work through some of the multimedia materials, with dissatisfaction expressed at unvarying formats and the repetitive nature of activities and exercises in some of the software. In general, students exhibit preferences for materials which are interesting in content, particularly those that place language learning in a realistic sociocultural setting. They expect materials not only to provide opportunities for meaningful practice that will assist in extending linguistic knowledge but also to assist them to develop productive as well as receptive skills (Watts forthcoming).

A more specific study of language student responses to interactive multimedia carried out by Teague (1994) involves comparisons of the use of interactive multimedia materials by individuals and dyads. This study provides rich data on the complex relationship of users and materials, the cognitive and metacognitive strategies employed by learners as they work through interactive multimedia materials and the preferences of students in respect to using multimedia materials on either an individual or a collaborative basis. The study indicates that students perceive that certain areas of language learning are enhanced by individual study of interactive multimedia materials while others are facilitated by peer-supported study. This implies that materials should be sufficiently flexible in design to allow students to choose the preferred mode of study for a particular learning task.

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Analysis of software

An evaluation is also being carried out by staff at Massey University of different language learning programs, comparing the principles upon which the content appears to be selected and organised with those that are generally accepted as appropriate for enhancing language learning in the literature on materials design (although it is understood that multimedia materials have unique features and cannot be examined in the same way as print-based or aural-based materials). Some commercially-available programs follow sound pedagogical principles and make imaginative use of the educational potential of multimedia but overall there is considerable variation in the degree of interactivity involved in multimedia materials, with many severely limiting the choices available to learners. Furthermore, a number of software packages still appear to place emphasis on extension of grammatical knowledge and vocabulary development through repetition and review rather than on promoting language learning by creative language use. As such they seem out of step with the paradigm shift in language learning theory and practice towards development of abilities that allow speakers to interact communicatively in a variety of social situations (Watts 1995).

TOWARDS A LEARNER-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS

As Russell (1994: 159) maintains: "Software designers need to be aware of software characteristics which students prefer, and an appropriate theory of learning so that design reflects sound learning approaches which can be implemented by teachers". This is in keeping with influential streams of thought in language education theory that place the focus on the learner. From this perspective, software design in the language learning domain should be based on systematic identification of learner backgrounds, needs, preferences, learning styles and strategies and on established language acquisition principles and practice. However, it must also be accepted that this relationship between the language learner, acquisition theory, pedagogy and technology is neither simple nor necessarily unidirectional. Indeed, new developments in technology are most likely to influence learner expectations, contribute to new ways of learning and lead to revisions of accepted language learning theory and practice. The complex interactional patterns between these different elements are illustrated in the diagram below:

If it is agreed that the learner should be central to a design framework for preparing interactive multimedia language learning materials, then it follows that the planning of different kinds of interactive multimedia software starts with the establishment of learner profiles which identify learner needs, situations and goals. These learner profiles may, in turn, be related to learning theory and pedagogical considerations to form a planning matrix and lead to considerations of ways in which technology can deliver the required outcomes.

Based on information obtained from studies of learner needs and preferences such as those cited earlier in this paper we might propose that the design of interactive multimedia materials in the language learning domain should be closely attuned to the following:

In Watts (forthcoming) an attempt is made to link learner considerations such as those outlined above with desired technological outcomes. It can be argued that technology should be used more intelligently and imaginatively to fulfil these learner requirements. In particular, although there is certainly a place for interactive multimedia to fulfil roles as tutor, enabling learners to review and extend their knowledge of the language system and as motivator, encouraging learners to achieve higher levels of proficiency and to gain greater understanding of the target country and culture through exploration of interesting and authentic materials, a more important role for interactive multimedia is to act as situator, placing learners in contexts which replicate closely those that are found in real-life communicative encounters where interlocutors are faced with a variety of patterns of interaction and must express a wide range of functional and social meanings.

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THE FUTURE

As interactive multimedia systems develop there is the challenge to use its potential to meet learner needs even more fully. Already multimedia has passed through the stage where students can listen to the authentic speech sounds of speakers of the target language, see people communicating in the street or the workplace and observe important culturally-linked signals conveyed through expression and body language. Through developments in speech recognition learners are able to engage in conversational interaction, albeit of a somewhat restricted and predictable kind.

Next language educators look for advances in programming to open up possibilities of spoken dialogue that replicates more closely the unpredictability and variety of conversational exchanges and which caters for variability in learner language; for multimedia on the internet linked with MOOs and MUDs (Cunningham and Williams 1995; White 1996) to facilitate real-time spoken interaction with other learners or native speakers of the language; for virtual reality techniques to enable students to take part in realistic simulations - bargain for goods in a Jakarta market, carry out business negotiations with a company official in Tokyo, go to a box office in Paris and purchase tickets to a show, walk along the streets of London, Madrid, Moscow or Seoul and ask for and receive directions using language in a natural and realistic way to overcome information gaps (Rheingold 1991; Hiltz 1994). Programs such as Quicktime VR are beginning to make exploration of navigable panoramas more accessible. We now need to add a richer spoken dimension to these photo-realistic virtual worlds. Developments in ICALL (intelligent computer-assisted language learning), particularly in applications involving creation of microworlds using natural language processing in which students can engage in conversation with on-screen characters (Murray 1995), point to the way ahead once underlying hardware environments are ready to support fully such complex systems.

CONCLUSION

In order to explore these new possibilities technologists and educators must work together and ensure that learner considerations are at the forefront of interactive multimedia developments. Simplified tools for developing multimedia software are creating more opportunities for teachers (and learners) to design and create their own multimedia materials and integrate these into language courses. However, there is little likelihood in the immediate future that computer technologists will be supplanted by practitioners in the second language learning field when it comes to the design of multimedia programs of a more advanced kind. There is, then, an ongoing need for developing team approaches to the design of courseware involving specialists in linguistics, language learning theory and practice as well as those who have particular expertise in computer operations and creative design.

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REFERENCES

Buchholz, E. 1992. Factors influencing the acceptability of CALLware. Literary and Linguistic Computing, 2:133-136.

Cook, V.J. 1988. Designing CALL programs for communicative teaching. ELT Journal 42, 4:262-281.

Cunningham, S.J. & W. Williams. 1995. How Maui captured the sun: using a MUD for educational simulation. Hamilton: Department of Computer Science, University of Waikato.

Eastment, D. 1996. CD-ROM materials for English language teaching. ELT Journal 50, 1:69-79.

Evans, M. 1993. Nicholas: using hypercard with intermediate-level French learners. System 21, 2:213-219.

Hiltz, S.R. 1994. The virtual classroom: learning without limits via computer networks. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Company.

Hodges, M.E. & R.M. Sasnett (eds) 1993. Multimedia competency: case studies from MIT Project Athena. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.

Insley, S. 1995. CALL waiting. (Diploma in Second Language Teaching report, Massey University).

Murray, J.H. 1995. Lessons learned from the Athena language learning project: using natural language processing, graphics, speech processing, and interactive video for communication-based language learning. In V.M. Holland, J.D. Kaplan and M.R. Sams eds. Intelligent language tutors: theory shaping technology. Mahweh, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Nicholas, M. 1993. Developing "The Critics Corner": computer-assisted language learning for upper-level Russian students. Foreign Language Annals 26, 4:469- 478.

Nyns, R.R. 1988. Using the computer to teach comprehension skills. ELT Journal 42, 4:253-261.

Piper, A., V. Wright, W. Hall & S. White. 1995. Using hypermedia for language learning: a resource-based environment. Innovations in Education and Training International 32,3: 220-228.

Rheingold, H. 1991. Virtual reality. New York: Summit Books.

Rivers, W.M. 1990. Interaction and communication in the language class in an age of technology. Canadian Modern Language Review 46, 2:275-283.

Russell, G. 1994. Implications of context-based software development for education. Australian Journal of Education 38, 2:157-173.

Steinberg, E.R. 1991. Computer-assisted instruction: a synthesis of theory, practice and technology. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Teague, B.M. 1994. Interactive multimedia for second language learning: a comparison between individuals and dyads in a Hong Kong tertiary institute. (MEd thesis, Massey University)

Watts, N. 1995. Interactive multimedia: yet another bandwaggon? NZALT Newsletter 7:27-29.

Watts, N. (forthcoming). Towards learner-based design models for interactive multimedia system.

White, P. 1996. MOO: not a bovine bellow but a virtual language classroom. Australian Language Matters 4, 1:17.

Contact Details

Noel Watts, Associate Professor
Department of Linguistics and Second Language Teaching,
Massey University,
Palmerston North,
New Zealand

Telephone: 06 3504982
Fax: 06 350 2269

E-mail: N.R.Watts@massey.ac.nz

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