Designing an Interactive Videodisc System Network for Effective Training Managem

Within the past two years, there has been a breakthrough In Interactive videodisc training systems technology that has been made possible through the personal computer. This has resulted In many companies and Individuals entering the field, both in the development of computer hardware and software as welI as the preparation of Interactive videodisc authoring languages and courseware. Overlooked in this technological gold rush has been the need to provide effective curriculum, module, and course management, as well as the measurement and monitoring of student progress through this new training medium. This paper discusses the factors necessary for proper curriculum and student learning process management within an Interactive videodisc-based training environment. It presents a concept whereby the Interactive videodisc training delivery system Is managed by a minicomputer-driven system, offering curriculum and student records management capabilIties as welI as operational capabilities that drive the videodisc-based training workstations

Design, development, implementation and evaluation of a purilingual ICALL system for romance languages aimed at advanced learners

Plurilingual teaching and learning of Romance languages exploits the similarities between these languages to teach them contrastively and to raise the language awareness of the learner. Several European projects have been devoted to plurilingual teaching and learning of Romance languages. The materials developed in these projects do not involve Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities and almost exclusively focus on receptive skills. The research goal of my Ph.D. dissertation was the design, development, implementation and evaluation of an interactive plurilingual ICALL (Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning) software system (ESPRIT) for contrastive learning of French, Spanish and Italian aimed at advanced learners. I investigated how techniques from NLP enhance the plurilingual teaching and learning of these languages. The ESPRIT toolset comprises dictionary tools, a concordancer, an input analysis and feedback module, custom-made animated grammar presentations and an authoring tool for animated text. Dictionary tools provide useful information on unrestricted texts. The concordancer gives extensive information about how a language term is used in different contexts. The input analysis and feedback module dynamically provides precise feedback on restricted learner input up to paragraph level. Custom-made animated grammar presentations and learning materials created with the animation authoring tool visualise contrastive grammatical properties and processes. ESPRIT represents an interactive and flexible learning environment and is designed for autonomous learning. Formative and summative evaluation processes provided learner assessment data of different components of ESPRIT. A web-based databasedriven evaluation platform developed for ESPRIT can easily be adapted to other evaluation projects

A conceptual architecture for interactive educational multimedia

Learning is more than knowledge acquisition; it often involves the active participation of the learner in a variety of knowledge- and skills-based learning and training activities. Interactive multimedia technology can support the variety of interaction channels and languages required to facilitate interactive learning and teaching. A conceptual architecture for interactive educational multimedia can support the development of such multimedia systems. Such an architecture needs to embed multimedia technology into a coherent educational context. A framework based on an integrated interaction model is needed to capture learning and training activities in an online setting from an educational perspective, to describe them in the human-computer context, and to integrate them with mechanisms and principles of multimedia interaction

Pattern languages in HCI: A critical review

This article presents a critical review of patterns and pattern languages in human-computer interaction (HCI). In recent years, patterns and pattern languages have received considerable attention in HCI for their potential as a means for developing and communicating information and knowledge to support good design. This review examines the background to patterns and pattern languages in HCI, and seeks to locate pattern languages in relation to other approaches to interaction design. The review explores four key issues: What is a pattern? What is a pattern language? How are patterns and pattern languages used? and How are values reflected in the pattern-based approach to design? Following on from the review, a future research agenda is proposed for patterns and pattern languages in HCI