Review of Wimba Voice 6.0 Collaboration Suite

Wimba Voice 6.0TM is a component of the Wimba Collaboraton SuiteTM 6.0, which is a set of tools for online communication that combines a series of interactive technologies. Wimba Voice allows teachers to complement their pedagogical approaches with five web-based applications: Voice Authoring, Voice Board, Voice Podcaster, Voice Presenter, and Voice Email. These applications add audio and video components to asynchronous communication and can be easily integrated into different course management environments (e.g., Angel, Blackboard, Moodle, WebCT). Consequently, Wimba Voice has attracted the interest of an increasing number of language educators who are striving to enhance teaching and learning through online oral instruction, practice, and collaboration. Its features allow for the creation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) tasks that are justified by second language acquisition (SLA) tenets and can target various skills, although due to its audio and video capabilities, they may have greater appeal for listening, speaking, and pronunciation practice

Towards Effective Integration and Positive Impact of Automated Writing Evaluation in L2 Writing

The increasing dominance of English has elevated the need to develop an ability to effectively communicate in writing, and this has put a strain on second language education programs worldwide. Faced with time-consuming and copious commenting on student drafts and inspired by the promise of computerized writing assessment, many educational technology enthusiasts are looking to A WE [automated writing evaluation] as a silver bullet for language and literacy development (Warschauer & Ware, 2006, p. 175). This chapter reviews what AWE offers for learners and teachers and raises a number of controversies regarding A WE effectiveness with the underlying message that clear milestone targets need to be set with respect to A WE development, implementation, and evaluation in order to ensure positive impact of this technology on L2 writing. In support of this message, the chapter introduces an example-lADE, a prototype of contextbased A WE conceptualized and operationalized to address latent issues through a synthesis of theoretical premises and learning needs. Multifaceted empirical evaluation of lADE further provides insights into processes triggered by interaction with A WE technology and foregrounds a call for future research needed to inform effective application of AWE in L2 writing classrooms

Potential of Automated Writing Evaluation Feedback

This paper presents an empirical evaluation of automated writing evaluation (AWE) feedback used for L2 academic writing teaching and learning. It introduces the Intelligent Academic Discourse Evaluator (IADE), a new web-based AWE program that analyzes the introduction section to research articles and generates immediate, individualized, and discipline-specific feedback. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential of IADE’s feedback. A mixed-methods approach with a concurrent transformative strategy was employed. Quantitative data consisted of responses to Likert-scale, yes/no, and open-ended survey questions; automated and human scores for first and final drafts; and pre-/posttest scores. Qualitative data contained students’ first and final drafts as well as transcripts of think-aloud protocols and Camtasia computer screen recordings, observations, and semistructured interviews. The findings indicate that IADE’s colorcoded and numerical feedback possesses potential for facilitating language learning, a claim supported by evidence of focus on discourse form, noticing of negative evidence, improved rhetorical quality of writing, and increased learning gains

Computer-Assisted Research Writing in the Disciplines

It is arguably very important for students to acquire writing skills from kindergarten through high school. In college, students must further develop their writing in order to successfully continue on to graduate school. Moreover, they have to be able to write good theses, dissertations, conference papers, journal manuscripts, and other research genres to obtain their graduate degree. However, opportunities to develop research writing skills are often limited to traditional student-advisor discussions (Pearson & Brew, 2002). Part of the problem is that graduate students are expected to be good at such writing because if they “can think well, they can write well” (Turner, 2012, p. 18). Education and academic literacy specialists oppose this assumption. They argue that advanced academic writing competence is too complex to be automatically acquired while learning about or doing research (Aitchison & Lee, 2006). Aspiring student-scholars need to practice and internalize a style of writing that conforms to discipline-specific conventions, which are norms of writing in particular disciplines such as Chemistry, Engineering, Agronomy, and Psychology. Motivated by this need, the Research Writing Tutor (RWT) was designed to assist the research writing of graduate students. RWT leverages the conventions of scientific argumentation in one of the most impactful research genres – the research article. This chapter first provides a theoretical background for research writing competence. Second, it discusses the need for technology that would facilitate the development of this competence. The description of RWT as an exemplar of such technology is then followed by a review of evaluation studies. The chapter concludes with recommendations for RWT integration into the classroom and with directions for further development of this tool