Intelligent computer-assisted language learning: A bibliography

This bibliography focuses on works discussing intelligent computer-assisted language learning (ICALL). It includes over 200 entries divided into three sections: (1) collections, special issues and bibliographies, (2) general/theoretical works, (3) specific applications.Alan Bailin (Ph.D., McGill) is Associate Editor ofComputers and the Humanities. He has participated in the field of Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning as a writer, editor, and researcher. He has also published in the areas of linguistics and semiotics.     

The expression of social presence through the use of figurative language in a web-based learning environment

The present paper’s aim is to investigate how the participants of an online learning environment employed written language in a creative way through the spontaneous use of figurative language. The content analysis showed that figurative language was a means to express the social dimension either to refer to the self, feelings and emotions, or to conceptualize the components of the virtual learning setting. The research context was a 10-week course, delivered at a distance via a computer conferencing system, addressed to 57 student teachers. The analysis was carried out in the social and meta-cognitive reflection areas, those areas which are mainly related to the expression of the social dimension The study had three different purposes: to investigate the distribution of figurative language during the course length; to explore the relation between the participants’ educational background and their use of figurative language, and to examine the relation between figurative language and the structure of the communication threads. The results indicate that participants tended to use figurative language more when meaningful or critical events happened. The higher the emotional involvement was, the more metaphorical language was adopted. Further results suggest that the adoption of figurative language seems to be related more to individual attitude, than to other factors such as educational background. Finally, figurative language occurrences were not concentrated in specific kinds of postings or threads and did not encourage further use of figurative language.     

网络探究学习模式在远程教学中的探索

介绍了网络探究学习理论,提出一种网络探究学习模式,并以＂程序设计基础＂课程为例,将这一学习模式应用到现代远程教育的具体教学过程中。教学实践表明,网络探究学习模式对于培养学生的自主学习能力有较好的效果。     

Enhancing middle school students' scientific learning and motivation through agent‐based learning

Facing students' decreasing motivation to pursue scientific study, schools and educators need to coordinate new technologies with pedagogical agents to effectively sustain or promote students' scientific learning and motivation to learn. Although the provision of pedagogical agents in student learning has been studied previously, it is not clear what benefits the strategy might offer with regard to student motivation. This study proposes an agent‐based mechanism that integrates problem‐solving and inquiry‐based instructions to help students better understand complex scientific concepts and to sustain their motivation to learn science. In this study, a quasi‐experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance and feasibility of our proposed mechanism. The results revealed that the agent‐based mechanism was effective and feasible for enhancing students' learning and motivation to learn. The mechanism was associated with increases in the acquisition of knowledge when compared with the control group. Its effect in promoting and sustaining students' motivation was also statistically significant. Detailed discussions of the findings are provided in this study.     

The use of natural language processing in computer-assisted language instruction

This article describes the natural language processing techniques used in two computer-assisted language instruction programs: VERBCON and PARSER. VERBCON is a template-type program which teaches students how to use English verb forms in written texts. In the exercises verbs have been put into the infinitive, and students are required to supply appropriate verb forms. PARSER is intended to help students learn English sentence structure. Using a lexicon and production rules, it generates sentences and asks students to identify their grammatical parts. The article contends that only by incorporating natural language processing techniques can these programs offer a substantial number of exercises and at the same time provide students with informative feedback. Alan Bailin is director of the Effective Writing Program at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Philip Thomson is a programmer in the Faculty of Medecine, University of Western Ontario.     

网络学习支持环境的设计与开发研究

给出了基于教学理论和建设标准的网络学习支持环境开放建设框架,进行了融合知识管理理论的探讨,在各模块功能及其相互关系设置上进行了融合知识管理的尝试.实现技术上运用软件工程思想,并基于J2EE/Struts框架进行了系统开发.系统有利于提高模块的利用率,在重视功能属性实现的同时,保证了非功能属性.     

SignMT: An alternative language learning tool

Learning a second language is very difficult, especially, for the disabled; the disability may be a barrier to learn and to utilize information written in text form. We present the SignMT, Thai sign to Thai machine translation system, which is able to translate from Thai sign language into Thai text. In the translation process, SignMT takes into account the differences between Thai and Thai sign language in terms of both syntax and semantic to ensure the accuracy of translation. SignMT was designed to be not only an automatic interpreter but also a language learning tool. It provides meaning of each word in both text and image forms which is easy to understand by the deaf. The grammar information and the order of the sentence are presented in order to help the deaf in learning Thai, their second language. With SignMT, deaf students are less dependent on a teacher, have more freedom to experiment with their own language, and improve their knowledge and learning skill.     

Promoting self-regulated learning in web-based learning environments

Self-regulated learning with the Internet or hypermedia requires not only cognitive learning strategies, but also specific and general meta-cognitive strategies. The purposes of the Study2000 project, carried out at the TU Dresden, were to develop and evaluate authoring tools that support teachers and students in web-based learning and instruction. This paper presents how the authoring tools of the Study2000 project can implement psychologically sound measures to promote (a) active and elaborated learning activities and (b) meta-cognitive activities in a web-based learning environment. Furthermore, it describes a study involving 72 university students in the use of such a web-based learning environment in a self-regulated learning setting at the university level. Results show that students spent almost 70% of their study time with texts, 11% with learning tasks and 12% with the active and elaborated learning tools, whereas meta-cognitive aids where hardly used (<1%).     

A context-aware ubiquitous learning environment for language listening and speaking

This paper reported the results of a study that aimed to construct a sensor and handheld augmented reality (AR)-supported ubiquitous learning (u-learning) environment called the Handheld English Language Learning Organization (HELLO), which is geared towards enhancing students' language learning. The HELLO integrates sensors, AR, ubiquitous computing and information technologies. It is composed of two subsystems: an English learning management system and a u-learning tool. In order to evaluate the effects of the proposed learning environment on the learning performance of students, a case study on English learning was conducted on a school campus. The participants included high school teachers and students. A learning course entitled 'My Campus' was conducted in the class; it included three activities, namely 'Campus Environment', 'Campus Life' and 'Campus Story'. The evaluation results showed that the proposed HELLO and the learning activities could improve the students' English listening and speaking skills.     

Intelligent web-based learning system with personalized learning path guidance

Personalized curriculum sequencing is an important research issue for web-based learning systems because no fixed learning paths will be appropriate for all learners. Therefore, many researchers focused on developing e-learning systems with personalized learning mechanisms to assist on-line web-based learning and adaptively provide learning paths in order to promote the learning performance of individual learners. However, most personalized e-learning systems usually neglect to consider if learner ability and the difficulty level of the recommended courseware are matched to each other while performing personalized learning services. Moreover, the problem of concept continuity of learning paths also needs to be considered while implementing personalized curriculum sequencing because smooth learning paths enhance the linked strength between learning concepts. Generally, inappropriate courseware leads to learner cognitive overload or disorientation during learning processes, thus reducing learning performance. Therefore, compared to the freely browsing learning mode without any personalized learning path guidance used in most web-based learning systems, this paper assesses whether the proposed genetic-based personalized e-learning system, which can generate appropriate learning paths according to the incorrect testing responses of an individual learner in a pre-test, provides benefits in terms of learning performance promotion while learning. Based on the results of pre-test, the proposed genetic-based personalized e-learning system can conduct personalized curriculum sequencing through simultaneously considering courseware difficulty level and the concept continuity of learning paths to support web-based learning. Experimental results indicated that applying the proposed genetic-based personalized e-learning system for web-based learning is superior to the freely browsing learning mode because of high quality and concise learning path for individual learners.     

Augmented reality in language learning: A state-of-the-art review of 2014–2019

This systematic review study synthesizes research findings pertaining to the use of augmented reality (AR) in language learning. Published research from 2014 to 2019 has been explored and specific inclusion and exclusion criteria have been applied resulting in 54 relevant publications. Our findings determined: (a) devices and software employed for mastering AR; languages and contexts in which AR had been applied; theoretical perspectives adopted for guiding the use of AR; the number of participants in AR activities and benefits from using AR as an educational tool in the language classroom; (b) alignment of the affordances of Augmented Reality with the KSAVE (Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Values, Ethics) 21st-century skills framework; (c) future directions in AR research and practice. The main findings from this review demonstrate the popularity of mobile-based AR for supporting vocabulary (23.9%), reading (12.7%), speaking (9.9%) writing (8.5%) or generic language skills (9.9%). Our findings also uncovered areas that merit future attention in the application of AR in language learning – for instance learning theories were not often considered in the implementation of AR. The study concludes with suggestions for future research especially in the areas of instructional design and user experience.     

Robot learning language — Integrating programming and learning for cognitive systems

One central property of cognitive systems is the ability to learn and to improve continually. We present a robot control language that combines programming and learning in order to make learning executable in the normal robot program. The language constructs of our learning language RoLL rely on the concept of hierarchical hybrid automata to enable a declarative, explicit specification of learning problems. Using the example of an autonomous household robot, we point out some instances where learning–and especially continued learning–makes the robot control program more cognitive.     

Development of an interactive computer-based learning strategy to assist in teaching water quality modelling

The following paper presents a computer-based learning strategy to assist in introducing and teaching water quality modelling to undergraduate civil engineering students. As part of the learning strategy, an interactive computer-based instructional (CBI) aid was specifically developed to assist students to set up, run and analyse the output from a commercially available water quality model (WQMAP) for a hypothetical raw sewage spill. The CBI aid comprised a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) module with helpful text and still graphics, and links to on-screen recorded motion movie clips showing on-screen actions and voice narrations during the instructors absence. An anonymous class questionnaire to assess the students’ perceptions of the developed approach found that most students felt they were able to complete the project with minimum supervision, and have acquired a basic understanding of water quality modelling as a result of the activity. Additionally, almost all of the students found the CBI aid helpful and easy to follow.     

Enhancing computer graphics through machine learning: a survey

Machine learning has experienced explosive growth in the last few decades, achieving sufficient maturity to provide effective tools for sundry scientific and engineering fields. Machine learning provides a firm theoretical foundation upon which to build techniques that leverage existing data to extract interesting information or to synthesize more data.In this paper we survey the uses of machine learning methods and concepts in recent computer graphics techniques. Many graphics techniques are data-driven; however, few graphics papers explicitly leverage the machine learning literature to underpin, validate, and develop their proposed methods. This survey provides novel insights by casting many existing computer graphics techniques into a common learning framework. This not only illuminates how these techniques are related, but also reveals possible ways in which they may be improved. We also use our analysis to propose several directions for future work.     

高职计算机操作类网络课程的教学设计

以Flash动画制作网络课程为例,分析高职计算机操作类网络课程的教学设计,包括课程特点、教学目标、学习者、教学内容,提出网络自主学习设计、基于UGC的学习资源设计和学习评价设计。