In the communities dealing with the design and implementation of on-line teaching and training (higher education, government, industry), SCORM is a hot topic these days. The "Sharable Content Object Reference Model" is a standard for the packaging and deployment of Web-based "learning objects," defined by Bob Banks as "a relatively small, reusable…

This paper describes an experimental study aimed at investigating the learning effectiveness of a Web-based course called "Academic English" (EAP) for Japanese learners of English. The main focus of the study was to examine the form, function, and impact of interaction in the course. Twenty university-level EFL students participated in this…

The aim of this paper is to describe a task-cycling pedagogy for language learning using a technique we have called "Stimulated Reflection". This pedagogical approach has been developed in the light of the new technology options available, especially those that facilitate audiovisual forms of interaction among language learners and teachers. In…

This study focuses on the various playful uses of language that occurred during a semester-long study of two German language courses using one type of synchronous network-based medium, the MOO. Research and use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) have flourished in the study of second-language acquisition (SLA) since the late…

In this paper we report findings of a multidisciplinary study of online participation by culturally diverse participants in a distance adult education course offered in Canada and examine in detail three of the study's findings. First, we explore both the historical and cultural origins of "cyberculture values" as manifested in our findings, using…

Big "C" culture is en essential component of the foreign language classroom in so far as it helps students better understand what is important to native speakers from their cultural perspective. The national standards for foreign language encourage a person to focus on this perspective, through its cultural triangle highlighting the relationships…

English is the lingua franca of the Internet and as a consequence the World Wide Web offers a rich bounty for ESL and EFL teachers and learners. It also represents a vast repository of misinformation, poor language use, and potentially offensive material. There are any number of possible approaches to avoiding the pitfalls of the Internet while…

This paper considers how global practices of English on the Internet intersect with local practices of English in the territorial or national sphere in constructing the language experiences of immigrant learners. Using a multi-contextual approach to language socialization, this paper examines the social and discursive practices in a…

It has been argued that the expectations of traditional L2 writing classroom can be problematic for Chinese students, particularly in the area of argumentation and critical thinking. On the other hand, writing on the Internet has been shown to be substantially different in ways that may liberate the students from the constraints of the classroom.…

The Internet as a worldwide literacy practice environment has created a new situation in communication, providing a new dynamic field for research. On the basis of the two articles under discussion, this commentary develops three main aspects of the Internet: as an informal learning environment for English as a second/foreign language; as a…

This study involves three dimensions: distance language education (DLE) as the context, videoconferencing as the technology, and the provision of synchronous oral and visual interaction in DLE as the core research problem. This article follows on this author's previous research in regard to the inclusion of oral and visual interaction in distance…

This article describes two studies that examined the effects of pictorial and written annotations on second language (L2) vocabulary learning from a multimedia environment. In both studies, students were randomly assigned to one of four aural multimedia groups: a control group that received no annotations, and three treatment groups that provided…

Research into learners' attributions for their successes and failures has received considerable attention. However, very little research has been carried out in the area of learning foreign languages. This study is timely in view of the current interest by the government in promoting foreign languages. The aims of the study were (1) to investigate…

The SCOTLANG-based research project on modern languages benchmarking in the post-compulsory sector investigated aspects of the highly sensitive and politicised issue of benchmark standards in modern languages. This article looks at the results of focus-group discussions held with higher education practitioners in Scotland at a time when the…

This article critically examines the KS3 Framework of Objectives for FL, placing it in the context of the National Strategy for FL at KS3 (DfES, 2003b), and other policies, and relating it to a theoretical and research perspective on FL acquisition. The idea that FL teachers should be entitled to continuing professional development based on…