Developing an Efficient Authoring System for Web-Based CALL Materials

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The purpose of the present study was to develop an authoring system which made it easier and less expensive to create web-based Computer-Assisted Language Learning courseware using video materials.For a methodological framework to teach English, we adopted the "Three-Step Auditory Comprehension Approach," as we successfully developed a series of CD-ROMs in our previous studies using this methodology. Subsequently, we determined the specifications of the authoring system, which enabled the learner to access the materials through a web browser using a CD-ROM or the Internet, depending on the user's environment. The authoring system also had a feature for the ease of CALL materials development. The text, including directions, questions, hints, answers and explanations, was written on Excel files in line with the methodology. Then the Excel files were converted into XML files, simply by dragging the files onto the converter we developed. The XML files were linked to audio, video and image files stored in particular folders and all the multimedia components were automatically integrated into the CALL system using the preinstalled JavaScript. The conversion process can be done in a few seconds, without the knowledge of XML or JavaScript.To demonstrate the efficacy of the authoring system, we developed a set of CALL materials using the system. Conversations between international students and a professor at a university in Japan were videotaped and transcribed. Then the multimedia files and the text we edited were successfully integrated into a CALL system. Twenty-six students used the materials on the Internet in addition to the CD-ROMs we developed in our previous studies. The questionnaire survey revealed that the users were as satisfied with the new materials as with the older materials which required significantly more funding. We concluded that the new authoring system considerably improved the environment for materials development.