Design of online interactive language courseware: Conceptualization, specification and prototyping. Research into the impact of linguistic-didactic functionality on software architecture

Researchers and developers in the field of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) are confronted with one of the most intricate questions in recent years: which software tools, components and protocols are most efficient for designing, developing and implementing on-line interactive language courseware?; Interactive language courseware refers to language learning programs which offer a number of linguistic-didactic functionalities such as content selection, content interaction, generation of exercises and tests, feedback, help, follow-up of the learning process, reporting, remedial activities or natural language routines.; The on-line language learning programs, which have been developed up to the year 2002, show a serious decrease in linguistic-didactic functionalities and in overall interactivity in comparison to applications which have been realised earlier on CD-ROM. This restriction seems to be intrinsic to the applied technology itself.; The approach taken in this project was a pedagogy-driven approach: first define what is needed in terms of functionalities and then evaluate to what extent available technologies allow us to realize them. The goal of this research project was to try to prove that sufficient linguistic-didactic functionality can be realised online by applying an adequate design model.; The methodology was based on the elaboration and application of a design model. The elaboration of the design model was based on a study of CALL literature on design, on a study of the broader interdisciplinary context and on the author's CALL design and development experience. The application of the design model to this specific research topic included the three design stages conceptualisation, specification and prototyping.