VB035/04
Adapted from Mann, Malcolm and Steve Taylore-Knowles. Destination B2. Macmillan. 2013.
Fitzgerald, Patrick; McCullagh, Marie and Carol Tabor. English for ICT Studies in Higher Education Studies. Garnet.
2009
VB035/04
Adapted from Mann, Malcolm and Steve Taylore-Knowles. Destination B2. Macmillan. 2013.
Fitzgerald, Patrick; McCullagh, Marie and Carol Tabor. English for ICT Studies in Higher Education Studies. Garnet.
2009
Reading Comprehension
A) Discuss the following questions: 1. How are computers used in education today? 2. What are the advantages
of using computers for learning?
B) Look at the title of the text on the opposite page.
a. What does ‘computer-assisted learning’ mean?
b. What sort of courses can CAL be used in? Make a list.
c. Write some questions that you would like the text to answer.
C) One student wrote some ideas about CAL before reading the text on the opposite page. Write A (I agree), D
(I disagree) or ? (I’m not sure) next to the ideas below.
a. Cal has always been easy to use.
b. Teachers didn’t like using CAL software products at first.
c. CAL is just another addition to traditional teaching methods.
d. CAL has radically changed the way people learn.
e. In the future, teachers will be replaced by CAL.
D) Look carefully at the topic sentences in the text.
a. Identify the topic and comment about the topic.
b. What do you think each paragraph will be about?
E) Read the text carefully. Were your questions from Exercise B answered?
F) Does the writer of the text agree or disagree with the ideas in C? Which ideas are not mentioned?
VB035/04
Adapted from Mann, Malcolm and Steve Taylore-Knowles. Destination B2. Macmillan. 2013.
Fitzgerald, Patrick; McCullagh, Marie and Carol Tabor. English for ICT Studies in Higher Education Studies. Garnet.
2009
Computer-Assisted Learning
Computers have been used in educations since the 1960s. Initially, they tended to only be used in computer-related
subjects because they were, unfortunately, quite difficult to use. This was because they had command line interfaces
(CLI). Users had to type long lines of text in order to get the computer to do something. However, the 1980s saw the
advent of the first graphical user interfaces (GUIs) which were much more user-friendly. This improvement in
human-computer interaction (HCI), together with the new subject-specific software, made it viable to employ
computers in more subjects. Education institutions began to see the value of computer-assisted learning (CAL). Many
invested heavily in equipment and training, the outcome of which can be seen today in many classrooms around the
world.
By the end of the 20th century, there was a whole range of CAL software products on offer. In general, the first CAL
programs were not terribly exciting. However, in the late 1980s, CD-ROMs and other multimedia products became
available. These made it possible to produce software with sound and graphics which was also easy to distribute. As
a result, more businesses became involved in developing educational software. The new products were attractive
and many students enjoyed using them. Nevertheless, they were expensive. In addition, they were often perceived
to be just a different way of learning or testing the same things. Teachers who disliked using computers were largely
able to ignore them or confine them to self-study.
By contrast, it was difficult to ignore the arrival of the Internet, which heralded a new phase in CAL and had a huge
impact on education. Although slow links and download times characterized the early days of the Internet, the
development of broadband technology provided much speedier access. The Internet provides an alternative to
textbook-based learning and access to authentic, up-to-date online resources. Furthermore, it offers students a way
to communicate with each other, and with the outside world. They can even publish their work on the Web for
others. Now CAL is more than a ‘bolt-on’ to traditional teaching. It requires new skills, such as the ability to find
information, evaluate websites, or to collaborate with others via a network.
CAL not only influences how and what students learn; it also affects where they learn. Many courses now
incorporate a virtual learning environment (VLE), which is a set of computer-based teaching and learning tools used
to teach distances learning programmes or to support face-to-face courses. VLEs are similar to websites in many
ways. Like websites, they run on a server and can be accessed via an Internet connection. VLEs contain a number of
components which, typically, would include the following. Firstly, there is an administrative element providing
course information, such as student tasks and how to get help. Secondly, there are the learning resources used to
deliver the course, including materials designed by the teacher, or links to sources of information. Thirdly, there is a
range of assessment tools which can be used to chart progress during the course. VLEs also have communication
tools, such as e-mail, for students to contact, or correspond with, their teachers or their peers.
Clearly, CAL is set to play an important role in education in the future. Some people even believe that it will
eventually replace the need for teachers or classrooms. However, it is more likely that VLEs are the future of
computer-assisted learning. This means that subject teachers are faced with a new challenge. They will not only
need to be experts in their field, for example history or French, but they will also have to become confident users of
new technology.