CALL Software Evaluation Form
Evaluating CALL software and websites is covered in the following sections of the
ICT4LT website:
Evaluating software and websites for teaching and learning foreign languages is not a
straightforward job. It’s quite different fro evaluating !rinted aterials. A good deal
of the contents of a software !ac"age or website will not be iediatel# visible and
will onl# a!!ear if the user follows a !articular route. In addition$ there are factors
such as screen design$ user%friendliness and nature of the interaction to ta"e into
account.
The first of the following fors is designed ainl# for evaluating software !ac"ages
that are intended to be used offline and are started fro a hard dis" on a stand%alone
co!uter$ fro a networ" server$ or fro a C&%'() or &*&%'(). The second of
the fors is designed for evaluating websites and +eb !ages that contain interactive
aterials.
,ou a# begin b# as"ing the following questions:
• &oes the software-website offer an#thing e.tra that cannot be done in ore
traditional wa#s$ e.g. with !encil and !a!er or chal" and tal"/
• &o #ou intend to use the software-website for whole%class teaching$ e.g. using a
co!uter !lus !rojector and wall screen - interactive whiteboard/
• &o #ou intend to use the software-website in a co!uter lab$ i.e. where each
learner wor"s at an individual co!uter/
• 0ow do #ou intend to integrate the software-website into #our teaching/
1ear in ind that what #ou feel about ICT aterials is often a question of !ersonal
taste. All too often teachers disiss the aterials as 2rubbish3 without considering
who the intended users are and how the# are li"el# to use it. Tr# to !ut #ourself in the
!osition of the user. 4ust because #ou ha!!en to disli"e learning aterials that are
wra!!ed u! in interactive gaes$ don’t assue that the# won’t a!!eal to a
disenchanted 56%#ear%old ale learner of 7rench. If #ou don’t believe in !resenting
graar e.ercises on a co!uter$ then don’t assue that the# won’t a!!eal to the
si.th%for swot. It’s a question of horses for courses.
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Software Evaluation Form
Title of software package / program: Face2Face pre – intermediate C!
"#$/Audio C
Criterion
Is the level of language that the !rogra offers clearl# indicated/ ,es
Is it eas# to start the !rogra/ ,es
Is the user interface eas# to understand/ 87or e.a!le$ is the screen la#out
clear and eas# to inter!ret/9
,es
Is it eas# to navigate through the !rogra/ ,es
Are icons that are used to assist navigation 8e.g. bac" to the hoe!age$
e.it9 clear and intelligible/
,es
Is it alwa#s clear to the learner which !oint s-he has reached in the
!rogra/
,es
&oes the !rogra include scoring/ ,es
If a scoring s#ste is used$ does it a"e sense/ ,es
If a scoring s#ste is used$ does it encourage the learner/ :o
Is the learner offered useful feedbac" if s-he gets soething wrong/ :o
If the learner gets soething right !urel# b# chance$ can s-he see" an
e.!lanation in order to find out wh# the answer is right/
:o
Can the learner see" hel!$ e.g. on graar$ vocabular#$ !ronunciation$
cultural content/
,es
&oes the !rogra branch to reedial routines/ ,es
Can the learner easil# quit soething that is be#ond his-her abilit#/ ,es
Are the graar and vocab used in the !rogra accurate/ ,es
&oes the !rogra offer cultural insights/ ,es
If the !rogra includes !ictures$ are the# 8a9 relevant$ 8b9 an aid to
understanding/
,es
If the !rogra includes sound recordings$ are the# of an adequate qualit#/ ,es
If the !rogra includes sound recordings$ are the# 8a9 relevant$ 8b9 an aid
to understanding/
,es
If the !rogra includes sound recordings$ is there a good i. of ale and
feale voices and regional variations/
,es
Can the learner record his-her own voice and !la# it bac"/ no
&oes the !rogra a"e use of Autoatic ;!eech 'ecognition 8A;'9/ no
If the !rogra a"es use of A;'$ is it effective/ no
If the !rogra includes video sequences$ are the# of an adequate qualit#/ ,es
If the !rogra includes video sequences$ are the# 8a9 relevant$ 8b9 an aid to
understanding/
,es
Is the !rogra relevant to #our national - regional - de!artental
!rograe of stud#/
#es
< ICT4LT =roject >?55 under a
Creative Coons Attribution%:onCoercial%:o&erivs 6.? @n!orted License.
>
Face2Face pre – intermediate student´s book CD-ROM/Audio CD
Es un software dedicado nico ! e"c#usi$amente %acia #a ense&an'a de #a
#en(ua )n(#esa* desarro##ado por #a uni$ersidad de Cambrid(e ! aprobando
ba+o e# marco Europeo de referencia de #en(uas ,-%e common European
reference for #an(ua(es.* Face2face pre- intermediate es un software e# cua#
ofrece una amp#ia (ama de acti$idades #as cua#es se pretende /ue e#
estudiante* de manera aut0noma* rea#ice e+ercicios adecuados se(n e# ni$e#
determinado* con #a fina#idad de /ue desarro##e %abi#idades esencia#es para e#
correcto uso de# #en(ua+e in(#1s2
Dic%o software cuenta con una interfa' a(radab#e para e# aprendiente* buena
funcionabi#idad ! buena estructuraci0n en cuanto a #a distribuci0n de temas a
tratar* subtemas* te"to* audios* im3(enes* $ideos* confi(uraciones etc2
4os temas /ue aporta son tota#mente orientados ! comp#ementarios acorde a#
ni$e# estab#ecido* estos mismos son presentados a tra$1s de e+ercicios
(ramatica#es #a (ran ma!or5a* !a sean de re#aci0n* comparaci0n*
identificaci0n* comp#ementaci0n etc2* !/o audio (rabaciones ! $ideos /ue
aportan a# estudiante $ocabu#ario ! (ram3tica2
4a manera de e$a#uaci0n de cada e+ercicio /ue es rea#i'ado esta %ec%o en
base a puntuaci0n* es decir e# estudiante a# fina#i'ar #os e+ercicios se #e
ca#ifica con una puntaci0n apro"imada acorde a a# nmero de respuestas
correctas no obstante* e# software no cuenta con retroa#imentaci0n a#
momento de presentarse errores en #os e+ercicios2
6na tab#a de #os sonidos de #as pa#abas en in(#1s es presente* ! una #ista
sinteti'ada de #os temas (ramatica#es de inter1s siendo esta ti# para orientar
a# estudiante con #a pronunciaci0n2
7o#o una des$enta+a es mencionada* e# software en forma de CD ROM no
tiene presente reconocimiento de $o'* a cambio so#o es posib#e (rabaciones
de $o'2
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