Foreign Language Teaching at the Undergraduate Level

Abstract

V ANDERBILT University held a two-day symposium on the teaching of foreign languages at the undergraduate level on February 24-25, 1978. Funded by the University's Kenan-Venture Fund to apprise the foreign language faculties of Vanderbilt and other Nashville area universities and colleges of current developments in the field of foreign language teaching, its speakers were Wilga M. Rivers (Harvard), Werner Haas (Ohio State), Howard B. Altman (University of Louisville), and Walburga von RafflerEngel and Katrin T. Bean (Vanderbilt). Summaries of their talks follow, in order of presentation in the symposium. In Exploring a Partnership: Computer-Assisted Instruction in Foreign Languages, Werner Haas pointed out that computer-assisted instruction (CAI) must be distinguished from computer-managed instruction (CMI). CMI controls all or most facets of instruction-management of materials, supervision of drills and of homework, record-keeping, production and grading of tests-but in CAI the computer is a valuable and enhancing supplementary tool for foreign language teaching. Haas advocates computer use for tutorial programs because they fully utilize computer memory capability and capacity for storing and presenting stimulus material, for receiving and evaluating student responses, for providing feedback, and for adjusting the sequence of instruction to student performance. The German CAI program at Ohio State is an example of such tutorial use. The Ohio program provides for interaction between computer and student in a controlled learning process. For each problem there are from six to twenty-five anticipated wrong answers programmed, along with suitable responses for each wrong answer that guide the student to the correct answer, much as a teacher would.