ABSTRACT

The design of computational systems to support foreign language instruction needs to be grounded about human learning, language processing, and human-computer interaction. Principles derived from these fields need to be tested and quantified in the context of specific tutoring systems. Evaluation of the pedagogical impact of particular principles can best be achieved by comparing two tutoring systems that differ in controlled and manipulable ways. True experimental evaluation of foreign language tutoring systems has not yet been attempted. It is difficult to predict at this point how easy it will be to conduct this evaluation. However, the manipulable nature of computer systems makes them ideal test beds for the evaluation of particular microcomponents of instructional design. Given the great potential commercial market for tutoring systems, it will be important to distinguish between established educational effectiveness, smile coefficients, and simple market acceptance.