Designing and Evaluating Online Language Learning Materials for Higher Education

Abstract

Nowadays, finding, choosing and developing or adapting materials is a very important component of education as well as a key element for the success of the whole learning process. A language teacher is also a materials developer and the materials development process should aim at ensuring that local needs and wants do not dictate decisions and that important learning principles are not forgotten. In the case of materials for Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), a very thorough and pedagogically-sound set of guidelines should be followed prior to the design of the materials. Following that, a careful evaluation should take place so as to guarantee that those guidelines have been followed and that the materials are therefore valid, efficient and effective. This is especially important in the case of in-house CALL materials development. This paper describes the basis for the evaluation and validation of the InGenio FCE Online Course and Tester. These are two language learning in-house CALL materials for students of English, developed by the CAMILLE Research Group at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) in Spain. A large part of the focus of this paper will be on the aspects concerning the evaluation of the two previously mentioned materials according to well-established frameworks and guidelines from the most relevant literature.[EN]