Commercial e-learning courseware for English education has been widely used in Japanese universities as an effective tool to assist students in improving their overall English skills. The courseware that is described in this paper is believed to be useful for teachers to assess students' progress and evaluate their dedication to English study.…

This paper reports on a research project in a university English as Foreign Language (EFL) program in Japan which explored ways to sustain active participation in e-learning tasks. The tasks were intended to improve students' scores on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), a test used by businesses to make hiring decisions.…

Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have become important tools in higher education language instruction, which can facilitate both student learning and the administration of courses. The decision regarding which LMS a particular university adopts is a complicated process where the needs and opinions of several stakeholders, including…

This paper reports on the use of can-do statements (CDS) for the development of learning materials to prepare Japanese university students for the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). These learning materials have been made available on ATR CALL BRIX (http://www.atr-lt.jp/products/brix/index.html), a wwwbased courseware with a…

EUROCALL 2013's theme was "20 Years of EUROCALL: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future." The conference seeked to establish an overview of EUROCALL's twentieth anniversary. As a professional organization, EUROCALL has been aiming, along its 20 years of existence, to promote innovative research, development and practice in the…

Reviews some current topics related to computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in English as a foreign language in Japan. The achievements of the Tokai English Language Program-CAI project are discussed and the latest system, the Tokai English Language Program-III, is described.

This research report surveys the Japanese educational system, computer-aided instruction (CAI) in Japanese education, and the Japanese home computer industry. The Japanese educational system is found to be dominated by extensive preparation for entrance examinations, with resulting popularity in private tutoring services, preparatory schools,…

Discusses implementation of computer-mediated-communication (CMC) and the language computing skills students need to acquire for cross-cultural e-mail exchanges. CMC syllabus design within the Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language university context and within a second language acquisition research framework is also discussed. (Author/VWL)

This paper argues that computers can be a useful tool for encouraging students to be active and independent learners, particularly in language learning. The key is to find appropriate activities and content to motivate students to learn actively and independently. Access to computers may present challenging obstacles for some teachers (supply,…

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has been studied in Japan since about 1963. However, materials for computer-assisted English second language instruction at the college level are not highly developed. A 1985 experiment in CAI at one Japanese university used materials developed by faculty, staff, and students. Instruction using CAI at Doshisha…

The 1984 volume of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) newsletter includes articles on language competence and cultural awareness in the United States; interest in English in Peru; employment trends; the case method in adult English as a second language (ESL); evaluating computer assisted instruction; the…