Answering the CALL: How computers have shaped language learning

The history of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a fascinating one, stretching back over 6 decades. This article summarizes the origins and main phases of CALL, and asks whether we have yet achieved a truly integrated approach to our use of technology. It then considers the role of generative AI in how CALL will change the language tech landscape in the coming years.?

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The Earliest Days?

In 1960, the first?CALL system, PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations) was created. Not just an academic or computing exercise, PLATO’s goal was to use the power of computers to help address low literacy rates in the US. At the time, it was estimated that as many as 50% of graduates were functionally illiterate (Cameron 2023). ??

PLATO had two main ambitions: ?

1. To increase access to learning. By the 1970s, PLATO could support a whopping 1,000 concurrent users! (Jones, n.d.)?
2. To make learning more engaging. PLATO had incredible features for its time – features that would not become mainstream until decades later – including a touchscreen, messaging apps, and bright graphics (Cameron, 2023). ?

PLATO even created the first ‘online’ communities, a concept that would not become popular again for many years to follow. The world had seen the potential in CALL and soon there was an explosion of software programs, on mainframes then on personal computers, and their popularity only continued upwards from there!?

Warschauer’s phases of CALL’s history?

As the 80s and 90s progressed, there was sustained academic interest in characterising types of CALL and their impact?on language learning. By 1998, researchers Mark Warschauer and Deborah Healey had theorized 3 main phases in CALL’s development: ?

Behaviouristic CALL (later called Structural CALL):?

This style of learning dominated the 1960s-70s and was characterized by structured inputs that required structured responses. This ‘drill-and-practice' approach (sometimes less kindly called ‘drill-and-kill') consisted of repetitive exercise types such as multiple-choice questions or gap-fill exercises (Polat, 2017). ?

Some more sophisticated programmes used branching, or questions that adapted to the user’s answer to serve up remedial or extension content that was personal to the individual user. ?

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Communicative CALL:?

In the late 70s through to the 90s, the communicative phase of CALL emerged. This phase emphasized the importance of using language forms and structures rather than just learning them in relative isolation of ‘real’ language contexts. Interactive software allowed learners to engage in more meaningful and authentic language use, moving away from rote memorization. ?

This style of CALL encouraged learners to play and discover language through activities like simulations and text rearrangement, teaching rules more implicitly than explicitly (Warschauer, 1998). ?

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Integrative CALL:?

Warschauer called the final phase of CALL ‘Integrative CALL’. In this phase, computer use would move from being a defined context for drill and practice to being an extension of the classroom. This phase saw an explosion of software programmes, many of which were able to take advantage of multimedia to support language learners’ listening and speaking skills in ways that weren’t possible before (Warschauer, 1998). ?

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Where do we go next??

While we are technically in the Integrative phase of CALL now (post-2000), debate persists over whether we as an EdTech community have really bridged the gap between technology and traditional teaching – and even whether it ‘needs’ bridging. ?

With today's technology, it is possible to learn independently with digital-only tools. But, as so many of us experienced during the pandemic, online-only learning doesn’t suit everyone; it can feel isolating and be hard to stay motivated. Post-pandemic, so many students (and teachers) have enjoyed being back in the classroom, and there seems little doubt that these in-person experiences are treasured by language learners across the globe. ?

However, digital experiences are part of our day-to-day, and their use in language learning seems hear to stay. The challenge perhaps remains how to truly integrate them into learning design. ?

Personally, I think we stand at the precipice of a new era in which generative AI will fundamentally change how ‘integrative’ CALL feels for language learners. It has the potential to: ?

• Augment the power of existing CALL features that have their roots way back in those early versions of PLATO, such as adaptive learning and personalization. Imagine a world where accessibility adjustments were being made in real-time, and in a way that was bespoke to the individual student. ?

• Provide analysis and insight into various aspects of learning, from performance to engagement. The potential exists for analysis of both classroom and independent work, and comparison of performance in different settings (such as within the classroom vs when using their target language at work). ?

• Integrate in new ways to create a seamless transition between synchronous and asynchronous learning. AI could provide support in real-time during lessons, or capture experiences from the classroom and convert those into bespoke out-of-class reinforcement. ?

The original challenge PLATO set out to answer – how can we use computers to democratize access to learning and address inequalities – is not only still with us, but perhaps even more pressing for us to answer today. ?

At Versa, we can’t wait to be part of that answer and to help shape the future of language learning. Language schools can contact us to find out how more about how Versa supports learners in their journey towards fluent communication.?

References?

Jones, S. (n.d.) ‘PLATO’. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/distance-learning ?

Kaiser, C. (2023). ‘PLATO: How an educational computer system from the ’60s shaped the future’. Ars Technica. 17 Mar 2023. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/03/plato-how-an-educational-computer-system-from-the-60s-shaped-the-future/ ?

Polat, M. (2017). ‘CALL in Context: A Brief Historical and Theoretical Perspective’. Issues and Trends in Educational Technology. 5(1) 2017. https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/itet/article/view/20312/19939 ?

Warschauer, M., & Healey, D. (1998). ‘Computers and language learning: An overview’. Language Teaching, 31, 57-71. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1233489.pdf?