Practical Considerations for Multimedia Courseware Development: An EFL IVD Experience. By Hsien-Chin Liou

Practical Considerations for Multimedia Courseware Development: An ELF IVD Experience By Hsien-Chin Liou

In 1991, the Department of Foreign Language at National Tsing Hua University launched an IVD project of Courseware development. It aimed at assisting the training in EFL skills.
The paper is first describing how the EFL courseware can be linked to language classroom, and how courseware evaluations should be planned. It concludes with ideas of implication and useful recommendations.
The major merit of an IVD system is presenting visual information as well as presenting rich and authentic target language(TL) input for practice. What really motivate students ? Research shows that motivation and interest come from carefully designed interaction with teachers, peers and material appropriately supported by IT. IVD Project can provide authentic and adaptive learning environment by incorporating vivid scenario which is more interesting than text-based information. Besides that teachers’ pedagogical skills are important. Research shows that most common use of IT in classroom teaching is teacher-centred. It is focusing on teaching with IT in the form of expository teaching . By contrast, IVD Project accommodates media based objectives while taking language learning theories and pedagogy into account. And it takes account of alternative forms of assessment more conducive to student-centred IT-based activity and focuses on quality of use rather than quantity of use.
The goal of developing this IVD project is two fold: enhancement of EFL instruction/learning and preparation for research in EFL learning. It takes learners as ‘consumers’ where educational content is ‘delivered’ to the learners. It takes learners as ‘producers’ where the learner is provided with the tools to engage. It starts with verbal and visual receiving stage to participating and doing. The findings in the research shows that IVD group increased learning in areas of vocab and content are better than non IVD group. They showed much interest and higher motivation in using the new delivery system. The Project suggests a directions for teachers who will develop or use CALL Multimedia/IVD material in future.