[In: Gimeno, A. (ed.) (2008). Computer Assisted Language Learning: Authoring Tools

for Web-Based CALL. Valencia: Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 157-174.]

Telos Language Partner: “Do It Yourself” Authoring for Content-

Based Language Learning

Kurt Kohn (University of Tübingen, Applied English Linguistics)

1 Introduction

Teachers have always been able to create (some of) their own learning material –

and traditional (i.e. analogue) technologies (e.g. type writer, broadcast/TV,

audio/video recorder, Xerox) have always offered possibilities for pedagogical

authoring. With the availability of multimedia and web-based learning content, the

teachers’ wish for being actively involved in the production process has not changed:

involvement rather continues to be a crucial aspect of their pedagogical content

autonomy (Kohn 2000, 2001). Teachers need to be AUTHORS!

Without tools for “Do it Yourself” (DIY) authoring, teachers will hardly manage to

make the best use of genuine communication material for authenticated task-based

learning; nor will they be able to adapt existing learning material more closely to the

needs of their learners. DIY authoring is the key to a seamless pedagogical

integration of content-based e-learning activities in scenarios of Blended Learning

(Kohn 2006, forthcoming). And what is more, in contexts of explorative learning and

“learning by teaching”, learners can benefit from DIY authoring as well.

Blogs and podcasts offer an interesting innovative authoring potential for the

collaborative generation and distribution of genuine and relevant learning material.

Interactive exercises and tasks, however, that are more specifically geared to

(language) learning and testing – e.g. from dialogue practice to drag & drop and

multiple choice – are usually less accessible to DIY authoring. This is where Telos

1

Language Partner (TLP Pro)1 has its place – and where it is in good company with

the other tools described in this volume.2

2 General Design and Architecture

A first version of Telos Language Partner (TLP Pro) was developed in the European

Telematics Applications project Telos (1996-98), which explicitly aimed at supporting

the integration of classroom-type learning and teaching with autonomous multimedia-

based self-study, customised learnware delivery and tele-tutoring (http://www.uni-

tuebingen.de/telos). Since then, the software has been continuously expanded,

mainly in close connection with authoring tasks and requirements that were

addressed in a number of Leonardo da Vinci projects focusing on subject-related and

work-embedded language learning and teaching in Blended Learning contexts. Major

developmental steps included the TLP WebConverter in 2002 and the Telos Session

interface with the open source e-learning platform Moodle in 2006.

Telos Language Partner is a template-based authoring software for multimedia and

web-based language learning and testing purposes.3 The offline Learning Mode

supports a wide range of activity formats from video explorations to dialogue practice,

from text comprehension and production to lexical and grammatical explanations and

exercises. All tasks can be made available with or without (model) solutions. In the

offline Editing Mode, teachers (or learners) select appropriate templates to create

their own customised learning and testing tasks and packages.

1 Telos Language Partner (TLP Pro) is available free of charge for educational and non-commercial purposes (www.sprachlernmedien.de). The principal developer of TLP Pro is Petra Hoffstaedter. 2 For more information about CALL authoring, cf. www.ict4lt.org (module 2.5).

3 Concerning the use of authoring templates, also see Gimeno 2002.

2

Figure 1: TLP Pro - architecture

The resulting TLP tasks and packages are used offline with full multimedia

interactivity, which is particularly interesting in the case of video, text and dialogue

practice. For online use, a TLP package is loaded into the TLP WebConverter for

easy and straightforward transformation of all or selected tasks into a web-

compatible HTML format.

Due to this “layered” design, Telos Language Partner offers various modes of CD

ROM and web-based delivery. Via the Telos Session interface with Moodle, TLP

learning and testing packages can be flexibly integrated with other content and/or

communication-based e-learning activities in a variety of pedagogically meaningful

ways.

3 Offline Learning Mode

In the offline Learning Mode of TLP Pro, learners can utilise varied offline multimedia

task formats. This includes written/oral comprehension and production activities

based on video clips, texts or dialogues as well as grammatical explanations and

exercises, and vocabulary practice.

3

A video template is available for playing video clips, which may be supported by a

transcript. When the transcript is activated, a running highlight indicates the position

in the video. Highlighted passages can be recorded and learners can compare their

pronunciation with the model.

Figure 2: video practice (offline)

Two dialogue templates – with or without a situation picture - support a flexible

combination of dialogue-based listening, speaking, reading and writing exercises.

Learners can listen continuously to the whole dialogue or to individual speaker turns.

If the dialogue transcript is hidden, listening and writing activities can be combined to

simulate a dictation situation. To check the result, the transcript can be made visible

above the dialogue field.

4

Figure 3: dialogue practice with situation picture (offline)

The speaker turns that make up the dialogue can be repeated and recorded with or

without the support of the transcript. Learners check their pronunciation by

comparing it with the model. It is also possible for them to play one of the speaker

roles. Lexical, grammatical and cultural explanations and exercises can be integrated

via hyperlinks.

Various text templates combine text, sound and picture data with speaking and

writing functions. They support a variety of text-based comprehension and production

exercises: e.g. listening and reading comprehension, writing or translating letters,

summaries and reports, answering questions, describing pictures, giving a

presentation.

5

Figure 4: text production practice (offline)

Explanation templates are available with or without picture and with or without sound

support. They are used for presenting lexical, grammatical, pragmatic or cultural

contents.

6

Figure 5: explanation (offline)

Gap-fill, select, drag&drop and multiple-choice templates support a wide range of

classical exercises with or without sound and pictures.

7

Figure 6: multiple choice task (offline)

8

Figure 7: drag & drop task (offline)

To ensure comprehensibility, learners may be given access to a translation. This

function can be activated for individual passages of a video transcript, text or

dialogue and is made visible in a separate field.

By clicking on individual words, an internal dictionary can be consulted. The

dictionary contains simple bilingual explanations. It is not intended to replace an

external dictionary (e.g. CD-ROM or Web).

Figure 8: video practice with comprehension support (offline)

4 Offline Editing Mode

In the offline Editing Mode, users can create their own multimedia learning and

testing tasks; existing tasks are open to further changes and extensions. Multimedia

9

learning contents can thus be pedagogically adapted and customised to the needs of

individual learner groups - without a line of programming.

It is important to note that the Learning Mode and the Editing Mode are designed as

two sides of the same coin. The main difference between them is that in the Editing

Mode the TLP task templates are “unlocked” with the effect that all text, sound,

picture and video content can be added or modified through the direct insertion of

data into the template.

A new dialogue exercise, for example, can be easily created by inserting the required

data into the empty dialogue template, i.e. a situation picture, a dialogue text, a

translation (as comprehension support), and sound. Sound is created either through

direct recording with a microphone or – for more professional purposes - through

implementation of a separately recorded sound file.

Figure 9: dialogue template (offline Editing Mode)

10

Since the user interface in the Editing Mode is more or less the same as the one in

the Learning Mode, the adaptation and creation of a TLP dialogue exercise does not

require any specialised knowledge. The same is true for all the other task templates

from video to text and explanation, from gap, select and drag & drop to multiple

choice.

To produce a gap-fill exercise, for example, the first step is to write (or copy) a text

into the empty gap-fill template; subsequently, gaps are created by highlighting and

deleting part of a word, an entire word, or a word sequence (up to the length of a

line). The deleted part will then be the solution in the Learning Mode. Alternative

solutions can be added as required.

Figure 10: gap-fill template (offline Editing Mode)

In the case of tasks with predetermined solutions (i.e. gap, drag & drop, select,

multiple choice), learners may be given access to a correctness check, solutions and

scores. For open writing tasks, model solutions can be provided. Depending on

11

whether access to a (model) solution is activated, the same tasks can thus be made

available in a Practice or Test Format.

All TLP learning and testing tasks are organised in TLP packages. When creating a

new package, the user-author has the option to create a package entirely from

scratch, or to import and integrate tasks from already existing TLP packages. This

approach supports the reusability of learning materials and also facilitates

collaborative ways of authoring. In addition, a lexical look-up facility is available in the

form of internal dictionaries, which can be created and implemented as required and

linked to individual TLP packages. Complementary material to enrich TLP tasks, e.g.

cultural notes or tutorial instructions, can be integrated via a “support book” function.

A TLP notepad offers “on the spot” writing opportunities. Finally, hyperlinks are used

to create navigation paths within a package, e.g. “continue” or “go to overview”. It is

also possible to create hyperlinks to other TLP packages, external files (e.g. Word,

Excel, PowerPoint, PDF), email addresses, or web pages. All in all, the TLP features

make it possible to produce complex learning and testing packages with a

transparent thematic organisation.

5 WebConverter

The TLP WebConverter enables easy and straightforward creation of web-

compatible multimedia language learning and testing material from existing TLP

packages. Entire packages or single tasks are selected according to individual preferences and then converted into HTML pages by mouse click. Bitmap images are

converted automatically to JPEG. Sound and video data must be converted

separately to Real Player or Windows Media format.

12

Figure 11: TLP WebConverter

The most noticeable difference between offline and online TLP packages concerns

the overall presentation style. Special formatting options, however, ensure that

certain text formats and colours of the source package can be kept in the online

package.

The following screenshot show how a typical TLP dialogue task looks in the online

(HTML) mode (for the offline version, see figure 2):

13

Figure 12: dialogue practice (online)

Other differences concern the somewhat reduced sound control in the TLP online

packages, which primarily affects dialogue, text and video. In these tasks, online

sound recording is not possible and sound can only be played for the entire

(dialogue, text, or video) unit instead of in speaker turns or paragraphs.

Of special interest are the online feedback options supported by the TLP

WebConverter. It allows tutors/authors to select from the available options (i.e.

"correctness check", "solution", "scores for tasks” and “scores for packages”) any

combination they want. Depending on learning objectives and pedagogic

preferences, they can thus provide the kind of feedback they deem most helpful to

support the learning process. Customised online language tests can be easily

created by deactivating all feedback options.

14

Figure 13: gap-fill task (online with sound and feedback buttons for correctness check, solutions, and

scores)

More advanced feedback and scoring options become available with the integration

of online TLP packages in Moodle-based e-learning courses.

6 TLP/Moodle Connection

TLP packages can be delivered and used mainly in two ways: as offline packages

(e.g. on CD-ROM or a LAN server) with slightly more extended multimedia functions

in particular for dialogue, text and video tasks, or as online packages with or without

further integration into an e-learning environment. In online courses created with the

open source e-learning platform Moodle, a specially designed “Telos Session”

activity helps to ensure deeper pedagogical integration. A TLP package implemented

as a Telos Session is linked to a database which supports automatic scoring

functions and result views.

When setting up a Telos Session, tutors can specify different ways in which learner

data is processed and presented. A key feature concerns the quantitative and

qualitative result views that are available. Quantitative results can be viewed in three

15

modes: overview, results by task, and results by task category (e.g. grammar,

vocabulary, reading comprehension).

In addition, a qualitative result view provides access to the actual TLP tasks with the

learner’s responses filled in. This is particularly helpful for a closer results analysis in

connection with e.g. a feedback meeting between tutor and learner.

Along with closed tasks (i.e. gap, select, drag & drop, and multiple choice) with

automatic scoring, open writing assignments can be included as well. In this case, an

assessment sheet is available to assist tutors when analyzing and scoring the

learners’ productions and entering the achieved scores into the database. Tutors can

edit assessment sheets by defining their own assessment criteria (e.g. grammar,

style) and scores scales. This helps to customise the assessment procedure and to

ensure assessment consistency across tutor groups.

Access to results can be given to teachers or learners only, or to both learners and

teachers. It is thus possible to pedagogically integrate TLP packages into Moodle

courses in a variety of ways from unobserved practice to self-assessment and

serious testing.

7 Available Learning Packages

Since the late 1990s, Telos Language Partner has been used in several European

projects for the production of multimedia and web-based language learning packages

covering a variety of both major and less widely taught European languages

including Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Slovak and Spanish.

Learning formats range from listening, reading, writing and speaking with dialogues,

texts and video clips to lexical and grammatical explanations and exercises.4

The overall strategy is to develop a core of open language learning material for

teachers and learners to choose from to support self-study activities in Blended

Learning contexts. “Do it yourself” (DIY) authoring is regarded as a key feature in this

approach. To further adapt the available learning material to the specific needs of

their learners, teachers can take genuine and relevant texts and recordings from the

4 All of the TLP packages described below are available free of charge at www.sprachlernmedien.de [ Choose the English version of the website and go to Open Learning Space].

16

target communicative situations and use Telos Language Partner to build on these to

create and integrate their own customised learning packages. This possibility of DIY

authoring greatly enhances the teachers’ pedagogical autonomy and helps them to

facilitate authenticated learning experiences.5

A first group of TLP packages created in this context focuses on dialogue situations

in everyday and business communication in English, French and German.

Applications include “English for Travellers”, “Dublin Encounters”, “Business English:

Office Communication”, “Business English: The Language of Meetings”, “Français

pour Voyageurs”, “Premiers Dialogues”, “Rencontre á Strasbourg” and “Deutsch für

Unterwegs”. In this case, a typical learning unit combines practicing dialogue skills

with supporting lexical and grammatical exercises.

In a second group, emphasis is on language learning with genuine cultural and

vocational videos. “Français avec Archimède” ("Jours comptés", "Couleur des

choses", "Le réfrigérateur") and “Deutsch mit Archimedes” (“Kalendergeschichten”,

“Farbe der Dinge”, “Der Kühlschrank”) make use of video-based general interest

topics provided by the French-German TV channel ARTE. Each unit combines

watching, (transcript) reading, listening and writing activities with practicing relevant

words & phrases and grammatical explanations and exercises. “Wirtschaftsdeutsch:

Innovationen”, which supports a similar range of language learning activities, is

based on German video clips from La Sept ARTE featuring a business case study on

innovation processes in small and medium enterprises.

A third group of TLP packages addresses specialised language learning needs in

work-related subject areas: “DEUMA: Deutsch im Maschinenbau” (German for

Mechanical Engineering), “ILEGEFOS: Deutsch für die Forstwirtschaft” German for

Vocational Forestry), „EnTecNet: Deutsch für die Umwelttechnik“ (German for

Environmental Technology Communication) and “LOGOS GAIAS: Language

Competence in Ecology, Conservation, Tourism and Cultural Landscape

Management” (target languages: Czech, English, German, Hungarian, Italian and

Slovak) and „CIP: Communication in International Projects“ (target languages:

English and German). The individual language learning units are based on genuine

5 For an enlightened discussion of issues of authenticity and authentication see Widdowson 1979: 159ff. and 2003: 93ff.

17

or scripted special subject interviews, dialogues or (recorded) texts; they support a

variety of listening, reading, speaking and writing activities combined with lexical and

grammatical explanations and exercises.

“Deutsch regional - Tübingen” constitutes a fourth group providing business people

and tourists with opportunities for advanced immersion-type language learning

activities through the pedagogical integration of factual information with basic

language explorations. A wide range of genuine multimedia material is used to

document cultural and economic facets of life in the “medieval” university town of

Tübingen in the south of Germany. 27 topics are organised under the main headings

“Sprache und Mentalität" / „Language and Mentality“, "Gegenwart und

Vergangenheit" / „Present and Past“ and “Geschäftsleben” / "Business Life". Each

topic is represented by a recorded newspaper text, an oral interview, a radio feature,

or a video clip. The learners’ explorative exposure to the German language involves

listening and reading combined with content-related multiple choice and gap tasks.

English translations are used to facilitate comprehensibility.

The last group of TLP packages makes use of the language learning potential of

video interviews with native speakers from different age groups and different walks of

life.6 This includes American, Australian, British, and Irish speakers of English talking

about various topics related to their jobs and professions. In this case, the language

learning activities mainly focus on advanced listening and reading comprehension

and free written production. A similar concept has been adopted for a series of video

interviews with adolescents from 13 to 18 years of age.7 Their native languages

include British, French, German, Italian, Lithuanian, Rumanian and Spanish. In

addition to listening, reading and writing, the corresponding TLP learning packages

also cover grammar and lexis.

What makes these video interview packages special is that they are part of a corpus-

based language learning and teaching approach. The interviews are stored in

corpora and annotated with regard to characteristics relevant for language learning

purposes, e.g. topic, grammar, lexis, discourse markers, and CEF level. In addition,

6 For more information see the ELISA project (www.uni-tuebingen.de/elisa).

7 For more information see the SACODEYL project (www.um.es/sacodeyl)

18

links to pedagogically relevant enrichment resources are integrated, including in

particular audiovisual material, cultural and linguistic background information as well

as ready-made TLP tasks and exercises. The overall objective is to help teachers

and learners to proceed from decontextualised textual data to context-embedded

discourse construction and thus to facilitate and promote authenticated language

learning (Braun 2006, 2005; Braun & Chambers 2006).

8 Concluding remarks

Telos Language Partner has its focus on content-based language learning with

genuine and/or scripted communication material. TLP packages can be readily used

for independent self-study activities, and they can be customised to specific

communication and learning needs. It is important to note, however, that their

pedagogical potential is best exploited in Blended Learning contexts, i.e. in

interaction with complementary forms of learning and teaching.

Through embedding in a classroom approach, for instance, TLP-based self-study

activities become part of a more comprehensive learning experience and can thus be

made more meaningful and more relevant. At the same time, the classroom context

provides possibilities for more direct and personal ways of pedagogical feedback and

guidance. A different kind of Blended Learning integration concerns the combination

of online TLP packages or single tasks with communication-based e-learning

activities. Forums, chats and blogs offer flexible opportunities for various formal and

informal writing tasks; and voice over IP (see e.g. Skype) has finally opened up the

internet to spoken interaction.

Teachers need to learn to take advantage of the strengths and opportunities of the

various approaches available today – from classroom activities to multimedia and

web-based self-study to communicative interaction via the internet - without being

handicapped by the disadvantages and weaknesses these approaches have when

used in isolation. Blended Learning is the key to the fulfilment of long-standing

pedagogical requirements concerning learner autonomy, collaboration and

authentication through task-based and content integrated language learning. This is

the context in which TLP-based content authoring has its place.

19

References

Braun, S. (2007). Designing and exploiting small multimedia corpora for autonomous

learning and teaching. In: Hidalgo, E., Quereda, L. & Santana, J. (eds.). Corpora

in the Foreign Language Classroom. Selected papers from TaLC 6. Amsterdam,

Rodopi, 31-48.

Braun, S. (2006). ELISA - a pedagogically enriched corpus for language learning. In:

Braun, S., Kohn, K., & Mukherjee, J. (eds). Corpus Technology and Language

Pedagogy: New Resources, New Tools, New Methods. Frankfurt/M: Peter Lang,

25-47.

Braun, S. & Chambers, A. (2006). Elektronische Korpora als Ressource für den

Fremdsprachenunterricht. In: Jung, U.O.H. (ed.) (2006). Praktische Handreichung

für Fremdsprachenlehrer. Frankfurt/M: Peter Lang, 330-337.

Braun, S. (2005). From pedagogically relevant corpora to authentic language

learning contents. ReCALL 17 (1), 47-64.

Gimeno, A. (2002). CALL Software Design and Implementation: The Template

Approach. Valencia: Servicio de Publicaciones Universidad Politécnica de

Valencia.

Kohn, K. (forthcoming). Computer assisted foreign language learning. In: Knapp, K. &

Seidlhofer, B. (eds.). Foreign Language Communication and Learning.

Handbooks of Applied Linguistics, volume 6. Mouton-de Gruyter.

Kohn, K. (2006). Blended Language Learning. Potential und Herausforderung. In:

Jung, U.O.H. (ed.) (2006). Praktische Handreichung für Fremdsprachenlehrer.

Frankfurt/M: Peter Lang, 286-292.

Kohn, K. (2001). Developing Multimedia CALL. Computer Assisted Language

Learning 14/3-4, 251-267.

Kohn, K. (2000). Multimediales Sprachenlernen: Wo bleibt die Autonomie der

Lehrenden? In: Tschirner, E., Funk, H. & Koenig, M. (eds.). Schnittstellen:

Fremdsprachenunterricht zwischen alten und neuen Medien. Berlin: Cornelsen,

132-141.

Widdowson, H.G. (1979). Explorations in Applied Linguistics. Oxford: OUP.

20

Widdowson, H.G. (2003). Defining Issues in English Language Teaching. Oxford:

OUP.

21