Seminar in Linguistics: Designing ICALL Systems
L700 also meets with L485
3 Credits
http://jones.ling.indiana.edu/~mdickinson/08/700/

In this seminar, we will focus on the development and design of
intelligent computer-aided language learning (ICALL) systems and how
these systems can be informed by second language acquisition (SLA)
research.

For this course, we will focus on: 1) how insights and knowledge from
SLA can be integrated into an ICALL system such that the system is
sufficiently constrained; and 2) how computational linguistic
techniques can be integrated into such systems. This entails
discussion of the following topics:

- What are appropriate system designs/computational tools for
different learner scenarios (online workbook, advanced learner
practice, reading assistance, etc.)?
- How do we detect and diagnose non-targetlike constructions in
learner input?
- What information about a learner should be stored in a system?
- What annotated corpora and annotation taxonomies do we need to
assist in analyzing learner input?
- What kind of feedback should be provided to the learner?

Final projects will include proposing an ICALL system and defending
the rationale for it.

Note: No programming experience is assumed, and there will only be
small amounts of programming.  Further, in order to emphasize the
cross-disciplinary nature of this seminar and to allow students to
utilize their strengths, teams of students from different backgrounds
will do most assignments together.