Concerning about the limited contact hours of Chinese language class, professor Liu provides more “out-of-class” learning opportunities with basic-skill exercises and enrichment materials in this web site. The content is based on the textbooks developed for use in the current Second-Year Chinese courses (C201/C202): Connections I-II: A Cognitive Approach to Intermediate Chinese. The web site integrating audio, visual, and animated elements provides “a motivating and authentic context for students to practice their language skills and discrete linguistic points.” Specifically, it includes the exercises in these areas: characters, vocabulary, grammar, listening, and reading. Throughout the semester, students will be required to finish selected areas of exercises that address their individual needs.

TLTL staff members help with the design and development of this project, including the presentation and structure of the web site, the multimedia-based exercises, and the tracking of students performance. The initial evaluation reveals that most students have positive experiences of using this program and like the immediate feedback of the exercises.