Main Points:

• task - to write the site
• not much in the literature
• need a CALL in ILL theory

CALL - Computer Aided/Assisted language Learnning

ILL - Independent Language Learning

The Internet is such a new development that little has been written on it in the literature of Independent Language Learning. There is no existing survey linking the use of the Internet as a resource for language teaching and learning with the principles of Independent Language Learning. At present, Internet sites put on-line by independent, autonomous and self-access language learning centres vary considerably in the amount and type of information they provide for their various types of users. The usefulness of computer software, including the Internet, for promoting autonomous language learning is questioned by Benson & Voller (1997:10) when they say it is, "an example of a technology which claims to promote autonomy simply by offering the possibility of self-study. Such claims are dubious, however, because of the limited range of options and roles offered to the learner." It is hoped that the results of the evaluation of the CILL site will refute this assertion.

The applicability of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) to Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) is highlighted by Chapelle (1997: 19) in a paper tellingly entitled ‘CALL in the Year 2000: Still in Search of Research Paradigms?’. She suggests that, although previous CALL research has drawn heavily on research in other fields such as human-computer interaction and psychology, SLA theory should play a more prominent role in CALL research. This study examines Independent Language Learning research, a part of SLA theory, and its relationship to language learning on the Internet, a part of CALL. Chapelle concludes by highlighting the need for research and evaluation of CALL, saying that "With SLA research as a basis for investigation of CALL, the paradigm search of the next decade can be a quest for methods that complement our fundamental understanding of the language experience learners engage in through CALL activities." It is hoped that the evaluation by learners in this study complements our understanding of this small part of the above language learning experience.

In the light of Benson & Vollers’s criticism and Chapelle’s suggestion for further research, the aim of this investigation is to suggest a principled design for the Internet site of the Centre for Independent Language Learning (CILL) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU).

The need for this investigation was highlighted by the author’s realisation, when given the task of upgrading and maintaining the existing CILL Internet site, that there was a gap in the literature on independent language learning and CALL in this area.

Benson, Phil & Voller, Peter, eds. (1997) Autonomy and Independence in Language Learning
London: Longman

Chapelle, Carol (1997) CALL in the Year 2000: Still in Search of Research Paradigms?
Language Learning and Technology Vol. 1, No.1, pp.19 - 43