Juggling hot potatoes: decisions and compromises in creating authoring tools for the Web

Abstract

This discussion paper outlines some of the decisions and issues involved in creating and using authoring tools for language learning through the World Wide Web. In it, we outline the development of Hot Potatoes, our suite of authoring tools, and attempt to draw conclusions from our experience that will be valuable not only to other developers but also to evaluators and users of authoring software. Areas addressed include exercise design, ability to customise and control the output, support for different browser versions, user-interface design, ancillary technology and technical support.

Technologies for Teaching and Learning L2 Grammar

“…The grammar learning activities mainly consist of short sentencebased practice and cover isolated grammatical forms which are presented as multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, match or rank, and reassemble or translate small chunks of text items (Hubbard and Siskin 2004;Schulze and Heift 2013). These activities are nowadays integrated in authoring programs that allow teachers to generate grammar exercises without programming expertise (see e.g., Arneil and Holmes 1999).…”

Web Delivery of Adaptive and Interactive Language Tutoring: Revisited

“…The language learning process was also not individualized with respect to learner and task variables, or feedback, for example. A few Web-based authoring programs for language learning such as HotPotatoes (Arneil and Holmes 1999) had just surfaced but webbased applications that made use of NLP technology for language learning had not yet been implemented, at least not beyond a prototype stage and thus not in regular classroom instruction. However, there were also many open pedagogical questions in CALL that required empirical testing.…”

CALL-infused project-based learning: a case study of adult ESL students learning prepositions

“…The program Hot Potatoes (Arneil & Holmes, 1997; http://hotpot.uvic.ca/) was used to allow the students to create quizzes for stage two of the project. Hot Potatoes was chosen because this program gives immediate feedback and thus makes it easier for the students to learn how to use prepositions.…”

“…This program was "developed by the research and development team at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre" (Arneil & Holmes, 2012, ¶ 1). The authors originally wanted to create interactive exercises on the Internet for their own use (Arneil & Holmes, 1999). The purpose of creating this program was to allow people who have a basic proficiency with computers to be able to create quizzes (Arneil & Holmes, 1999).…”

“…The authors originally wanted to create interactive exercises on the Internet for their own use (Arneil & Holmes, 1999). The purpose of creating this program was to allow people who have a basic proficiency with computers to be able to create quizzes (Arneil & Holmes, 1999). With Hot Potatoes, five kinds of interactive exercises "JCloze, JMatch, JQuiz, JCross, and JMix" can be created for the Internet (Arneil & Holmes, 2012, ¶ 6).…”