It gives me pleasure to welcome this evening so many distinguished international scholars to this state reception in honour of EUROCALL. In particular I am very pleased to be able to acknowledge the role of Dublin City University in this conference. DCU is one of our most innovative and dynamic institutions and I think it is very fitting that they should be involved in an endeavour such as this.

The topic of EUROCALL '97, ‘Where research and practice meet’, is perhaps the most provocative and complex one in all of higher education. It would be interesting to recast the assertion that EUROCALL '97 is where research and practice meet as a more probing question: Where do research and practice meet? Unarguably, yes, at this conference: our program – the variety of presentations on practice, and on the research done on practice, and on theoretical research and the nature of research – makes that clear. But it is not only at this yearly gathering; research and practice also meet in the organization of EUROCALL, and for many of us in our daily professional lives. But we could push the question further and ask: do research and practice meet regularly and inherently in the profession of CALL? In the multimedia classroom or language center? In our materials? In cyberspace? in the mind of the learner? To most of those questions we would probably have to give, reluctantly, a negative answer.

This paper relates to the projected role of the new technologies in university teaching in the light of considerations of cost, context and culture. The author is currently engaged in a study of the successful application of the new technologies in university distance teaching, in North America and countries of the European Union.

Au dix-neuvième coup du 6ème jeu de son match contre Deep(er) Blue, le 13 mai 1997, le grand maître Garry Kasparov déclare forfait pour éviter le déshonneur d'un échec et mat en bonne et due forme.

Avant le match, la presse spécialisée, et l'autre déclaraient en substance: si la machine gagne e'en est fini du monde “moderne” tel que nous le connaissons depuis la Renais-sance; e'est le début d'une ère inconnue

When Susan presented this paper at EUROCALL 97 she was extremely ill. As Susan's PhD supervisor, I knew only too well what she was going through when she mounted the rostrum and nervously organised her notes, but I could not have imagined that in two short months her life would come to an end. Such was Susan's courage in her struggle against cancer that she gave few outward indications of her suffering and only looked to the future, continuing to teach, to research and to give her attention to her home and family.

My last conversation with Susan centred on this paper and the trials she was about to conduct with her students in the new academic year. The paper is published here with the minimum of editing. It stands as a tribute to Susan's research but represents only a short summary of the vast amount of data that she had collected so meticulously, and it only hints at the interesting findings that were beginning to emerge. It is likely, however, that the mass of notes that Susan has left behind will yield further results.

Susan is greatly missed by her colleagues and students at Middlesex University and by all her friends and family.

In ReCALL 9 (2), in the article on page 8 the name of Paul Baker at the University of Lancaster was mis-spelled. Apologies for this.

In the same issue, in the CALICO 97 report on page 64, Matthew Fox's affiliation was given as University of Southampton, whereas Matthew is at Southampton Institute.

This paper looks at computer-mediated conferencing (CMC) in the international arena, and considers whether culturally influenced behaviour has an effect on communication online. There is consideration of the indicative areas for cross-cultural misunderstanding taken from research into management communication, and also from research into gendered difference in posting styles on newslists and in ‘netiquette’ guidelines. The results from a small sample of questionnaires exemplify the cultural attitudes towards learning of a UK-based group of respondents. Trie question is raised of whether the ‘reduced social dimension’ of CMC allows participants in a conference to overcome social barriers, or whether the lack of social clues present in face-to-face interaction leads to greater confusion.

How realistic is it to achieve good quality language learning and teaching using technology? This paper looks at the advantages and disadvantages of using CD-ROMs and Web-based materials in the quest for providing meaningful interactive language learning strategies to students. It will demonstrate that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, at least in terms of pedagogy, and that there is no need to reject technology despite difficulties and frustrations because the latest developments in technology, especially on the WWW, have significantly increased the potential for even more authentic interaction in the classroom. Illustrations from our Vietnamese course are included.

Has the time come to re-evaluate the role of the teacher in technology-enhanced language learning (TELL)? Studies into Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and TELL have tended to focus on issues relating to learner/computer interaction or learner/learner interaction mediated via the computer (eg Warschauer 1996: 7–26). Relatively little research has been undertaken to try and understand how technology can best be used for language acquisition (cf. Matthews 1994: 35–401a or Zähner 1995: 34–481b) particularly at a distance, to improve both the effectiveness of the learning and the learner's enjoyment of it. Indeed those studies which have been undertaken have tended to be inconclusive (cf. Pedersen 1987). This paper attempts to begin to redress the balance by focusing on teaching and learning issues related to technology mediated distance language acquisition, with particular emphasis on the role of the teacher. The findings in this paper are based on the pilot phase of the Language Learning Network, a project to design, deliver and evaluate a technology mediated-vocational distance language course. With distance learning, as with classroom-based courses, communication with and support from the tutor is considered paramount. The project has established models for regular synchronous and asynchronous contact with tutors, provided in the context of time and budgetary constraints. Having validated the courses for accreditation and wider distribution on a commercial and part-time studies basis, much attention has been paid to the questions of learner support, assessment and quality assurance.

This paper reports on work at the Open University's Centre for Modern Languages (CML) and Institute of Educational Technology (IET), on the use of technology to support language learners working at home and in virtual groups via the Internet. We describe the Lexica On-Line project, which created a learning environment for Open University students of French, incorporating computer-based lexical tools to De used at home, an on-line discussion forum, and guided access to the Francophone Web. We report on some of the outcomes of this project, and discuss the effectiveness of such a configuration for the promotion of reflective language-learning practices.

Le projet SAFRAN a pour objectif le développement d'une interface dédiée à I'enseignement du français assisté par ordinateur, interface dans laquelle sont intégrés progressivement des outils de traitement automatique des langues naturelles. Ces outils, dans le cadre du projet SAFRAN, sont I'analyseur syntaxique et le synthétiseur vocal FIPSvox, le dictionnaire électronique conceptuel FR-Tool et le conjugueur FLEX, lls permettent I'accès à des ressources linguistiques riches et variées, favorisent I'expérimentation et enfin, offrent un support au diagnostic. Notre article fait le compte-rendu de deux années d'activités scientifiques pour lesquelles nos efforts ont porté sur le développement d'un module sur I'enseignement de la phonétique du français qui intègre les outils de TALN mentionnŕs supra.

Though it may not be expressed explicitly, any CALL design reflects a particular conception of teaching and learning. A broad division may be made between learning that focuses on the individual learner, and learning that emphasises social interaction. The first orientation is represented by the work of Piaget, whose conception of learning is individualistic, whereas Vygotsky is the prime example of a theoretician who has focused on social factors. The two perspectives imply widely differing classroom practices, research agendas and techniques. This paper will detail the theoretical underpinnings of the two approaches, and will explore their implications as they relate to research and practice in CALL, with a particular focus on the tertiary level.

Tandem language learning is based on a partnership between two people, each of whom is learning the other's language. Successful tandem partnerships observe the principle of reciprocity (“tandem learners support one another equally’) and the principle of learner autonomy (“tandem partners are responsible for their own learning”) (Little and Brammerts 1996: 1 Off.). This paper begins by exploring some of the theoretical implications of tandem language learning in general and tandem language learning via e-mail in particular. It then reports on the pilot phase of an e-mail tandem project involving Irish university students learning German and German university students learning English.

As one branch of CALL research moves further into the analysis of software integration into second language courses, this paper deals with many of the issues involved in the successful integration of a piece of multimedia software into a language curriculum designed for non-specialist advanced undergraduate students of French. After discussing the background and context of the research, the paper describes the software used and the surrounding integration aspects as well as the future use and development of the software as adequate courseware and research material.

The paper describes how networked self-access EAP materials have been developed at Warwick University since 1992. The current package of materials (The CELTE Self-Access Centre) can be freely accessed from the World Wide Web, and aims to provide some basic training in Information Technology alongside more conventional language and study skills activities. Problems of development and distribution are discussed, including the resistance of those EAP practitioners who have little experience of the Internet in an educational context, and the unwillingness of users to interact with unknown task setters.

Recently we have seen a shift of focus in using the Internet from often inappropriate human-computer interactivity to human-human interaction, based on collaborative learning concepts like learner autonomy and tandem learning. The renewed discussion of interface design has provoked a reconsideration of me traditional graphical user interface and a shift towards more intuitive interfaces like virtual reality, mainly building on the concept of constructionism. The MOO (multi-user domain, object oriented) system provides a flexible, easy-to-use multiple user virtual reality that allows for the integration of language learning tools and resources in a common environment, a third place.