Research in Intelligent Computer-Aided Language Learning (ICALL) integrates natural language processing into a computer-aided language learning environment. For such research to be innovative, successful and sustainable, it arguably needs to combine linguistic modeling, second language acquisition research (learner and activity modeling), and pedagogical insights from foreign language teaching (instruction modeling) with representations and computational linguistic algorithms capable of integrating the information from these models.

The current state of the art in the various relevant fields seems favorable for interdisciplinary ICALL research. Complementing the focus on communication and culture in foreign language teaching since the 60s, second language acquisition research since the 90s has clearly established that awareness of language categories, forms and rules---and thus linguistic modeling and the processing needed to identify those properties---is important for an adult learner to successfully acquire a foreign language. At the same time, most research groups currently lack the interdisciplinary orientation, background, or ties needed to develop and combine the linguistic and learner/cognitive modeling with computational processing, and to develop and test intelligent tutoring systems as part of real-life language teaching.

The IICALL workshop and the pre-workshop courses are intended to foster exchange and in-depth discussion of these interfaces of ICALL.

The event will be held at The Ohio State University. Participation in the workshop and the pre-workshop courses is free for presenters and other participants. We are grateful to the Ohio State College of Humanities and the Department of Linguistics for financial support under the Targeted Investment in Excellence initiative for the Cross-disciplinary study of Language.

Contents

• The PROGRAM of the workshop on Dec 17 can be found here.
  The original call for papers can still be found here.
• The COURSES on Dec 14-16 will be held by three leading researchers in the area of ICALL and its interfaces:
  • Kathleen McCoy (U. Delaware), on NLP and Learner Modeling for ICALL
  • Susan Bull (U. Birmingham), on Open Learner Models
  • Eckhard Bick (Southern Denmark U.), on ICALL in support of

  More information on the courses can be found here.

Practical information

• If you plan to attend, please register at: http://ling.osu.edu/icall/iicall/registration
  Participation is free for presenters and other participants - but the registration is important for us to plan the event.
• Information on travel and accomodation: http://ling.osu.edu/icall/iicall/practical.html
• Please direct any questions to the IICALL 2006 organizers:
  Luiz Amaral (amaral.1@osu.edu) and Detmar Meurers (meurers.1@osu.edu)
• IICALL 06 web site: http://ling.osu.edu/icall/iicall