Developing "The Critic's Corner": Computer-Assisted Language Learning for Upper-Level Russian Students.

During the fall of 1992, we were engaged in a project at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, to develop interactive video materials for use in upper-level Russian language courses. Over the course of the semester, we worked together, as language teacher and instructional designer, on a pilot computer software program that uses Russian film clips on video laserdisc to improve writing and speaking skills and stimulate students' critical thinking. The program encourages collaborative effort by allowing students to access and comment upon the written responses of their peers. The program also provides for the creation of listening exercises, and students may record, review, and file their oral responses as voice files. The program, entitled “The Critic's Corner,” was used with a small group of students during the spring of 1993. This report of our development efforts includes examples and discussion of student critiques.