Implementation and evaluation of an advanced tool for the annotation of authentic audio resources in second language instruction

Project Pad, an open-source endeavor under development at Northwestern University, is an integrated web-based set of tools for searching, organizing, annotating and analyzing objects from digital repositories, for integrating those objects and analyses into web-based projects and for group exchange and decision making. It supports synchronous interaction between users and interaction with media objects themselves, such as the segmentation and annotation of streamed audio or video. These annotations can be permanently stored and searched transversally. Techniques for the integration of Project Pad into legal English courses at CILTA, the University of Bologna language centre, are presently being tested. Analysis of student feedback in the form of reports and recordings, as well as the XML data logs, will be used to establish criteria for the evaluation of students' linguistic choices during annotation, their behaviour and expectations when dealing with unfamiliar audio content and for the development and assessment of microand macro-listening comprehension skills. It is also hoped to gain deeper insight into modes of interaction between language learners in relation to streamed media content.