COO Engels: (ver)Stand van Zaken

This review discusses four CALL programs demonstrated during the ANéLA CALL workshop. The programs differ considerably in scope and technical capabilities, although three are aimed at business English and two feature multi-media capabilities.ENID is an idiom-training program offering a wide range of exercise modes to make vocabulary learning challenging and effective. The exercises focus on business English but the contents can be adapted to suit the teacher's own needs. It runs on virtually any pc.American Letterbox is geared towards facilitating the letter writing process by reinforcing the students' awareness of the situational background. Although it almost certainly covers a niche in the market, it suffers from a poor translation of the original Dutch course into English.Voicecart is a sound-enabled authoring system, which makes it possible for teachers to develop their own pronunciation and listening comprehension exercises. It is easy to use and more flexible than the traditional language lab, but teachers might prefer to wait for a version of the program using a type of soundcard which is more compatible with other multi-media applications.English Express is by far the most advanced of the products reviewed. It is a video-supported course covering business English in particular. A full course in English language learning skills offering authentic language use and fully functional, flexible training facilities, it is a great course for institutions and companies that can afford the hard- and software investments.