Preface

Abstract

Not only are we, as educators and materials developers, living in a digital age, but we are also required to meet the needs of today’s learners who are in general digitally fluent and competitive, - as they are born into a digital world, where they can spend many hours in front of their digital devices -. Therefore, not only are today’s learners known as ‘digital natives’, but they are also known to have different learning styles and preferences in comparison to the learners of just a few decades ago. As a result, today’s learners expect computer based educational technology to be used more often and widely both in teaching and learning. In order to be able to meet such demands, we, as educators and materials developers, need to and have to respond to such learning demands and differences. This can be achieved through accommodating the digital–literate and wise learners with appropriate and efficient learning styles that meet their preferences across all fields as well as at all stages of teaching and learning. One of these subjects is second/foreign language learning (SLL/FLL). Fortunately, a tremendous amount of research has been conducted as well as published in the field of (a) using computer/educational technology for SLL/FLL (i.e. computer assisted language learning – CALL) and (b) the design and development of interactive multimedia language learning environments in a very wide range of different peer-reviewed internationals journals. However, no compiled book has ever been written or edited on the design and development of interactive multimedia listening software to date.

This book, Intelligent Design of Interactive Multimedia Listening Software, offers a unique way for designing and developing efficient and cost effective multimedia listening applications for the learners of any language (e.g. English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, French, German, Kurdish, Turkish, Persian, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi, Urdu, Greek, Hebrew etc.) that is taught/learnt as a second/foreign language.