ELANG: MULTILINGUAL ONLINE LANGUAGE LEARNING AUTHORING SYSTEM

The article is devoted to authoring tools for creation of e-courses for learning foreign languages. Most common types of authoring tools for development of electronic language learning materials are defined: learning management and authoring systems, including massive open online courses platforms, dedicated language learning authoring systems and tools; information resources and social media which can be used for language teaching purposes. Language teaching requirements both to e-learning language materials and authoring tools arising from specific features of a foreign language as an academic discipline, conditions of learning (with or without access to the target language environment), and the great varieties of target groups of learners are discussed. Key requirements to dedicated language learning authoring tools include design of variety of tasks for development of foreign language skills and competences; individualisation of learning; use of multimedia; use of both target and native language interface; user-friendliness, multilingual support; integration of traditional interactive training tasks, information resources and modern means of online learning. The dedicated foreign language learning authoring system eLang (Version 1) is described. The system is developed at the Novosibirsk State Technical University within the framework of the university project on improvement of students and staff foreign language skills. The system is designed for creation of online foreign language courses for self-study. It provides student and course developer (editor) modes. Every course can include several modules with interactive tasks; preliminary and final tests; reference modules (grammar, vocabulary, etc.); student achievement journals for each module and the entire course. The system allows the creation of twelve types of interactive tasks (with variation of certain tasks - eighteen types). Target language interface with pop-up translation into Russian is used in student mode; Russian interface is used in developer mode. Examples of tasks and editing tools, student evaluation system and levels of access to the system are presented. As a part of the project on development of eLang authoring system six e-courses for learning English, German, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, and Russian as a foreign language were created. Further system development aims at increasing the types of interactive tasks and number of foreign languages to use, as well as at integration of the system with the university e-learning platform.

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