Multimedia in the Business English Classroom: The Learners' Point of View

Besides the internet and the various opportunities it provides for language learning, the multimedia CD-ROM, with its potential for integrating and offering different media in one storage medium, has created quite a stir amongst language teaching professionals in the 90s. The benefits of multiple modalities, online support tools, and instant feedback are believed to have the potential of increasing learner control, motivation, and autonomy. However, a closer look at what is actually available on the market, in this instance the sub-market of Business English multimedia programmes, reveals that many such learning tools fall short of the claims that have been made for them, at least in the eyes of pedagogues. As teachers and students do not always see eye-to-eye as far as the usefulness of particular learning tools and activities is concerned, it seems paramount to let the final user and ultimate target group have their say, as well. The present study focuses on the reactions and comments of 30 students of ...