This presentation arises from current developments in the provision of on-line (WebCT) learning resources in French in Stirling University School of Modern languages. These developments are not designed primarily to teach the French language or specifically linguistic skills or drills (grammar reinforcement, translation, rédaction, etc.), but to deliver contemporary French cultural materials in versatile courseware packages for differential use by different student groups and levels. However, some of the material necessarily has a linguistic dimension which we hope will enhance language acquisition (familiarisation with subject-specific lexis, syntactical comprehension and reproduction). The paper discusses the rationale for these developments, identifies some of the practical problems encountered and the solutions envisaged. It also outlines the benefits, actual and potential, of the approach which, like the presentation itself, is non-theoretical.
William Kidd
Reader in French and Head of the French Section of the School of Modern Languages
University of Stirling.