A set of 3 free cross-platform authoring programs for flexible web-based CALL exercises.

The programs are free and downloadable and work cross-platform (Windows / Macintosh / Linux), provided Adobe Air is installed on the machine.

(1) Mango-multi: constructs multiple-choice exercises with optional sound and/or image.

(2) Mango-match: for word/phrase matching exercises with an added memorization feature.

(3) Mango-gap: for seamless gap filling exercises with detailed correction feedback.

More details (click the icons to go to full details / download pages):

Mango-multi: The interface has three boxes, each of which is a placeholder for a text, sound, or image. The question or hint text can be entered into any of the boxes by typing, pasting, or dragging. An image or mp3 sound can be inserted into another box by dragging in a file from any location, or entering the file name as text. The third box functions similarly. Images dragged in are previewed as thumbnails and sounds generate a Play button for testing. To generate a question it is only necessary to have at least one item of any type in one box. Six other boxes accommodate the correct answer and up to five distractors. Any number of questions may be added to an exercise. Background color and the dimensions and font size of the answer boxes are freely adjustable. The desired name is then entered, and the complete exercise folder, ready for network uploading, is generated by one button click. Each question will appear in the browser with the text, sound, and image items in the vertical order as originally entered. Sounds are represented by a Play button, and can be paused or repeated.

Mango-match presents user-friendly interface broadly similar toMango-multi, with more elaborate control over exercise appearance. The exercise method is basically drag-and-drop matching of words/phrases in L1 and L2, but with the added feature that a mistake sets the exercise back to square one (though rearranged), except for items that have been correctly positioned two (or any arbitrary number) times in a row. These items are assumed to have been learned, and are left in their correctly matched positions. The penalty for mistakes is intended to encourage active memorization, and discourage complacency about items which have been correctly positioned accidentally.

Mango-gap is similarly user-friendly. It allows the exercise author to type or paste in text and then select parts to be replaced by asterisks, or other chosen character, in the exercise. Text replacement is seamless and on a character-by-character basis, so that only chosen letters within individual words may be replaced if so desired. Any number of playback links, each corresponding to an mp3 file, may also be added at desired points within the text to make listening exercises. Exercise appearance is easily customizable. When the exercise user clicks the Check button after some input, correct and incorrect letters will change to, e.g., green and red respectively. Clicking anywhere within the text moves the cursor directly to the next position needing input. Playback links allow pause and repeat.

by Myles O'Brien, Mie Prefectural College of Nursing, Japan.

Questions, comments, etc. are welcome.