O n f e r e n c e

 
Adding a transcription 
Transcriptions of the video are provided by the language instructor and serve as a basis 
for the annotation process. In order to align the transcriptions with the video, they need 
to be divided in units and prepared in Timed Text markup Language (TTML), which is 
used to associate text with timing information. Consequently, the transcription units 
follow the course of the video via time codes in TTML and are highlighted at the right 
moment. Unfortunately, preparing the transcriptions in such format is a labor intensive 
task for the language instructor and our hope is to automatize this process in some way 
in the future.
 
Another issue to be addressed was the transcription standard
.
In view of the number of 
partner institutions and language instructors that would use the application, a 
transcription standard was drawn up that could be used across campuses in order to 
ensure uniformity and exchangeability of data.

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-346- 
2014 CALL Conference 
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be 
Figure 1: Adding a video, transcription and the metadata 
Annotation tool 
The VIDEO.DE annotation tool works with a flexible set of annotation parameters (see 
the principle of flexibility in 2.1). By annotating we mean identifying an annotation 
parameter in the video (transcript) without further categorization (e.g. occurrences of 
modal particles in a political debate). The annotation parameters are defined beforehand 
by the language instructor and informed by the current topic of the language class. The 
students can thus only see the parameters that have been linked to the specific exercise
. 
Also, the instructor can add new annotation parameters in phases, for instance, after the 
students have completed the first step of the assignment. In this way, students are 
stimulated to engage actively and consciously with the video content and are guided by 
the learning aims of the course. 
 
As such, our method is situated somewhere in between the instructor-centered and 
learner-centered approach: the student is working on the annotation task independently 
and is responsible for learning (peer-assessment), while the instructor directs the 
learning process by choosing the annotation parameters and the suitable video material 
(
Paramkas 1999). 
Assessment 
An important question for every CALL design is how the language learner’s input will be 
monitored (Paramkas 1999). The VIDEO.DE annotation tool offers two ways to do that: 
by the language instructor and the peers. First, the instructor can provide the students 
with a model solution
by submitting his own annotations. He can also choose to view all 
submitted annotations and then decide on ‘promoting’ one of them to serve as an