Keynote Talk: 
Diamonds on my Windshield: 
the Use of Computer-based Instruction 
in Computational Linguistics 
Jo Calder (University of Edinburgh) 
Abstract 
Many disciplines currently have more or 
less organized activities concerned with 
developing resources to support Internet- 
and computer-based instruction. This 
talk will examine this area, with partic- 
ular focus on the questions: 
• What is special about computa- 
tional linguistics in terms of its sub- 
ject matter, history and existing re- 
sonrces? 
• What is the current state of re- 
sources in our area? 
• Wheal is this kind of instruction jus- 
tified? 
• What are the problems to be faced 
aald what solutions might there be? 
We will see that in some cases computer- 
based intervention can lead to enhanced 
learning, and so provide a non-economic 
justification for the use of such tech- 
niques. AJso, current technological de- 
velopments offer part of the answer to 
the problem that such resources are of_ 
teal not reused. 
