99815 - Languages and Teaching Lab

Learning outcomes

The student knows the basic principles of teaching specific languages and/or language-related subjects in one or more settings; s/he is able to identify relevant learning and/or evaluation objectives, plan activities, and create didactic materials with the support of appropriate tools

Course contents

The activities of this workshop aim to consolidate and expand some of the research lines developed within the PRIN project “UNITE – UNIversally Inclusive Technologies to practise English” [https://site.unibo.it/unite/en ]. The aim of UNITE is to explore the applications of Dialogue Systems (DS) as tools for practising English as a Foreign Language and to produce teaching and learning materials that can foster the adoption of DS as tools for autonomous language learning among university students, including students with disabilities and specific learning disorders.1. From behaviourist CALL to AI-assisted language learning (lesson 1)  
We will explore the transformations of CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning) over time, from the behaviourist phase, centred on structural exercises and automatic feedback, to the communicative phase, oriented towards interaction and the authentic use of language. We will then examine how the web and mobile technologies have fostered an integrative, social and ubiquitous form of CALL, based on multimedia environments and collaborative practices.

Finally, we will focus on the most recent evolution towards adaptive, dialogic and personalised forms of language learning, made possible by artificial intelligence and chatbots.

2. Chatbots and prompting (lesson 2)
We will reflect on useful criteria for describing and selecting a chatbot for language teaching and learning purposes. We will also examine the features of an effective prompt and the interaction between chatbots and learners, with particular attention to specific interactional features.

3. Observation and annotation of interactional data (lessons 3 and 4) 
Starting from authentic examples drawn from the UNITE learner corpus, we will observe the features of some prototypical interactions between chatbots and learners and apply the interactional annotation scheme. We will also examine different types of corrective feedback, including in relation to their effectiveness.

4. Teaching design based on interaction with chatbots (lessons 5, 6, 7 and 8)

This stage involves three steps. First, we will illustrate the principles of designing teaching activities — exercises, tasks and scenarios — for language teaching and learning, according to the most common coordinates of language pedagogy. We will then test different chatbots using ad hoc prompts. Finally, we will design a teaching activity consistent with the UNITE guidelines, also with a view to contributing to their completion.

The classes will be taught in collaboration with Emanuela Paone.

Readings/Bibliography

Bax, S. (2003). CALL: Past, present and future. System, 31(1), 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(02)00071-4

Cervini, C., & Miličević Petrović, M. (2025). Chiacchiere in inglese: verso la costruzione di un corpus di interazioni tra apprendenti e chatbot. Rassegna Italiana di Linguistica Applicata, 57, 169–187. https://cris.unibo.it/handle/11585/1027231 [https://cris.unibo.it/handle/11585/1027231?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Cinganotto, L., & Montanucci, G. (2024). Intelligenza artificiale per l’educazione linguistica. Deascuola.

Huang, W., Hew, K. F., & Fryer, L. K. (2022). Chatbots for language learning: Are they really useful? Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12610

Katelhön, P. (2025). La rivoluzione silenziosa: IA e mediazione nell’insegnamento delle lingue straniere. Italiano LinguaDue, 17(1), 475–492. https://doi.org/10.54103/2037-3597/29097

Mezzadri, M., & Paita, M. (2025). Integrare il prompt engineering tra le abilità trasversali per l’educazione linguistica: uno studio di caso. Italiano LinguaDue, 17(2), 634–658. https://doi.org/10.54103/2037-3597/30456

Miličević Petrović, M., Cervini, C., Paone, E., Palmieri, G., & Ferraresi, A. (2026). Chatting with chatbots in L2 English: The UNITE guidelines. https://cris.unibo.it/handle/11585/1060671

Polizzi, D., Ferraresi, A., Bernardini, S., Cervini, C., Miličević Petrović, M., & Palmieri, G. (2025). Re-evaluating AI chatbot effectiveness: A systematic review of dialogue-based CALL research. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages in Educational Digital Settings, 1, 13–54. https://cris.unibo.it/handle/11585/1067810 [https://cris.unibo.it/handle/11585/1067810?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Prompting Guide. (n.d.). Guida al prompt engineering. https://www.promptingguide.ai/it

Teaching methods

The workshop combines lectures and practical sessions. The theoretical and methodological content, such as different CALL paradigms, interaction and learning, and language teaching design, will be presented by the lecturer. The practical sessions consist of hands-on activities, carried out either collaboratively in class or individually at home, followed by group discussions. These activities are designed to constantly monitor progress in the development of the research and technological skills that form the focus of the workshop.

In view of the type of activities and teaching methods adopted, attendance of this training activity requires all students to have previously completed the mandatory e-learning training course on safety and health for internships, dissertations and laboratory work:
https://site.unibo.it/tutela-promozione-salute-sicurezza/it/corsi-di-formazione/formazione-obbligatoria-su-sicurezza-e-salute-per-svolgimento-di-tirocinio-tesi-laboratorio

Assessment methods

Assessment will be partly continuous and partly based on a final project.

The final project, whose content and format will be agreed upon with the lecturers, will consist in the creation of teaching materials based on authentic language data, accompanied by a short written report or an oral presentation with slides.

Assessment criteria

30-30L: excellent project of very high quality, presented in a very clear and detailed manner.
28-29: excellent project of high quality, presented clearly and in detail.
26-27: good project of adequate quality; some aspects of the presentation could be improved.
23-25: fair project showing some shortcomings; some aspects of the presentation could be improved.
20-22: the project shows several shortcomings; the presentation has gaps and/or is unclear in several parts.
18-20: the project shows several fairly serious shortcomings; the presentation has many gaps or is mostly unclear.
<18: insufficient or seriously insufficient project.

Continuous assessment: submission of activities assigned during the workshop, worth 0 to 3 points. For students who do not submit the assigned tasks, assessment will be based entirely on the final project.

Students with specific learning disorders, or temporary or permanent disabilities, including serious health conditions that interfere with the normal course of study, are asked to contact the relevant University office promptly, preferably before the beginning of the course: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it . Please note: the responsible office will propose any necessary adjustments for the students concerned. These adjustments must in any case be submitted to the lecturer for approval at least 15 days before the exam date. The lecturer will assess their appropriateness also in relation to the learning outcomes of the course.

The exam involves substantial use of AI. The quality of the final product remains, however, the responsibility of the student, who is expected to edit the work and ensure the accuracy of the content presented.

Teaching tools

PPTs, Internet, e-learning platform (Virtuale and Teams). IA chatbots.

Office hours

See the website of Cristiana Cervini