Autonomy and technology in language teaching

The onslaught of technology and its implementation in teaching is continuously changing the way teachers approach their tasks. Keeping in mind that the goal of the teacher is to enhance not only what is learned but also how it is learned in terms of its effectiveness, the Technical University of Crete has established a Language Centre which aims to meet the needs of students who enter the uni­versity with varying levels of L2 proficiency. The use of Internet resources, multimedia programmes, audio-visual materials, self-study worksheets, and small group teaching, comprise an autonomous learning programme which is able to meet the needs of all students at the university irrespective of their level. This autonomous learning approach, which has been widely adopted by many European Universities, further empowers students to employ decision-making skills that increase both interest and progress in language acquisition. Particu­larly through use of the Internet, students can apply the language skills they ac­quire through programmes that allow them to interact with students in countries where the target language is spoken. In the two years that we have been operat­ing, we have seen an improvement both in the enthusiasm of the students and in their exam results. The centre has also proven to be an excellent opportunity for our teaching staff to make contacts, via the Internet, with other universities that have similar language centres. We have found that by integrating self-access materials both paper based and technology based, students and teachers feel that the centre offers a more productive and enjoyable learning environment. We welcome new ideas and expect to continue evolving as we approach a new era where communication technology offers innovative tools to the teacher