Both goal hierarchical and grammar-based techniques were initially developed when most interactive systems were command line, or at most, keyboard and cursor based. There are significant worries, therefore, about how well these approaches can generalize to deal with more modern windowed and mouse-driven interfaces. | Lecture 23 Task analysis Today’s Outline Today we will cover Introduction to Task Task Analysis Types of Task Analysis Documentation and User Manuals Introduction What are Tasks What the user has to do (or thinks what he/she has to do) in order to accomplish a goal Each task should be Meaningful Associated with a goal Identifiable by the user What is Task Analysis A process of analyzing the way people perform their tasks The things they do The things they act on The things they need to know What is a task? Skehan (1996) A task is ‘an activity in which: meaning is primary; there is some sort of relationship to the real world; task completion has some priority; and the assessment of task performance is in terms of task outcome’. What is a task? Nunan (1989) A communicative task is ‘a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than on form. The task should also have a sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right Examples of tasks Borrowing a library book Making an airline reservation Writing a cheque Opening a bank account Post a letter in the post-office Six criterial features of a task (Ellis, 2003: 9-10) A task is a workplan. A task involves a primary focus on meaning. A task involves real-world processes of language use. A task can involve any of the four language skills. A task engages cognitive processes. A task has clearly defined communicative outcome. People generally learn these four skills in the following order: Listening: When people are learning a new language they first hear it spoken. Speaking: Eventually, they try to repeat what they hear. Reading: Later, they see the spoken language depicted symbolically in print. Writing: Finally, they reproduce these symbols on paper. Task Analysis fundamental methodology in the assessment and . | Lecture 23 Task analysis Today’s Outline Today we will cover Introduction to Task Task Analysis Types of Task Analysis Documentation and User Manuals Introduction What are Tasks What the user has to do (or thinks what he/she has to do) in order to accomplish a goal Each task should be Meaningful Associated with a goal Identifiable by the user What is Task Analysis A process of analyzing the way people perform their tasks The things they do The things they act on The things they need to know What is a task? Skehan (1996) A task is ‘an activity in which: meaning is primary; there is some sort of relationship to the real world; task completion has some priority; and the assessment of task performance is in terms of task outcome’. What is a task? Nunan (1989) A communicative task is ‘a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning .
