1、1On the Application of CA I in BEAbstract. Computers are playing more and more important roles in different fields nowadays. How language teachers utilize computers to assist them in developing and implementing business English lessons and units etc. should be paid special attention to. Thus teacher
2、s can make their business English teaching skills improved a lot and have better results. Key words： application； computers； business English Introduction Computer-assisted teaching refers to instruction that is delivered partially or totally through the medium of a computer，and is typically intende
3、d as a way to supplement traditional teacher-based learning. Many forms of computer-assisted instruction（CAI） are provided with textbooks and other learning systems， often as a media disc that can be used with a computer or downloadable programs and files from a related website. These programs grant
4、 real-time feedback based on the information the student enters， allowing for faster responses than what is generally allowed by traditional classrooms and teachers. 2Computers can be used to provide business learning objectives， learning resources， record keeping， progress tracking， and assessment
5、of learner performance. Computer based tools and applications are used to assist the business teacher in the management of the learner and monitor the learning that takes place. Since the advent of microcomputers in the 1970s， this method of teaching occurs in all levels of education and has become
6、more and more widespread， from preschool programs， primary schools， high schools through the university level. Instructional computers present required information， fill a tutorial role， test students for comprehension， etc. By providing one-on-one interaction and producing immediate responses to in
7、put answers， computers allow business students to demonstrate their mastery and learn new materials at their own pace. In a word， computers can be applied in many ways. Though computerized instruction cannot extend the lesson beyond the limits of the programming， it can help us a lot in business Eng
8、lish （BE） teaching. Effective Instruction As technology advances， it can be difficult to keep up and adapt to the advancements in both our personal and professional lives. Teachers have an especially important role to play in 3technological advancements， as incorporating technology in the classroom
9、can be both a learning tool for students and a teaching tool for the instructor. There are numerous ways that teachers can use technology in the classroom and many are already doing it. Most teachers hope that by taking part in some professional computer development activities they can improve their
10、 ability to deliver effective instruction in business English. In fact， its not so easy. In addition to introducing materials that allow for formal study， the business English teacher ought to provide students English practice by role playing realistic scenarios of meetings， greeting clients， teleph
11、one conversations， customer service， business negotiations， and instruction that stresses cultural values or that reinforces lessons. Although computer-assisted business teaching can offer students an opportunity to increase their comfort level with computers， teachers ought to be prepared for givin
12、g students some computer skills if their students are not adept at using the equipment and navigating online. Research has shown that the combination of conventional and CAI instruction has been most effective in raising student achievement scores. Effective Learning The use of computers for busines
13、s English learning has 4generally increased with the advancement of technology. Computer-assisted instruction can also be used to assist students who may have special needs for business learning. Computer-assisted learning is the process of using computers and computer programs to help students lear
14、n. Various disabilities can be partially overcome through different forms of technology， and concentrated， reinforced learning can often be more easily facilitated through a computer program than from an instructor. When this type of instruction is paired with the lessons and efforts of a trained bu
15、siness English teacher， then the benefits become even more pronounced. There are several potential advantages of computer-based learning programs， including the ability for students to learn from their homes and study without the assistance of an instructor. For instance， different given topics on m
16、arketing， promoting and negotiating may show them how to introduce their topics， how to transit it from one idea to the next and how to conclude the topic and take questions from supposed customers. The goal of business English is not so much to teach about business， but to get the students to be ex
17、posed to as much English as possible so that they can effectively use the English they have learned to work in their business-related 5field. The computer has many purposes both in and out of the classroom， and in a sense， it can be utilized to help a student in all areas of the curriculum. Interact
18、ive Platform The educational uses of computers that are considered to be computer-assisted instruction or computer-based instruction （CBI） are those cases in which either instruction is presented through a computer program to a passive student， or the computer is the platform for an interactive and
19、personalized learning environment. In business English teaching， many interactive games and lessons can also be provided that stress vocabulary development and understanding of different sentence structures. Practical business lessons that utilize computer-assisted instruction can include an interac
20、tive timeline that lets students select an event or period and then provides audio and video for them to watch and learn. Other types of computer-assisted instruction can be found in business English studies. Teachers can often use computer programs that provide case studies outlining common situati
21、ons and difficulties business English teachers may encounter， sample sentences that are missing words， into which students can input words and receive feedback based on 6the accuracy of the words. Some teachers encourage students to sign up for email updates or text message alerts to receive homewor
22、k assignments and reminders for tests and projects. Ability Assessment CAI programs use tutorials， drill and practice， simulation， and problem solving approaches to present topics， and they test the students understanding of business English， including specific challenges faced by learners.Teachers
23、can use computers to assess the ability of their students or of their own. For example， a test is provided to ensure that new teachers can deliver effective business reading instruction. The assessment checks to see if teachers know and understand state， local or international reading materials for
24、each trade level， represent a balanced and comprehensive reading curriculum and are sensitive to all students needs. A test-taker can be given some multiple-choice questions chosen beforehand by test officials to assess an individuals knowledge of basic reading instruction procedures as well as the
25、ability to apply such knowledge to hypothetical business situations. Different Approaches Different types of computer-assisted instruction typically 7involve various subjects and the ways in which computers can be used to best assist in learning those subjects. This includes international market， tr
26、ade terms， customs duty， commission， dumping， trade consultation， shipment， importation， exportation， commercial transaction， and customs clearance， etc. that can all be enhanced beyond traditional classroom lessons by learning through the use of computer systems. Within these subject areas， however
27、， there are also different approaches that can be utilized for computer-assisted instruction， such as sample problems for middleman and wholesaler， interactive maps and timelines for WTO， strategies for motivating students based on the principles of communication， and numerous writing activities for
28、 business English. These instruction methods can also demonstrate a wide range of interactive features as well. Computer-assisted language learning technologies employed in these courses include student forums， live multicast lectures with student interaction， and one-on-one or group video chat. Not
29、e taking software allows students to record portions of live or online lectures and write associated notes to be stored with the recording. This can be especially helpful when studying pronunciation. 8Greater Benefits CAI brings with it many potential benefits as a teaching/learning medium， such as
30、self-paced learning， self-directed learning， the exercising of various senses and the ability to represent contents in a variety of media. Most classrooms today provide access to computers and other sources of technology. Incorporating that technology in the classroom and daily lesson plans can be a
31、 challenge for many teachers， as they must choose the most efficient means of delivering a lesson and the assignments that reinforce it while staying on target with imposed standards. However， many teachers are finding that once they incorporate technology in the classroom， it benefits their student
32、s by engaging them in ways they are familiar with and enjoy， which ultimately makes their job easier. When computer-assisted business English teaching is well integrated， it can be a very effective mode of delivering contents. In some university settings， business students in large classes or classe
33、s where the attendance is typically very poor have benefited greatly. Since a lot of computer software is adaptive， it can meet the specific needs of the learner using it while instructors of very large classes often struggle to meet the individual learning needs of students. Computer 9programs can
34、serve as diagnostic tools， as well as showing students which topics they need to study more to master the content of the course. Some studies have indicated that business students who have had computer-assisted instruction in large classes have performed better on final examinations than students wh
35、o were only taught through traditional methods. Some trade courses that are solely moderated through the computer are also very affordable. They offer students a lot of flexibility and some measure of self-paced learning. Business students who live far from school campuses or who would otherwise not
36、 be able to afford taking classes can certainly benefit from online instruction or educational software that they can complete at home. Advanced students studying texts often use computer based dictionaries to look up unknown words. These dictionaries can be much faster to use than traditional paper
37、 dictionaries. Online translation tools are generally not reliable for detailed translations but can help students who are not very familiar with a language confirm that they have not used incorrect words in their compositions. Internet Instruction Computer-assisted business English learning is a ra
38、pidly growing field. As tech-based learning has evolved， the notion 10of computer-assisted learning has become interchangeable with online learning， or e-learning. As new software and technologies continue to improve， online business courses have become increasingly popular. With the widespread use
39、of the Internet in academic institutions， computer-assisted business English learning has come to mean more than just the use of a computer program on a single terminal in a one-way interaction with a machine. Common modes of online business English learning include online remote instruction， study
40、software， and online tools for students. The educational institutions can use the Internet to expand the interactivity of technology used for learning. A significant number of colleges and universities offer online business English learning programs that enable students to attend classes from a dist
41、ance. Business English teachers can use web-based software to encourage real time participation in class by students located anywhere. Instead of relying on a computer disk running a program to drill a student on business English， the student can log on to a chat room over the Internet and interact directly with a native speaker. Likewise， instead of inserting a CD-ROM containing a research collection， a student can use the Internet to access business research databases and live collections that update frequently.
