The Portable Audio Lab (PAL) allows language students to benefit from audio-based exercises in their regular classroom environment and without the need for student computers. The interactive instruments in the PAL help to provide students with motivating and effective oral language training with options of pacing by both teacher and individual students. The unit is a digital audio file player and simultaneous recorder of tape as well as multiple microphone inputs. The PAL can serve the teacher and up to 20 students each with their individual audio panel, earphones and microphones. The instructor can always interact with individual students and choose to monitor or operate individual student activity.
The PAL performs with an activity-based approach including listening comprehension, model imitation, reading practice, phone conversation, group or pair discussion, recorded response and quiz modes. In phone conversation students can call each other through their audio panels and have the option of "long distance call" to simulate the ambient noise of a long-distance connection. Through recorded response students can practice intercultural situational exercises such as a job interview with a pre-recorded source and both the stimulus and student response are recorded in the same file. The quiz mode allows the instructor the opportunity to conduct testing of oral understanding to be automatically graded as s/he asks standardized questions (multiple-choice or true-false) and gets instant feedback in a class bar-graph or student specific answers. In model imitation and reading practice modes, full oral testing can always be simultaneously conducted by recording the oral responses of students for individual grading by instructor later.
Overall, the digital sound quality, the robust and functional interfaces, flexibility in storing students' performance, and the possibility of distributing digital materials to students for home practice through the web can make the PAL a hit with instructors and students alike. Instructors in the School of Languages , Literatures and Cultures may reserve the PAL in their classroom by contacting Language Media Services (LMS) via email at langmedia@hotmail.com . While it is the responsibility of LMS staff to assemble, disassemble and offer technical support to the PAL, it is the responsibility of instructors to take time outside of classroom to get to know the basics of the equipment with LMS staff and to ensure that no activity is to take place in their PAL classroom in the half-hour prior to their scheduled usage time (during which set up will require staff to work in the classroom).