Software Review: Cathoven Language Hub

Abstract

The alignment of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) with national ELT syllabi has had a significant impact on how teaching materials are developed in many countries in Asia, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam (Mihat et al., 2023; Foley, 2019). When creating materials, item builders must carefully consider several factors, such as the level of vocabulary, grammatical structures, types of sentences, and length of text, to ensure alignment with the specific CEFR level they are targeting. To achieve this, item builders typically go through at least three stages: (1) writing a text, (2) ensuring that post-reading items reference the text, and (3) verifying the appropriateness of words and sentence structures. This verification process relies on certain tools that are not publicly accessible and have limited functionality. As a result, aligning texts to CEFR levels is laborious and time- consuming, leading many teachers to purchase ready-made materials. This challenge, however, is being addressed with the introduction of Cathoven, an AI tool for ELT practitioners. This review introduces the Cathoven Language Hub, an AI-powered, interactive platform for English language teaching designed to help teachers align materials with CEFR levels.