Computer‐Assisted Language Testing

Abstract

Technological advancements that occurred since the late 1980s have revolutionized many aspects of human life including second language (L2) education. Language learners and teachers are now presented with a plethora of technology‐enhanced instructional materials and resources varying from simple electronic dictionaries to full‐fledged online language programs. The ubiquity of technology has also affected language assessment and engendered the field of computer‐assisted language testing (CALT), dedicated to exploring how computers and technology can be utilized for evaluating different language skills of non‐native speakers. Computers have had a significant impact on language testing. First, Web‐based L2 tests have created new opportunities for measuring the L2 proficiency of multiple students anywhere in the world without a need for them to be physically present at a language test center. In addition, progress in natural language processing (NLP) techniques have made it possible for test takers to receive immediate assessment of their L2 abilities. Technological advances have also resulted in the development of more secure and reliable language tests. Nowadays one can either choose from a variety of computer‐based language tests designed for different groups of users and different purposes or develop customized language assessment using available tools and applications. However, even though technology appears to have promising potential for language testing, its use is not without challenges and problems. This chapter begins with a brief introduction of the field and presents a framework for the description of computer‐assisted language tests. Next, it includes a description of major existing language tests and platforms for test development and delivery. The following discussion focuses on the principal recent developments in CALT and reports on the main trends in research. The last section of the chapter concludes by outlining the key challenges and future directions for CALT.

Od Światów Wirtualnych Do Mediów Społecznościowych – O Innowacyjnym Wykorzystaniu Internetowych Platform Glottodydaktycznych W Kształceniu Neofilologicznym

“…Podstawą teoretyczną podejścia dydaktycznego założonego w tym układzie glottodydaktycznym jest testowanie komputerowe na odległość (web-based asssessment -Roever, 2001;Almond, Steinberg, Mislevy, 2002;Choi, Sung Kim, Boo, 2003) z analizą statystyczną wyników oraz elementami testowania adaptacyjnego (computer-adaptive assessment -por. Noijons, 2001;Ockey, 2009), kontynuujące długą tradycję wykorzystania technologii komputerowych w ocenianiu (Chapelle, Douglas, 2006;Douglas, Hegelheimer, 2007) i dostarczania rozszerzonej elektronicznej informacji zwrotnej (Cotos, 2011;Suvorov, Hegelheimer, 2014). Kursy na platformie WebClass są podzielone na dwa moduły -materiały oraz testy.…”

İngilizce Öğretmen Adaylarının CALL Aracı Tercihleri

“…Cirit (2014) indicated that as learning a second language requires the development of the all the four language skills combined, designing assessments via Web tools can fulfill what the traditional assessments cannot by motivating the learners and supporting their learning with the sources reached by means of the Web 2.0 tools. Thanks to web tools, the teachers can assess their students with the use of multimedia in a different set of formats like audio, video, images, animation and graphics which enrich the materials by making them more authentic (Suvorov &Hegelheimer, 2014).In their study, Gray et al (2012) explored the Australian academics' assessment of students' web 2.0 activities. The results suggested that other than a few challenges and risks, the academics generally found the assessment with web 2.0 tools necessary and valuable.…”

Innovative assessment tasks for academic English proficiency: an integrated listening-speaking task vs. a multimedia-mediated speaking task

“…Language ability involved in the ILST and the MMST was described from the interactionalist perspective of construct definition (Chapelle, 1998). The detailed construct analysis is indispensable for investigating interactional authenticity due to the complex construct these innovative assessment tasks measure (Frost, Elder, & Wigglesworth, 2012;Plakans, 2013;Suvorov & Hegelheimer, 2013;Yu, 2013). The elicited language ability of the ILST and the MMST was compared.…”