Schedule: 2009-09-10 (12:45 - 13:30)
Parallel Session 2 (Room A-34)

Title: French language adaptation to CALL testing environments
Authors: Jesús García Laborda, Mercedes Lopez Santiago, Antonio Martínez Sáez
Abstract: In an effort to develop a French university computer based test that would deliver the necessary and university required tests to fully credit the students’ proficiency in a modern university like the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia it was necessary to go through a trialing period. This paper approaches what kind of tasks and trialing was necessarily undertaken in order to meet the necessary tasks. The paper makes special incidence in the following aspects: (1) explaining the kind of inferences that were intended to obtain and how the delivery process would facilitate the measurement; (2) computer and language experts criteria to define the tasks; (3) task design; (4) task trialing; and (4) computer delivery. The paper addresses both the technical aspects as well as the content. Trialing was done with a 20 student group placed in a B2 equivalent French for engineering course. The paper addresses also the degree of motivation, the computer expertise and the technical disadvantages of online testing in this context. The paper concludes that this is a valid testing system to provide evidence of French language expertise at B2 level. Discussion also includes the benefits for the university and, what is more important, suggests that this process is valid to verify whether French students would be able to live in an academic French speaking environment, and, thus, it is ideal to diagnose the applied language skills for mobility circumstances such as Erasmus or incoming international students.
Keywords: Computer-based testing, French FL

Main topic: Assessment, testing, feedback and guidance in CALL

Biodata: Jesus García Laborda, PhD, MA, MEd is a lecturer at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. He has led low stakes regional research projects in Valencia. Antonio Martínez Sáez is a PhD candidate at the Applied Linguistics PhD programme of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. He has published reviews for Modern Language Journal and TEFL Net, published in academic journals such as Revista Lenguaje y Textos or published book chapters and conference papers internationally. Mercedes López is lecturer in French at the Department of Applied Linguistics, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.
Type of presentation Paper presentation

Paper category Research & Development

Target educational sector Higher education

Language of delivery English

EU-funded project No

Schedule:	2009-09-10 (12:45 - 13:30) Parallel Session 2 (Room A-34)
Title:	French language adaptation to CALL testing environments
Authors:	Jesús García Laborda, Mercedes Lopez Santiago, Antonio Martínez Sáez
Abstract:	In an effort to develop a French university computer based test that would deliver the necessary and university required tests to fully credit the students’ proficiency in a modern university like the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia it was necessary to go through a trialing period. This paper approaches what kind of tasks and trialing was necessarily undertaken in order to meet the necessary tasks. The paper makes special incidence in the following aspects: (1) explaining the kind of inferences that were intended to obtain and how the delivery process would facilitate the measurement; (2) computer and language experts criteria to define the tasks; (3) task design; (4) task trialing; and (4) computer delivery. The paper addresses both the technical aspects as well as the content. Trialing was done with a 20 student group placed in a B2 equivalent French for engineering course. The paper addresses also the degree of motivation, the computer expertise and the technical disadvantages of online testing in this context. The paper concludes that this is a valid testing system to provide evidence of French language expertise at B2 level. Discussion also includes the benefits for the university and, what is more important, suggests that this process is valid to verify whether French students would be able to live in an academic French speaking environment, and, thus, it is ideal to diagnose the applied language skills for mobility circumstances such as Erasmus or incoming international students.
Keywords:	Computer-based testing, French FL
Main topic:	Assessment, testing, feedback and guidance in CALL
Biodata:	Jesus García Laborda, PhD, MA, MEd is a lecturer at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. He has led low stakes regional research projects in Valencia. Antonio Martínez Sáez is a PhD candidate at the Applied Linguistics PhD programme of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. He has published reviews for Modern Language Journal and TEFL Net, published in academic journals such as Revista Lenguaje y Textos or published book chapters and conference papers internationally. Mercedes López is lecturer in French at the Department of Applied Linguistics, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.
Type of presentation	Paper presentation
Paper category	Research & Development
Target educational sector	Higher education
Language of delivery	English
EU-funded project	No