Language Testing & Assessment (SLAT7835)

This assessment contains two parts: Reflection and Reading.

Part 1 - Reflection

• This task aims to link your personal/professional experience of the assessment process in a teaching or learning context and the course content covered each week. You are expected to reflect on how you can apply what you have learned in the course to your current assessment practice in your teaching or on how it can inform your future approach to testing and assessment.
• We would like you to spend about 10 minutes answering the following weekly questions after class. These are general guiding questions except Question 5. You are not expected to answer each question but summarise the topic presented in a particular week, including your answer to Question 5 approximately. Your reflection should be thoughtful and insightful (try to avoid being too descriptive) but succinct (approximately 150-200 words).

Questions about course content

1. What was the most critical/surprising/memorable thing you learned during this week's seminar?
2. What was something you already knew or had learned but was reinforced in the seminar?
3. What is your current belief about testing and assessment in language teaching and learning? Has it been supported or altered after the seminar?
4. How has the seminar helped you to develop your identity as a language professional/teacher?

Question about the topic specific to the week 

      5. A specific question referring to the topic covered in each week

Questions about course delivery

    6. What worked well (or didn’t work well) for you in the seminar? Why is that the case, and what suggestions would you make for further improvement?

    7. About the topic of the seminar, what other things (e.g., concepts, examples, readings) you would like to see covered?

Part 2 – Reading

The purpose of this task is to prepare for workshops. Each week, you will be assigned a reading (or multiple readings) to prepare for the classes ahead. The online lectures will be available via the course Blackboard site, along with a list of questions about the key concepts/main points of the assigned chapters/papers. The questions have been designed to guide and focus your reading. You must briefly but comprehensively answer the weekly set of questions in writing.

The use of AI or MT

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

A. Article Presentation (5%)

1. Form a group of two.
2. Choose one article of interest from the list on the blackboard. You will be asked to sign up for the week you and your partner would like to present..
3. Prepare PowerPoint slides for class presentation.
4. In your slides, include only the main points of the study. Otherwise, the audience will read the slides instead of listening to you.
5. You are asked to lead a five-minute discussion after the presentation. Note: Not everyone in your group is required to present (min. no of presenters 2). Think carefully about how you will use the allocated 15 mins effectively to show your competence in presenting the research in the article. The presentation time is 15 mins, followed by 5 mins discussion. That means you will be in charge of 20 mins in total.
6. In reading the article, you need to consider the four points: 1) What this study was about and why it is important; 2) What the researchers did; 3) What the researchers found; and 4) Things to consider;
7. In your 15-minute presentation, you need to include:

• Overall summary of the study
•  Background of the study
•  Research Question/hypothesis (purpose of the study)
•  Significance/value of the study
•  Methodology (participants, procedure, instruments, types of data, and analysis)
•  Results of analysis
• Your critique of the article (Please see how to critique article).
• Discussion question

Submit documents to:

• Article Presentation and Peer Assessment in Blackboard Assessment folder:
• Turnitin link: PowerPoint slides.
• Assignment link: PowerPoint slides and group declaration of equitable contribution. (Note: if a member did not contribute to the project, this will impact her/his total mark).
• Due - on the day of your presentation. (Only one person in each group needs to submit the documents)

B. Peer assessment (5%)

• You will assess your classmates' presentations using the criteria provided. In addition to the mark, you are also expected to give some brief written comments. Your comments will be sent anonymously to the presenter later. You can assess group presentations only in class.
• There are 10 peer assessments (i.e., 11 article presentations, including your own. You will NOT assess your presentation). Your peer assessment participation score will be calculated out of 5.

2. Marks of this assessment is a total of 1) the score given by the lecturer (5%) and 2) your participation in peer assessment (5%)

• Presentations will be assessed by the lecturer and by peers. This assessment comprises presentation marks (5%) and your participation in peer assessment (5%)
• The presentation mark is the same for everyone as the group assessment item. If a group member fails to participate, he or she may be dropped from the group and required to apply for an extension to complete the assessment. Please see the assessment guidelines on this assignment for more details on group work and strategies for working well together. For more information on working with groups, see also https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/study-skills/group-work.
• Suppose a group member is absent on the assessment day or fails to contribute to the presentation's development adequately. In that case, the course coordinator will negotiate a solution with the remaining team members.

Statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) 

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students must demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.

In this assessment, your group (3 or 4 members) will design, administer, evaluate, and present a classroom communicative language test. This assessment aims to enhance your group working skills and test development capabilities. Your evaluation will be based on the completed test and assessment items (worth 35 points) and the poster presentation of the test at the end of the semester during Weeks 12-13 (worth 5 points).

A. Submission guidelines

Materials you must submit for this assessment consist of nine separate components.

1.    Rationale:

• A brief overview of the test context, including details on intended test takers, their proficiency levels, learning environment (e.g., secondary, primary, university, private language school), and the textbook chapter used as the basis for test development. Provide information beneficial for other educators interested in replicating the test.
• Rationale for test content, addressing what to include in the test (test content) and how to administer it. While detailed summaries aren't necessary, ensure there is enough explanation to understand the rationale behind your design decisions. If applicable, reference the "Checklist for evaluating usefulness" (Bachman & Palmer, 1996).
• Brief report on pilot testing, outlining any adjustments made to the test content following pilot testing. Expected length: 2-3 pages (1.5/double spacing, 12-point font specified below).

2.    Test Items (Test Paper):

• Design test papers considering length, ensuring they align with seminar discussions. Larger groups are expected to produce more test items.
• Ensure the test assesses communicative language ability rather than discrete grammar knowledge. Tasks should simulate real-life scenarios for test-takers to engage with.
• Present the test well-organised to leave a positive impression on test-takers. Consolidate all test items assessing different skills into one document.

3.    Guidelines for Test Users:

• Provide instructions for test administrators and assessors to ensure consistent administration and assessment.

4.    Test Specifications:

• Blueprint of the test, referencing provided sample specifications and discussing them in seminars. Share your specifications with a classmate (not in your group) to gauge their ability to create a different test version using your blueprint.

5.    Additional Materials:

• Include supplementary materials like listening texts/transcripts, speaking task cards, and marking sheets (distinct from marking guidelines provided in item 3).

6.    Textbook Chapter:     

• Submission of the textbook chapter

7. Group Declaration of Equitable Contribution:

• Each group member must declare their contribution to the project, acknowledging any discrepancies in participation that may impact individual marks negatively.

8.     References:

• List all sources used in the project, ensuring proper acknowledgement and formatting. Use APA 7th style.

9.     Poster:

• Prepare a poster for the presentation scheduled for weeks 12-13.

B. Style of Project report

Items 1, 7, and 8 above:

• Font type and size – Times New Roman/Arial, 12 point
• Margin – 2.5cm for all (left, right, top and bottom)
• Referencing – APA 7th style
• Space – 1.5 or double spacing

All other items:

While you can choose your formatting style, please ensure all materials are meticulously formatted and aesthetically pleasing. Remember, these materials represent you as a professional and The University of Queensland student.

C. Criteria & Marking:

Completed projects must be submitted by 1 pm on Friday, 9 May, via a link on the course Blackboard site. Each group is required to make a single submission. Poster presentations will be conducted during class seminars in weeks 12-13. Additional instructions on poster presentations will be provided during workshops. Please refer to the rubric below for a detailed breakdown of the marking criteria.

• Test Rationale (25%)
• Test Items (25%)
• Additional test materials (administration, assessment, listening texts, task card for speaking test, marking sheet (12.5%)
• Test specification (12.5%)
• Document formatting (12.5%)
• Poster (12.5%)

This assessment is a group endeavour, meaning all group members receive the same score. Therefore, successful completion of the assessment requires active collaboration among group members. Suppose a group member fails to attend class on the poster presentation day or contributes inadequately to the project design. In that case, they may be removed from the group and asked to apply for an extension to complete the assessment independently. For comprehensive guidelines on group work and strategies for effective collaboration, please refer to the assessment guidelines provided. For more information on working with groups, visit Group work - my.UQ - University of Queensland

D. Use of Generative AI in your assessment

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submissions independent of AI and MT tools.

Your essay should synthesise your reading around a focused language testing and assessment topic. Your report will be based on the 'secondary' sources (that is, other people’s published research and interpretations of data and theory); however, it is essential that you critically engage with the reviewed literature and show an ability to link and juxtapose previous ideas, insightfully interpret, your and analyse past observations, and offer an informed and original perspective on the selected topic.

A. Selecting an essay topic

Choose one of the topics below and read at least five research articles on the topic (5 is sufficient for a passing grade; more journal papers need to be reviewed for a rate higher than 5, as per the marking rubric below), and then discuss the topic, referring to relevant theories and the reviewed articles. Students should describe the context of teaching and learning where they can focus on identifying the issues with the current testing and assessment practice (e.g., a language school, university, country, etc.). Present your arguments and structure your essay as if you aim to inform and advise colleagues, school principals, and parents.

1. Assessing communicative language ability

• Identify the issues in the assessment of communicative language ability and propose potential solutions to those issues
• Use your own teaching/learning experience to illustrate and strengthen your argument

2. Social, policy, and ethical considerations in language testing and assessment (here, you can choose to focus on one topic only, that is, either social or policy or ethical considerations)

• Identify the relevant issues in second language assessment and suggest potential solutions
• Discuss the implication of those issues for your teaching practice

3. Classroom-based assessments

B. Argumentative Essay

“to use what is known about a subject to prove an argument or point of view. Not all of the topic knowledge may be used in an essay, but only what is relevant to the argument. In an essay, mentioning the people who discovered or developed the knowledge is generally only for referencing purposes.”

Relying upon literature, theories introduced in the course, and your experiences, your essay should include the following:

• Clear thesis statement
• Discussion on the relevant theory.
• The type of research that has been done to investigate the topic you chose.
• Critical analyses of the research studies about your chosen topic.
• The conclusions or results obtained from these studies and how they might relate to the theories discussed in the course and your understanding and experience of the topic.
• Suggestions and discussions of options and alternatives that may have practical applications, for example, in the classroom. When you include your understanding and experiences, you should go beyond just your “personal thoughts” but rather explore and examine the topic as you have come to understand it from the materials provided in the course in addition to your journey in learning your L1, L2, or L3, and teaching etc. When appropriate, give examples to support your arguments.

The research literature on your chosen topic, complemented by course material, lecture notes, discussions, tutorials, and own experience

Example:

Topic “Assessment of Communicative Language Ability”. You can build your argument based on what the literature says about the topic. If you decide to discuss the subject based on whether you agree or disagree with the premise, you are welcome to do that. Whichever way you choose to discuss and analyse, it should be well supported by literature and course materials and your observations and experiences. The arguments should cohere and follow logically.

More on the assessment

• An argumentative essay should include different points of view regarding the topic.
• You support one idea referring to the literature.
• The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by
• a clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the essay's first paragraph.
• Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Body paragraphs that include evidential support.
• A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis but readdresses it considering the evidence provided.

C. Submission guidelines

Style and presentation guidelines

• Font and Font size – Times New Roman/Arial, 12 point
• Margin – 2.5cm for all (left, right, top and bottom)
• Referencing – APA style (APA 7th)
• Space – 1.5 or double spacing

This assessment is marked out of 35 points.

Your essay should be around 2,500 words (+/- 250 words, not including references). Please write the total number of words at the end of your assignment and check the similarity score via Turnitin before making your final submission. Don't forget to attach the self-assessment sheet to your document.

Submission

• Turnitin DRAFT – You must check the similarity score of your assignment. You can submit as many times as you like, but after submitting three times, you have to wait for 24 hours before you receive a report for your fourth and subsequent submission.
• Turnitin FINAL - You must submit your final draft to Turnitin FINAL.

D. Assessment Criteria

• Argument (33%)
• Structure (17%)
• Research (33%)
• Expression (17%)

Statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) 

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submissions independent of AI and MT tools.