APPL924 LANGUAGE TESTING AND EVALUATION

UNIT OUTLINE Students should read this unit outline carefully at the start of semester. It contains important information about the unit. If anything in it is unclear, please consult the Unit Convener.

TEACHING STAFF
Unit Convenor: Ph. Email: A/Prof Mehdi Riazi 9850 7951 mehdi.riazi@mq.edu.au

ABOUT THIS UNIT

This unit is divided into six sections each including the salient topics in language testing and assessment. An attempt has been made to streamline the sections to smooth progression from one topic and section to the next. Students are expected to read related references identified for each part and to participate in class (internal students) and online (external students) discussions. Online discussions will hopefully provide the necessary instructional context for distance students to share their understanding of the topics and to exchange ideas. For the efficiency of online discussions, make your comments and postings concise so that other students can read, follow up, and reflect on the postings.
TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGY

The learning and teaching strategies used in this Unit involve independent reading and completion of tasks, plus moderated face-to-face lectures and online discussion tasks for distance students. Online students should read the readings of the unit as specified below and participate in face-to-face (for internal students) and online discussion forums (for both internal and external students) with other APPL924 students and the unit moderators.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon the completion of this unit students should be able to:

Define and describe key terms and concepts in language testing and assessment Identify a range of purposes for assessment in language learning programs and apply their knowledge to the construction of such tests and assessments Illustrate issues and questions involved in designing an assessment system for a language program Identify and use relevant language testing and assessment resources Demonstrate familiarity with current issues and debates concerning the nature of language proficiency and how it is assessed Compare different models of language proficiency Identify key features of quality assessment and apply them to language tests and assessment tasks in use

Describe the steps involved in the construction of instruments for assessing language proficiency and achievement Construct appropriate language assessment tasks for assessing overall language ability and individual skills and sub-skills Evaluate test usefulness using available frameworks Appraise the impact of language tests on social institutions.

UNIT ASSESSMENT
ASSESSMENT TASKS: Annotated Bibliography: 20% of final mark Essay: 40% of final mark Assignment 3: 40% of final mark