Transition in ESP Testing - the Pandemic Blessings Undisguised

KUBRICKÁ, Jana. Transition in ESP Testing - the Pandemic Blessings Undisguised. In Contemporary Challenges in LSP Teaching. 2021.

Basic information

• Original name: Transition in ESP Testing - the Pandemic Blessings Undisguised
• Authors: KUBRICKÁ, Jana.
• Edition: Contemporary Challenges in LSP Teaching, 2021.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: 50301 Education, general; including training, pedagogy, didactics [and education systems]
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Organization unit: Language Centre
• Keywords (in Czech): CEFR, testování v ESP; sebehodnocení; autonomie učení; testování zaměřené na učení
• Keywords in English: CEFR; ESP testing; self-assessment; learning autonomy; learning-centred testing
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

This presentation tells a story of a team of English for Specific Purposes testers at a higher education institution who, amidst a pandemic and subsequent online learning challenges, embarked on a quest to find a new format for their exam. The author describes the transition from a traditional, skills-based exam to a new, partly online format which brings the students´ self-assessment and autonomy to the forefront. The presentation outlines the special circumstances at the faculty under which the change in the approach towards the examination became inevitable. Next, the author discusses the underlying theory in CEFR and the ideological framework that guided the decision-making process and helped formulate the new exam description. The results of a survey among those who took the redesigned examination are presented and interpreted. They indicate that overall students now see the examination as a learning opportunity rather than only a “necessary evil” and the stress that they once associated with taking a language test has been significantly reduced. Also, the switch from a relatively highly controlled testing environment to a more learning-centred style of assessment brings about a significant change in the power dynamic between the students and their examiners. Finally, the vision of a sustainable, CEFR-based, partly online format of an ESP university level examination is discussed.