advanced placement on the Web

[Richard Robin]

My university's adminstration was desperately looking at ways to reduce FL
placement costs, and I was invited as the local FL testing guru to put in my
two cents. GW was inspired by Elizabeth Berhardt's model at Stanford U., in
which preliminary placement decisions are done through some web-based testing.

Here is what we concluded:

1.  A test for placement (but not waiving the requirement!) could be web-based
for the components of reading, listening, and grammar.
2.  Free writing for Russian is not really doable because of the issues with
Cyrillic, and in most cases, the need to check handwriting, at least at the
basic level.
3.  Speaking (de rigueur for us!) can only be done on campus. The speaking test
would also serve to check for non-correspondence (read: cheating!) on the other
skills. However, since students would not be able to use this test to waive a
requirement, the only urge to cheat (e.g. Have a Masha or a Vanya help take the
test) would be vanity.

BTW, since we do not have the masses beating down our doors for Russian, this
testing solution is likely to be put into place for the commonly taught
languages.


Kenneth Brostrom wrote:

> Dear SEELANGERS:
>
>   Do any of you have any experience with advanced placement language
> examinations on the Web?  If so, I would be very grateful for any advice
> you could provide.  Please respond off-list.
>
> Ken Brostrom
>
> Kenneth Brostrom
> Assoc. Prof. of Russian
> Dept. of German and Slavic Studies
> Wayne State University, Detroit 48202
> Telephone: (313) 577-6238
> FAX (313) 577-3266
> E-mail: kenneth.brostrom at wayne.edu
>
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--
Richard Robin - http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~rrobin
German and Slavic Dept.
The George Washington University
WASHINGTON, DC 20052
Can read HTML mail.
Читаю по-русски в любой кодировке.
Chitayu po-russki v lyuboi kodirovke.

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