UTMSPACE invites University lecturers, teachers, education administrators, language testers, researchers, postgraduate students and anyone interested in language testing in practice to a public talk entitled
Choosing the Right Assessment: How to Test EAP?
Language Test Developer & EAP Lecturer
University of Reading, United Kingdom
Details of the talk are as follows:
DATE : 7 February 2013 ( Thursday )
TIME : 2.30 – 5.00 pm
VENUE : Dewan Kuliah 1
Faculty of Bioscience and Medical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Skudai, Johor
This talk will present issues in language testing in the specific context of testing EAP (English for Academic Purposes). The commonly used tests IELTS and TOEFL will be described, and compared with the University of Reading’s own TEEP (Test of English for Educational Purposes). TEEP has been developed and administered by the speaker’s department for many years.
EAP involves specific English language teaching covering the main four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. However, it also overlaps with the more general skills required of all university students whatever language they study in, i.e. study skills. Assessment of EAP is therefore complex, but it is important for stakeholders that assessment measures are valid.
This talk will firstly give a brief overview of EAP and the main issues of testing in this context. The three tests mentioned above will then be described, followed by an introduction of the wider issues such as assessing in alternative ways, and how test grades are – or should be – used.
The talk should be an interesting case study for students of Language Testing, Applied Linguistics, or Language Teaching, and should be of interest to staff members who need to understand non-native English ‘levels’ of their students. There will be time for questions after the talk.