The Online Language Proficiency Assessment
My fifth posting is based on the topic ‘Online Language Proficiency Assessment’ written by Norizan Abdul Razak, Hazita Azman, Sallehuddin Abdul Aziz, Eong Fook Fei and Afendi Hemat from The National University of Malaysia. The article is taken from our Online Teaching Learning book, which contains many information and research work in the area of online applications. Here is the summary on the specific topic given.
The introduction explains us on how the mastery of English is instrumental for developing nations such as our country, Malaysia to gain competitive edge in the global market. However, at the same time, English language is never to substitute or compete with the socio cultural role that has been well imbedded and well entrenched in the national language, Bahasa Melayu.
Therefore, this article mainly introduces the online English Language proficiency test for academicians to apply English for academic and professional purposes as our University is in its efforts to remain competitive in a borderless world. One of UKM’s efforts was to ensure a least 50% of English was used by 2005. More recently, faculties have been informed that the Senate encourages 30-70% of first degree programmes to be conducted in English. These decisions are also in keeping with the university’s strategic plans for internationalization of its programmes. With that, the need for in-service English Language Training for UKM lecturers was also important to become a world-class workforce. This step is crucial and necessary as these lecturers’ language experiences as well as proficiency levels vary given that some were educated in English locally and overseas, while others who were born after 1963, and had studied locally would be the products of the national language education system. A language competency profiling of these lecturers will be useful as the information will guide and inform in their placement of language training modules. The online test can be accessed anywhere in the campus, with less anxiety and with apprehension level minimized as a very suitable approach.
With that also, the Learningcare was introduced; a web-based fully integrated e-learning solution, which provides UKM community a tool to develop, implement and share effectively the use of web-based technology for intra- and inter- organization process. Therefore, the proficiency test was constructed using the LearningCare web-based system. The article inserts the online test specifications, which are content, format and timing, criterial levels of performance and results reporting as to show the quality and facilities constructed in the test. Hence, based on the report after the test took trial, the researches summed up a conclusion that there were many limitations with the present web-based system especially in the test design and reporting on the scores. Ideally, the online test should inform on the lecturers’ general language ability, linguistic knowledge, and domain use of language, as well as some indication on oral and written ability and at the same time to also take into accounts the considerations and limitations of the academicians who are adult lifelong learners.
The introduction explains us on how the mastery of English is instrumental for developing nations such as our country, Malaysia to gain competitive edge in the global market. However, at the same time, English language is never to substitute or compete with the socio cultural role that has been well imbedded and well entrenched in the national language, Bahasa Melayu.
Therefore, this article mainly introduces the online English Language proficiency test for academicians to apply English for academic and professional purposes as our University is in its efforts to remain competitive in a borderless world. One of UKM’s efforts was to ensure a least 50% of English was used by 2005. More recently, faculties have been informed that the Senate encourages 30-70% of first degree programmes to be conducted in English. These decisions are also in keeping with the university’s strategic plans for internationalization of its programmes. With that, the need for in-service English Language Training for UKM lecturers was also important to become a world-class workforce. This step is crucial and necessary as these lecturers’ language experiences as well as proficiency levels vary given that some were educated in English locally and overseas, while others who were born after 1963, and had studied locally would be the products of the national language education system. A language competency profiling of these lecturers will be useful as the information will guide and inform in their placement of language training modules. The online test can be accessed anywhere in the campus, with less anxiety and with apprehension level minimized as a very suitable approach.
With that also, the Learningcare was introduced; a web-based fully integrated e-learning solution, which provides UKM community a tool to develop, implement and share effectively the use of web-based technology for intra- and inter- organization process. Therefore, the proficiency test was constructed using the LearningCare web-based system. The article inserts the online test specifications, which are content, format and timing, criterial levels of performance and results reporting as to show the quality and facilities constructed in the test. Hence, based on the report after the test took trial, the researches summed up a conclusion that there were many limitations with the present web-based system especially in the test design and reporting on the scores. Ideally, the online test should inform on the lecturers’ general language ability, linguistic knowledge, and domain use of language, as well as some indication on oral and written ability and at the same time to also take into accounts the considerations and limitations of the academicians who are adult lifelong learners.
