On-line Assessment of Spoken English - Imperial College London

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Liz Chiu and Sharon Smith (ELSP Tutors, Humanities Department)

ASSESSING SPOKEN ENGLISH

English Language Support Programme (ELSP) provision has always included

Pronunciation classes, but there has not previously been any standardised

criterion referenced assessment of an individual’s needs before joining.

An on-line assessment of speaking could enable college members with

concerns about their spoken English to submit a speech sample at their own

convenience, receive an assessment of their level and be offered direction

towards appropriate study if necessary.

An assessment tool has been developed and tested using the new

Humanities digital language laboratory. Thirty students were successfully

tested, placed and profiled during the ELSP 2008 pre-sessional course.

This speaking and pronunciation assessment has evolved into a valuable

diagnostic tool which we now use as a basis for providing individual feedback

and study plans for all students who attend our introductory course.

NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH

ASSESSMENT

AND FEEDBACK

We have developed

a comprehensive

test of speaking and

pronunciation which

allows us to analyse

in depth the speech

of our registered

students. From a

five minute sample

we can build a

detailed picture of

individual difficulties

relating to sounds

(phonemes), word

or sentence stress,

linked speech and

intonation as well as

a variety of fluency

issues. These data

are used to inform

lesson content and

will drive curriculum

development.

For language learners, speaking is usually considered the most difficult skill

because sounds have to be physically produced at the same time as words

are being retrieved from memory and sentences are being constructed.

Additional problems are encountered by students who have studied from

books without learning what the words are supposed to sound like, or have

only had English teachers who were not native speakers and had poor

pronunciation themselves.

In October, second language students can select classes beginning

immediately if they feel very worried about their speaking skills, or classes

beginning after one month if they feel they can wait.

CURRENT SITUATION ELSP WEBSITE

Most students who wish to study pronunciation

are now assessed in class during a short

introductory course.

Students who are not able to attend testing

sessions in the language lab can download the

test from our website and make their own

recordings in the lab via self access. This

option is also available from home by

downloading the Sanako software from the

Humanities website, although some difficulties

still need to be resolved.

The online assessment provides a new

opportunity for members of the college to

submit a recording without having to join a

class. However, the number of assessments

that can be carried out, especially at busy times

of the year, is restricted by staff availability.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

John Hughes – ELSP Coordinator

Paul Chauncy – Audio Visual Support

David Lefevre – Senior E-learning Technologist

David Walker – Pronunciation Consultant

With thanks to colleagues and students who tested early versions of this assessment.

SANAKO SOFTWAREThe Sanako software used in our language labs is not intended for online applications.

There are issues of compatibility when it is downloaded to home computers running

different operating systems, with the result that some students have not been able to

record and save files. There is also a bug in the text synchronization function which is

yet to be resolved.

DIAGNOSTICS AND ASSESSMENT SHEET (PART A)

PART 2

THREE PART TEST

The components of the test have been

developed through classroom trials; both

fluency and accuracy are assessed in

informal and formal / academic speech.

Part 1 focuses on personal circumstances

to test the basic accuracy and range of

informal, high frequency language.

Part 2 assesses the pronunciation of both

informal and formal sentences for accurate

production of phonemes, word stress and

connected speech.

Part 3 requires the use of vocabulary

commonly found in scientific description,

and tests the ability to organise ideas

coherently. Preparation time is given for

this task.

DIAGNOSTICS AND ASSESSMENT SHEET (PART B)

English Language Support Programme

ONLINE ASSESSMENT OF SPOKEN ENGLISH

WIMBA AND THE FUTUREThe original proposal for developing this online assessment was made with the

assumption that we would have WIMBA software available through Blackboard, as the

college was trialling it at the time. Unfortunately, the funding was not forthcoming and so

we do not currently have access to it. We remain hopeful, however, that we will be able

to transfer our test to this platform in the future.

PART 1

PART 3

SPEECH ORGAN DIAGRAMS

These contrasting nasal phonemes present

a problem for many learners of English

including Chinese and Spanish speakers.

Typical errors have been collected in class

and used to produce test items.

It is quite simple to identify students who cannot communicate adequately, those who

speak but are not entirely clear, and those who speak fluently with only a regional

accent. Students can be grouped like this almost instantly when they speak to a teacher.

We assess three main areas that contribute towards intelligibility: fluency (including

vocabulary, organisation of ideas, degree of hesitancy), grammatical accuracy and

pronunciation. Fluency can be improved in conversation activities, and by more

extensive listening and reading to absorb new vocabulary.

Pronunciation has its own set of criteria: vowel length, voiced and voiceless consonants,

aspiration, fricatives in clusters, word and sentence stress, linking, intonation etc.