--- Forwarded Message from Greg Russak <[log in to unmask]> ---
>Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 10:55:11 -0400
>From: Greg Russak <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: **ADV** Re: #8962.2 - 11 Online Placement Exams
>To: [log in to unmask]
>cc: Greg Russak <[log in to unmask]>
Dear Fellow Readers,
Please pardon the commercial interruption, but as I read these postings I was
compelled to offer this note in the hopes of making everyone aware that we
can help.
OWL Testing Software is a web-based, easy-to-use solution for creating,
administering, scheduling and rating all manner of online language learning
activities and tests, including placement tests.
Perhaps most pertinent to this discussion, OWL makes testing and assessing
for reading, writing, listening *and* speaking in any language and for any
language something that you can now accomplish in a single, comprehensive,
and data-rich environment.
If you'd like more information or a no-cost, no-obligation demonstration,
please feel free to contact me directly or visit our web site at www.owlts.com.
Best to all,
Greg Russak, VP Sales
[log in to unmask]
1-412-436-0559 (USA)
On Tue, 7 Oct 2008 17:33:05 -0400, LLTI-Editor <LLTI-
[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>(1) from "Fuqiang Zhuo" <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>> 1. What placement test do you use?
> WebCAPE: German, French, Spanish, and Russian .
> Self-created: Japanese, Italian, Chinese (not done yet)
>
>> 2. Is credit awarded for classes that they place out of? If so, how does
>> that work in your institution?
> No credit but results may be used to opt out a course requirement.
>
>> 3. Are students required to take the exam in-person even though the exam
>> is online? If not, how have you addressed the potential for academic
>> dishonesty?
> So far in person in summer (newcomers), all year round for everybody.
>Large group exams for Japanese
>
>> Again, any and all thoughts and suggestions are gratefully accepted.
>
>(2) from Hans Gilde <[log in to unmask]>
>
>At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we have students take the test (CAPE)
>on site for the very reasons you stated, namely security, integrity of the
>test, etc. We also do a brief advising session with students to evaluate
>other pertinent information that could influence their placement. This can't
>be done if students take the test off site.
>
>We don't award credit for any courses students may be skipping. Those
>fulfilling the language requirement simply enter the sequence where the test
>and the advising session indicate thus reducing their language obligation if
>they can jump in at a level higher than 101.
>
>I hope this helps.
>--
>Hans Gilde, Ph.D.
>snail mail:
>1111 Oldfather Hall
>University of Nebraska-Lincoln
>Lincoln NE 68588-0315
>phone: 402-472-1786
>e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>Office: Burnett Hall 304
>
>(3) Sharon Scinicariello <[log in to unmask]>
>
>>Dear All:
>>
>>Times being as they are, those of us associated with the FL Placement
Exam (we
>>use WebCAPE, but administer the exam in-person during Orientation) have
been
>>summoned to meet with the Provost's office to discuss moving placement
exams
>out
>>of Summer Orientation, and have them delivered instead online during the
>summer.
>>Apparently, they took the time to review seventeen schools and found that
we
>are
>>the only university that still conducts placement exams in person during
Summer
>>Orientation. All the other universities they reviewed conduct the placement
>>exams online and offsite. Of course, none of the reviewers can seem to
remember
>>who they talked to...I'll bet their memories come back to them @ the
meeting!
>
>We still give our placement exams face-to-face at orientation, but we have
>agreed to move them to a self-assessment environment before next
summer. Of
>course, we have far fewer students than you. The advising people want
students
>to be able to take the tests--and get advised via e-mail--before they register
>for classes.
>
>>I seem to remember a post a few years back where Andrew Ross was
expressing
>>reservations about the prospect of using online/offsite exams over the
summer
>--
>>questions of validity, security, and integrity, if I recall. But no bites...or
>>more likely, you all replied to Andrew off-list.
>
>Andrew may have been asking when he was still here at Richmond. If so, the
>problems derive from the fact that the placement tests have also been used
for
>exemption from the language requirement. We use the WebCAPE tests, and
they
>were never intended to be used this way, but it has taken a long time to
come up
>with an alternative. Meanwhile, of course, we have not only tested face-to-
face
>but have had to check picture IDs.
>
>>Frankly, I just need a lot of data right now...and quick.
>>
>>Just so that there is a record of this for others who might find themselves
>>summoned in the future, I think it would be best if you could reply to the
list
>>(so we're not re-inventing the wheel in a few months/years) but I'll take
>>answers to this questions however you feel comfortable sending them (on or
>>off-list). I need anyone and everyone, especially those who handle several
>>hundreds to thousands of exams during Orientation online, to respond to the
>>following questions:
>>
>>1. What placement test do you use? WebCAPE
>
>>2. Is credit awarded for classes that they place out of? If so, how does that
>>work in your institution?
>
>No, students can only receive credit via AP, some IB exams, transfer work,
etc.
>
>>3. Are students required to take the exam in-person even though the exam
is
>>online? If not, how have you addressed the potential for academic
dishonesty?
>
>Because placing into the 300-level will no longer be sufficient for an
exemption
>from the language requirement, we aren't going to worry about academic
>dishonesty. That's really the only reason to cheat. There is also no
incentive
>to do poorly in order to place into beginning and 'get an easy A', because
entry
>into beginning language courses requires permission of the language program
>director or prof--and placement scores are only one piece of information
used in
>that process. And, of course, academic dishonesty is a violation of the honor
>code.
>
>Our biggest concern about moving the placement tests to summer is that we
will
>lose that face-to-face contact with incoming students. The testing sessions
are
>important because we use them to advise students, encourage them to
continue
>their language study after the requirement, study another language, etc.
>
>Hope this helps,
>Sharon Scinicariello
>University of Richmond
>
>(4) from "Ross, Andrew" <[log in to unmask]>
>
>Hi, Doug:
>
>I seem to remember a lot of crickets chirping, actually ...
>
>We're still using WebCAPE for Spanish and French placement exams. The
rest are
>on paper and in-department. They seem to like the control over the
process, and
>it allows them to be somewhat more flexible with the speaking/listening
>components, which just don't happen in WebCAPE. We've ginned up a dictee
in PHP
>for the listening component in French.
>
>Credit is not awarded for the courses they place out of. They are simply
>permitted to enroll in courses at a higher level. This makes things slightly
>lower-stakes, and allows for some adjustment of placement with minimal
angst if
>they're misplaced.
>
>Students (still) are required to take the exam in person, although it's online.
>The scheduled exam period (4 days in Orientation and the first week of the
>semester) is sufficient to handle most students -- we test about 350 - 400
>during this time. They must show ID and sign in -- that helps with positive
>identification and traffic control at rush hour. We put together a pledge
entry
>page -- "I hereby acknowledge that ... " summing up the academic honesty
code.
>This, however, was in response to people deliberately failing the exam.
>
>Couple of caveats: Brown has no general education requirements, so the
credit
>issue isn't one for us; Brown does have "shopping period", in which students
>change sections until they find a schedule they like (usually the first two
>weeks of the semester; Brown allows students to drop a course without
penalty up
>until the last day of the semester, if they wish, provided they're carrying a
>minimum number of credits otherwise.
>
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>a.
>
>(5) from Jose Rodriguez [log in to unmask]
>
>Doug and all,
>
>We have been using WebCAPE at Emory University for Spanish and German
>for years (about 8 for Spanish, about 6 for German). To answer your
>questions:
>
>> 1. What placement test do you use?
>WebCAPE Spanish, German
>>
>> 2. Is credit awarded for classes that they place out of? If so, how
>> does that
>> work in your institution?
>No credit is awarded for classes that they place out of -
>undergraduate students at Emory are required to take 2 contiguous
>semester of a language no matter what level they place. If a student
>places into 201, they begin with 201 and are expected to take 202. No
>credit is given for 101 and 102. Some incoming students have taken the
>AP exam in high school and might be accepted with incoming credits,
>but generally only for the first semester. This is not determined by
>the placement exam, however.
>>
>> 3. Are students required to take the exam in-person even though the
>> exam is
>> online? If not, how have you addressed the potential for academic
>> dishonesty?
>Students are expected to take it online. We address academic
>dishonestly purely through our Emory Honor Code. However, the faculty
>member in charge of placement reviews results and can make some
>determination about whether or not students are not being honest in
>their answers (this, however, I do not know how). If there is enough
>question, she will request a copy of the student's high school
>transcript. They have been doing it enough years now that they seem to
>be able to spot questionable placement results.
>
>Hope this helps,
>Jose
>
>(6) from Ron BAlko [log in to unmask]
>
>1. What placement test do you use?
>
>WebCape
>
>2. Is credit awarded for classes that they place out of? If so, how does that
>work in your institution?
>
>Our proficiency requirement is to pass the 112 class level. A student that
>places out of the 111 intro class, enrolls in the 112 class and passes that
>class with a 'C' or better will be given retroactive credit for the 111 course.
>
>3. Are students required to take the exam in-person even though the exam is
>online? If not, how have you addressed the potential for academic
dishonesty?
>
>Our students are not required to take the test in a controlled environment.
Our
>faculty feels that if a student cheats to get into 112, it will become apparent
>early on they can't handle the material. Any student that scores high
enough to
>entirely opt out of the language requirement in its entirety are required to
>submit a written paper as one proof and meet with a faculty member of the
>language department for conversation as another proof.
>
>
>Hope this helps Doug.
>
>Ron
>
>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>Ron Balko
>Learning Technologies Coordinator
>Concordia College
>Moorhead, MN
>
>Treasurer, IALLT
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>(7) from David Kleinberg [log in to unmask]
>
>> 1. What placement test do you use?
>> 2. Is credit awarded for classes that they place out of? If so, how does
that
>> work in your institution?
>> 3. Are students required to take the exam in-person even though the exam
is
>> online? If not, how have you addressed the potential for academic
dishonesty?
>>
>>
>Hi Doug,
>
>1. We just adopted WebCAPE this last summer and I, the department chair,
>the dean, and the academic advisors have been very pleased (with the
>exception of the server failures this summer 5 minutes into a testing
>session with 120 students). We like that the test cuts down on cheating
>because every test is unique, and that the results are available to
>advisors right away.
>
>2. If students place out of a course, they have to get a B or better in
>the class they place *into* in order to get credit for the courses they
>placed out of.
>See
>http://www.winthrop.edu/modernlanguages/Language%
20Lab/ModernLanguagesPlacementC
>redit.pdf
>Of course, many students tank on the test intentionally so that they can
>have an easier time when they take 101 courses.
>
>3. Students take the test in person, although we don't check IDs for
>fraud. We don't give out the password to access the test until the
>students are in the computer lab. One of the things we like about giving
>the test in person is that we can give advising on the spot, and the
>dept. chair likes to meet with advanced students right away. We also get
>to push the idea of becoming a minor or major to advanced students, and
>we can explain the credit system to all students.
>
>Our info regarding the tests is here:
>http://www.winthrop.edu/modernlanguages/Language%
20Lab/placement_test.htm
>
>We also have the Orientation Office pushing us to move the test to
>something that can be done from home prior to orientation, but we are
>resistant to this idea.
>
>Hope that helps,
>Dave
>
>--
>David Kleinberg, Ph.D.
>Language Lab Director, Instructor of German
>Department of Modern Languages
>Winthrop University
>310 Kinard Hall, Rock Hill, SC
>Telephone: (803) 323-4660
>E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>http://www.winthrop.edu/modernlanguages/
>
>
>(8) from Amber Kennedy Kent [log in to unmask]
>
>1. What placement test do you use? BYU's Webcape Online Assessment
(French and
>Spanish)
>
>2. Is credit awarded for classes that they place out of? If so, how does that
>work in your institution?
>Our departments use the assessment exam more to establish placement
(start in
>101 or 102?) which they use in conjunction with a spoken interview. If a
>student is interested in getting credit for a class, they have to take a
>separate cumulative exam for each of the classes they would like to test out
of.
>
>3. Are students required to take the exam in-person even though the exam is
>online? If not, how have you addressed the potential for academic
dishonesty?
>We do use the online exam, but they must take them in the Language
Learning
>Center on campus. Our exam is password protected to prevent people from
taking
>them off campus.
>
>
>Amber Kennedy Kent
>Coordinator, Language Learning Center
>Bowling Green State University
>University Hall 303
>Bowling Green, Ohio 43403
>Voice: 419-372-8146 Fax: 419-372-2571
>http://www.bgsu.edu/llc
>
>(9) from [log in to unmask]
>
>At W&J College we developed our own new system that does not rely on a
>traditional grammar exam. The grammar and text based exam had several
>issues:
>1: Students at our institution tended to purposefully get low scores to be
>placed into lower level language classes in order to bolster their GPA.
>Since we have caps on our class sizes, many sections of elementary language
>courses were populated by students with 4 years of high school language. It
>was not a productive learning environment and shut out many true beginners
>in the language.
>2: Since the exam does not address speaking and listening, it is inherently
>a limited skill assessment and does not reflect the approach of our classes.
>
>We have moved to an online, off site 'questionaire' that incorporates
>information from Datatel regarding their high school grades and courses
>taken. (The admissions department often puts a wealth of information in your
>college computer system. Our program accesses this information and utilizes
>it for placement)
>We also take a writing sample and do a European framework based
>self-assessment.
>
>For most of the students, placement is fairly simple. For the more complex
>cases, faculty can log in from any location an view the students records,
>sample, and self-assessment. For students who wish to get 'Advanced
>placement', they must speak with a faculty member and demonstrate oral
>proficiency.
>
>This may sound complicated, but it works quite well. We process 500
students
>each summer with a faculty of 7. The result has been more accurate
>'placement', classes populated by students with more similar ability levels,
>and students who actually place higher and go further with their language
>abilities.
>
>We only give course credit for a 4 or 5 on an AP exam or a college level
>course taken during high school.
>
>Michael Shaughnessy
>Chair of Modern Languages
>W&J College
>www.washjeff.edu
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>(10) from [log in to unmask]
>
>Dear Doug,
>
>We use WebCAPE for incoming freshman offsite during the summer. Everyone
>"testing out" (scoring above the intermediate level that is required for
>graduation) is then "invited" for a second test on campus during orientation
>days just before the semester starts. Here, we use University of Wisconsin's
>placement tests (German, French, Spanish, Latin).
>
>Hope that helps,
>Marcel
>
>
>Dr. Marcel Rotter
>Assistant Professor of German
>Department of Modern Foreign Languages
>University of Mary Washington
>219 Combs Hall
>1301 College Ave.
>Fredericksburg, VA 22401
>Telephone: 540.654.1996
>Fax: 540.654.1088
>Email: [log in to unmask]
>http://people.umw.edu/~mrotter/MySite/
>
>Office Hours: MTWF 11-12
>and by appointment
>
>
>(11) from [log in to unmask]
>
>Some responses from the University of Kansas:
>
>> 1. What placement test do you use?
>
>WebCAPE for French, German and Spanish.
>
>> 2. Is credit awarded for classes that they place out of? If so, how
>> does that
>> work in your institution?
>
>The exam is for placement purposes only. We have a four semester
>language requirement, however, and if you can place into and pass a
>course at fourth-semester level or above, your language requirement is
>fulfilled.
>
>> 3. Are students required to take the exam in-person even though the
>> exam is
>> online? If not, how have you addressed the potential for academic
>> dishonesty?
>
>Students take the exam on-line before coming to campus orientation
>over the summer. Once on campus they meet with placement advisors,
>who conduct brief oral interviews in the foreign language before
>suggesting placement. As the exam is only for placement, the issue of
>academic dishonesty is moot ... if a student gets outside help on the
>exam, (s)he will only succeed in qualifying for a course that is too
>difficult.
>
>Jon
>
>
>************************************************
>Jonathan Perkins, Director
>Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center
>University of Kansas
>4070 Wescoe Hall
>1445 Jayhawk Boulevard
>Lawrence KS 66045-7590
>
>Phone: (785) 864-4782
>Fax: (785) 864-1256
>
>http://egarc.ku.edu
>
>
>http://languages.ku.edu/***************************************
********
>LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for
>Language Learning (http://iallt.org/), and The Consortium for Language
>Teaching
>and Learning (http://www.languageconsortium.org/).
>Join IALLT at http://iallt.org.
>Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask])
>***********************************************
|
