An inter-university online platform for language exams: quality control, standard setting and item banking
Abstract: University systems in Europe have been undergoing important changes since the implementation of the Bologna Process in 1999, introducing comparability of university degrees within Europe and with multilingualism as a key aspect for its ultimate success. European higher education institutions have developed their own language accreditation models at national level, with the ultimate goal of creating a network of comparable language accreditations at European level. These models need to adhere to international guidelines for good practices in language testing, as well as comply to the principles of validity, reliability, authenticity, fairness and practicality. In Spain, the university language accreditation system (CertAcles) has been developed by the National Association of Language Centres in Higher Education (ACLES), comprised of 62 university language centres. The implementation of the model has been challenging, involving the collaboration geographically apart institutions with different needs and resources. The platform presented in this paper introduces a solution designed to help bridge these challenges by allowing a remote and collaborative tool for quality control, standard setting and item banking. The goal of the platform is not only to provide an effective tool for quality control, but also to act as a meeting point for the different institutions involved and allow them to share items, tasks and exams securely while providing a common working space.
Presider: Cristina Perez-Guillot, Universitat Politècnica de València Spain