Innovation in Language Learning

The paper discusses the design and implementation of a web-based tool that automates the production of foreign language exam formats suitable for preparing candidate students for official language certification examinations. The system allows teachers to generate, save and share tests and also produce a well-formatted print version of the completed test in a portable format.

More specifically, the teacher can enter an initial text in a simplified text formatting module, and following a step-wise process to mark specific excerpts of the text to be removed. The system outputs a formatted version of the initial text with numbered white spaces and places below it all removed exerts numbered in a random order along with an additional paragraph that does not belong to the initial text. Students that will be given the test must place the excerpts at the correct positions and leave out the additional paragraph. The system also outputs the solution of the test on a separate sheet. The design of the system (interaction design and graphical user interface) is based on well-established usability principles that ensure fast and effective task completion, as well intuitiveness and error prevention. The paper also discusses potential extensions to the system in order to generate additional types of official exam tests (multiple choice, and more) or support automated difficulty level estimations on the initial text based on collaborative teacher assessments and also investigates its usage for supporting teacher communities and fostering resource sharing. The pilot presented supports the generation of level C2 exam tests for the Spanish language.