This course is aimed particularly at students in the teacher training programme, although other students may well find it interesting and stimulating as well.If you are a student in the teacher training programme, you are advised to take this course BEFORE or IN PARALLEL to Language Testing and Assessment. In Language Testing and Assessment, the knowledge and skills that you will develop in this course are essential but will largely be taken for granted. If you take this course before or in parallel with Language Testing and Assessment, you will have a much less stressful experience there and benefit more.Students will develop a deepened understanding of a selected area of linguistics and understand how linguistic description can be considered as a description of an area of language competence.Students will develop an understanding of the challenges involved in making test takers perform the area of competence that they have chosen to focus on.Students will gain first-hand experience in developing test items or test tasks that elicit performance from which conclusions about underlying competence in the area of their choice can be derived.

introductory presentation of key concepts by course instructorindependent review of an area of linguistics chosen from Introduction to Linguistics I or IIgiving an individual presentation of this areadeveloping 5 test items or task that will elicit performance appropriate for making assessments of this area of competencedocumenting the process of item creation in two oral presentations and in a reflection paper

phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguisticscompetence versus performancetest construct versus test methodprinciples of item writing and task formulation

Introduction to Linguistics I and II

Introduction to Linguistics I and II

to be announced

2 oral presentations 40% of total grade each1 written portfolio 20% of total grade

First presentationpresentation of construct area chosenmain challenges of construct areapresentation of example item(s) found onlinerelation of construct area to the Bachman modelSecond presentationExplaining adequacy of items or task: construct area(s), instructions, scoring keyIdentifying and explaining main challenges (difficulty-generating features of the items or the task)PortfolioDescription of competence area chosenExplaining difficulty-generating features for each item or for the taskDescription of learning points and their relevance for future work as a teacherLinguistic accuracy throughout

Criteria correspond to exam contents, see above.First presentationEach aspect will be assessed on a 5-point scale (1=very good, 5=inadequate). Total grade will be the unweighted average of the four dimensions.Second presentationEach aspect will be assessed on a 5-point scale (1=very good, 5=inadequate). Total grade will be the unweighted average of the two dimensions.PortfolioEach aspect will be assessed on a 5-point scale (1=very good, 5=inadequate). Total grade will be the unweighted average of the four dimensions.Final gradeThe first and second presentations carry 40% each, and the portfolio 20% to the final course grade.