Assessing English for Academic Purposes

by George M. Blue (Editor), James Milton (Editor), Jane Saville (Editor)

Overview

A concern for quality and the growing number of international students have made the assessment of English for Academic Purposes a prime concern in British universities. By drawing on the expertise of BALEAP and many EAP specialists, this collection describes and critically evaluates current issues and debates in the field. An introduction provides an overview of the state of assessment in EAP and this is followed by sections which investigate in depth individual issues such as the validity of commonly used tests, the utility of computer test batteries and other non-traditional forms of assessment. Also addressed with original research data are the varying requirements of individual departments, students’ views of assessment and self-assessment instruments. These issues are relevant beyond the individual circumstances of British universities and should inform good practice not only in the UK but anywhere where students receive part or all of their education in English as a second or foreign language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783906765983
Publisher:	Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Publication date:	11/28/2000
Pages:	289
Product dimensions:	5.91(w) x 8.66(h) x (d)

About the Author

The Editors: George Blue works at the University of Southampton, where he teaches and co-ordinates EAP classes and teaches on the M.A. course in Applied Linguistics.
James Milton is Director of the Centre for Applied Language Studies in the University of Swansea and a Founding Fellow of the British Institute of ELT.
Jane Saville is a Senior Lecturer in the School of EFL and Linguistics at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

Table of Contents

Contents: George M. Blue / James Milton / Jane Saville: Introduction: Assessing English for Academic Purposes – J. Charles Alderson: Testing in EAP: Progress? Achievement? Proficiency? – John Morley: The Chaplen Test Revisited – Paul Fanning / Lynne Hale: Screening New Students with the UCLES Computer Adaptive Test – Esther Daborn / Moira Calderwood: Collaborative Assessment of Written Reports: Electrical Engineering and EFL – Joan Cutting: Written Errors of International Students and English Native Speaker Students – Julie Hartill: Assessing Postgraduates in the Real World – Rita Green: Life after the Pre-Sessional Course: How Students Fare in their Departments – Lynn Errey: Stacking the Decks: What does it take to Satisfy Academic Readers’ Requirements? – Gill Meldrum: I Know I have to be Critical, but How? – Katie Gray: Assessment in EAP: Moving away from Traditional Models – Alicia Cresswell: The Role of Portfolios in the Assessment of Student Writing on an EAP Course – M. I. Freeman: A Self-Evaluation Instrument for the Measurement of Student Proficiency Levels – George M. Blue: Self-Assessment and Defining Learners’ Needs – Barbara Atherton: Developing Accuracy in Academic Writing – R. R. Jordan: Is the Customer Sometimes Right? Students’ Views of Assessment in EAP.