Changing perceptions in language learning and testing

For substantial and sustained progress to be made in language learning there is a need for regular assessment and rapid feedback. This paper describes how a programme of computerised assessment, introduced in the first instance as a means of coping with what would otherwise have been an unmanageable marking load, has become as much a learning resource as an assessment tool. It demonstrates how the choice of question types has evolved in response to students’ performance, how the inclusion of graphics can facilitate learning and how the use of multimedia has enabled the assessment programme to be extended to include listening skills. It reports on the feasibility of running sessions incorporating multimedia, on levels of student participation and student work rates and on student evaluations of the programme.