计算机辅助大规模英语口语测试的实践与反思

Practice and Reflection of the Computer-Assisted Oral English Test on a Large Scale

口语测试是语言测试不可缺少的组成部分。在传统的口语测试环境下,由于测试时间和教师人数与能力的限制,口语教学和测试的机会不能提供给非英语专业的学生。计算机辅助大规模口语测试是大学英语教学改革中的一个新生事物,与传统的口语测试相比较,有多方面的优势。文中详细介绍了计算机辅助大规模英语口语测试的实践过程及反思,为其他院校开展大规模英语口语测试、更好地提高大学生英语口语能力提供一些建设性意见。

The assessment of spoken English skills plays an important role in language testing. In the direct lace-toface spoken English tests, the shortage of examiners and the limit of testing time are bound to result in making the practice of speaking skills available only to a tiny minority. The introduction of computer-assisted oral English test is a new idea for expanding the scope of college English tests. The computer-assisted practice will have an obvious advantage over the old-style face-to-face mode. This pap er gives a description of the project on computer-assisted oral English tests conducted by the Language Center, attached to the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade. It indicates both the strong points and the weak ones of computer-assisted oral English tests and is taking the first tentative steps towards a research project for the thoughtful consideration of the other universities and colleges in China. ＂