Rodica Pânzaru Tester, Language Center Republic of Moldova COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS IN LANGUAGE TRAINING AND TESTING Rodica Pânzaru Tester, Language Center Republic of Moldova BILC Conference, Bruges, Belgium, May 2014

What is collaboration? People/organizations working on different pieces of a whole final product Individuals/teams focus on specific issues A common goal, although objectives may be divided among teams Sharing results/resources What would be the general elements of a collaboration? All parties involved are both beneficiaries and contributors. Sharing results/resources

Collaborative ties of the Language Center from the R. of Moldova Inside the Center Personnel: military and civilian Instructors do not test, testers do not instruct, however the backwash effect is a result of the cooperation between both groups Share information and experience among instructors and testers on current practices (workshops) Outside the Center/International Collaboration Local Governmental Organizations French Alliance French Military Attaché German Military Attaché US Embassy Military Community Open up new collaborative engagements during BILC Conferences, LTS, ALTS Piloting items in Romania Outside the Center Local Governmental Organizations – representatives from other governmental institutions may request to participate in courses organized by our center and take the STANAG 6001 TEST. Carabineer, Border Guard Police (both part of the MoI) French Alliance – military from our National Army attend French courses organized by the French Alliance. Starting with September our Center is planning to begin a course of French and to extend its personnel with French language instructors. This is motivated by the UN Missions that our military are participating in African countries where French is a language spoken by the local population. At the end the students will be tested by the French Military Attaché. German Military Attaché – students studying German are instructed by personnel hired by the German Embassy and are tested by the German Military Attaché. US Embassy Military Community – The Speaker Program has the goal of inviting weekly US military representatives to communicate with the students on different topics. Also, the collaboration with the US DoD institutions resulted in the acquisition of lab equipment and didactic materials for English language learning, as well as participation in trainings in US educational institutions. Open up new collaborative engagements during BILC Conferences, LTS, ALTS Piloting items in Romania.

Legal Framework International Bilateral Agreements Orders of the MoD Military policies Language Skills Development Concept

Piloting items in Romania Benefits A larger and more varied population for piloting The same native language of the population – Romanian We received additional guidance on item development, test specifications, text selection. Issues encountered For a long time our internal policy did not have a clear statement on piloting items abroad Incompatibility between the software and the devices used for testing Communication shows better results after face-to-face meetings. E-mails leave out attitudes, feelings and gestures. Financial and transportation issues need to be discussed in advance Postal services proved efficient in sending CDs/DVDs with testing information

What makes things happen Communication between decision making factors Negotiations regarding benefits and challenges Practical engagements where information and product sharing happens Continuity and further development of the relationship

Key to success Trust A good interpersonal relationship Timely and frequent communication Commitment to the success of this endeavor

Writing Assessment Sheet Writing Assessment Sheet Date_________________ Assessor_________________ Task and Test No. Candidate’s code Task completion Organization Vocabulary Syntax and Grammar Level 1. 2.

Writing Rating Factor Grid User interface Mutually exclusive phrases Blank option Text box Export to PDF Designer interface Add/Remove/Change order of phrases Add/Remove different types of boxes (Management Elements) For any technical questions go to Google WCL

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. —Henry Ford Collaboration in the BILC environment makes us stronger. Being part of a team with decades of experience in language teaching and testing ready to share achievements, research and practically contribute to raising awareness about new developments in the field, makes each member of the team a better resource for the final beneficiary – the Defense personnel trained to perform in languages.

Thank you!