April 15, 2014 : 6:30 pm - Government Center, Board Room 201
hosted by BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY April 15 , 2016
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1 FORUM ON ASSESSMENT ISSUES VI “PLACEMENT AND PROFICIENCY EXAMS” hosted by BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY April 15 th , 2016
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Transcript of hosted by BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY April 15 , 2016
1
FORUM ON
ASSESSMENT ISSUES VI
“PLACEMENT AND PROFICIENCY EXAMS”
hosted by
BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY
April 15th
, 2016
2
Dear FOAI-6 Participants,
It is a real pleasure to host the FOAI-6 event in our university. We have been looking
forward to coming together, sharing our experiences, and learning from each other to
gain deeper insight into issues related to Placement and Proficiency exams.
Like the first five events, we hope that this meeting will also enhance links between
participants as well as create the opportunity to exchange ideas in order to improve
assessment practices in our institutions. Please find below the PARTICIPANTS of FOAI 6 -
APRIL15th 2016.
NAME INSTITUTION E-MAIL ADDRESS
Carole Ann Thomas Bilkent University [email protected]
Dr. Nazan Doğruer Eastern Mediterranean
University, Cyprus
Sırcan Abdullah Kadir Has University [email protected]
Funda Güç Pamukkale University [email protected]
Güliz Özgürel Yaşar University [email protected]
Daniel Cupery İstanbul Technical
University
İlkay Gökçe
Erdoğan Ege University [email protected]
Melinda Moss Şenel Koç University [email protected]
Mehtap İnce
Mehmet Akıncı
İstanbul Şehir
University
İdil Güneş Ertugan Sabancı University [email protected]
Özden Özmakinacı Bilgi University [email protected]
Dilek Eryilmaz Salki Özyeğin University [email protected]
Gülnur Atalay İzmir University of
Economics [email protected]
Mojca Andrejasic
Gregory Campbell MEF University
Mürüvvet Çolakoğlu Bahçeşehir University [email protected]
Hande İmren Bahçeşehir University [email protected]
Sibel Egemen Bahçeşehir University [email protected]
Duygu Sarıdeniz Seyhan Bahçeşehir University [email protected]
Çerağ Şahin Bahçeşehir University [email protected]
Çağla Mitrani Bahçeşehir University [email protected]
Adnan Pamukçu Bahçeşehir University [email protected]
RATIONALE/BACKGROUND
The Assessment Team of Sabancı University School of Languages set up the first FOAI
forum for representatives from a range of universities in Turkey and North Cyprus to come
together to discuss assessment issues in university foundation EAP/preparatory programmes.
The forum aims to take a hands-on approach to the practical issues related to curriculum
work, with a view to complement the formal presentation of papers or workshops to be found
at other professional events such as conferences, seminars, and workshops. Although the
forum was initiated by Sabancı University School of Languages, it has become a regular
event, hosted by different institutions.
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AIMS OF THE FORUM
The forum was set up specifically for representatives from the assessment teams of a range of
foundation/preparatory programmes in English medium universities in Turkey. The forum aims
to provide an opportunity for different state, foundation and private universities within the
Turkish context to come together in order to:
discuss issues concerning the design, development, and administration of low
and high stakes exams;
share practices, experiences, ideas, and challenges faced relevant to testing,
evaluation, and assessment related issues from diverse contexts;
increase awareness of the activities and approaches to assessment and
evaluation of learning in other programmes;
build relationships and links between the assessment teams in different
institutions;
exchange ideas on how members can cooperate in order to improve testing and
assessment practices in their institutions.
THEME OF THE MEETING AND EXPECTED OUTCOME
The theme of the event is "Placement and Proficiency Exams” (as agreed on by the last FOAI
participants). In the sessions, we intend to look into different practices of how placement and
proficiency exams are carried out, including the rationale for tasks that are used, and how their
levels are set in each institution. This will involve the representative from each institution giving
a short presentation briefly outlining their practices. This will be followed by in-depth focus
group discussions. Finally, the focus groups will give presentations based on their discussions
which will be followed by a whole group discussion.
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PROGRAMME
Time Activity Place
08.30 - 09.00 ARRIVAL & WELCOME Learning Centre
(1st Floor)
09.00 - 09.10 OPENING REMARKS Learning Centre
(1st Floor)
09.10 - 11.10 INITIAL MINI-PRESENTATIONS Learning Centre
(1st Floor)
11.10 - 11.40 BREAK with refreshments
11.40 - 13.00
FOCUS GROUPS
Focus group discussions and preparation of
presentations based on discussion questions
Room 112
(1st Floor)
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch
Group photo
Dining Hall
(4th Floor)
14.00 - 14.30 FOCUS GROUPS CONTINUED
Finalising presentations to whole group
Room 112
(1st Floor)
14.30 – 16.00
FOCUS GROUPS PRESENTATIONS
Presentations to whole group
Learning Centre
(1st Floor)
16:00 – 16:20 BREAK with refreshments
16:20 – 17:00
REFLECTION & LOOKING FORWARD
• Further issues for discussion • Date and host of the next event
Learning Centre
(1st Floor)
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INFORMATION ABOUT PRE-TASK FOR INITIAL MINI-PRESENTATIONS
Participants are asked to briefly describe the components of the placement and proficiency
exams in their institutions in the initial presentations in the morning. Each institution will be
allotted 5 minutes for the mini-presentation. Participants will be asked not to ask any
follow-up questions at this point. Please note that the aim of this mini-presentation is to
give other participants an initial idea about practices at your institution, and that you will
have time during focus groups and later in the afternoon for further discussions. If you
would like to use a PowerPoint presentation, you can use the template attached in this
mail. It is advised that you limit your presentation to 3-4 slides.
The following questions can be used as guidance while preparing the presentation. Please
note that these are just guidelines and your actual mini-presentation may or may not
include all of these points, but should still be aimed at giving participants a general idea of
what happens at your school with regards to placement and proficiency exams.
Does your institution use purchased exams (Placement and/or Proficiency), or do you
write your own? Why?
Are these exams paper-based or computer-based?
What are the components of the Placement and Proficiency exams used in your
institution?
How many items are there in the Placement and Proficiency exams and how much time
is allocated for each exam?
How do you determine the validity and reliability of the Placement and Proficiency
exams?
How do you keep the Placement and Proficiency exams secure?
Please send your PowerPoint presentation to [email protected] by Thursday, April 14.
INFORMATION ABOUT INITIAL MINI–PRESENTATIONS
AIMS
To get to know a little about the other institutions represented at this forum
To learn about other institutions’ practices (see the questions above for guidance)
To identify institutions which have dealt with similar issues with a view to learning more
from them either during the focus group discussions or through subsequent follow-up
contacts
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FORMAT
Each institution will be allotted 5 minutes to briefly describe the procedures applied at their
institution. No follow-up questions at this point. The aim of this presentation is to give other
participants a brief introduction to the practices applied at your institution. Please note that the
time limit will be strictly adhered to as more in-depth discussions will take place during the
focus group discussions. The presenter may use PowerPoint (3-4 slides maximum) if they
wish to do so.
INFORMATION ABOUT FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS
After the initial mini-presentations, the participants will be divided into 3 groups to have an in-
depth discussion on the issue at hand (See page 8 to see which group you are in). Each group
will be given a set of questions to help the discussion and a member of the host institution, a
group facilitator, will be at hand to keep track of the discussion and take notes either directly
into a PowerPoint document or to be transferred to PowerPoint later. At the end of the allotted
time, the group participants are expected to present the main points of their discussions
through PowerPoint to the rest.
AIMS
To discuss in detail areas of common concerns regarding placement and proficiency
exams
To exchange ideas about how each institution has addressed these concerns; to share
successes and failures in the related areas
To brainstorm different suggestions on how to better respond to these concerns
To summarise the highlights of the work of the focus group
Useful documents for the Focus Group Discussion
Participants are asked to bring samples of the following documents used at their institution as
they could be used to assist the focus group discussions:
soft copy of a Placement and Proficiency exam
soft copy of any criteria / specifications / guidelines
any other documents you feel may be relevant
FORMAT
We will be working in 3 separate groups. All groups will be provided with the same discussion
questions (see page 9). The discussion questions will be a guideline only- the group is not
expected to cover all of the questions necessarily, and may focus on other related questions. It
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might be best for each group to spend five minutes or so at the beginning, to go through the
questions and to prioritise a maximum of 5-6 questions to be discussed. During the focus
group discussions, group facilitators will be taking notes and preparing a PowerPoint
Presentation, which will be shared with all participants in the afternoon at the scheduled time.
The presentation should be about 15-20 minutes long with 5 minutes for follow up
questions/comments. The presentation will be e-mailed to all participants after the event. After
each focus group presents, question and answer time will be allotted. Participants are also
encouraged to reflect on similar concerns experienced at their institutions and share effective
ways of addressing them.
REFLECTION
After the presentations and question-answer sessions are over, there will be a few minutes'
reflection time on what was discussed throughout the day where participants will be
encouraged to think about the following:
One thing you may consider applying in your institution as a result of the discussions,
One thing you would need to avoid or be more careful about when designing
/selecting/administering/marking the Placement and/or Proficiency exam.
LOOKING FORWARD
After a few minutes of reflection, we will decide on the next host of FOAI-7 meeting, when it will take place, and brainstorm possible themes for the upcoming event.
Following this event, a questionnaire to give feedback on FOAI-6 will be sent to participants and the summary of the collated feedback will be shared with all participants for further improvement of the event.
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FOCUS GROUPS
FOCUS GROUP A
Facilitator: Duygu Sarıdeniz Seyhan (Bahçeşehir University)
Participants: Mehtap İnce (İstanbul Şehir University) Mehmet Akıncı (İstanbul Şehir University) İlkay Gökçe Erdoğan (Ege University)
Funda Güç (Pamukkale University) Dilek Eryilmaz Salki (Özyeğin University) Dr. Nazan Doğruer (Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus)
FOCUS GROUP B
Facilitator: Hande İmren (Bahçeşehir University)
Participants: Mojca Andrejasic (MEF University) Gregory Campbell (MEF University) Sırcan Abdullah (Kadir Has University) Gülnur Atalay (İzmir University of Economics)
Melinda Moss Şenel (Koç University)
FOCUS GROUP C
Facilitator: Sibel Egemen (Bahçeşehir University)
Participants: Özden Özmakinacı (Bilgi University) İdil Güneş Ertugan (Sabancı University) Daniel Cupery (İstanbul Technical University) Güliz Özgürel (Yaşar University) Carole Ann Thomas (Bilkent University)
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The following questions can be used to guide the focus group discussions.
Discussion Questions
1. Is it feasible or desirable to link different institutions’ Placement and/or Proficiency
exams? Or is it feasible or desirable to establish a mutual recognition agreement by
which different institutions agree to recognize one another's Placement and/or
Proficiency exam?
2. How are cut scores established in both exams in your institution? What descriptors
are used?
3. What is done to ensure the reliability of marking for the open-ended sections (e.g.
writing, gap-fill etc.)
4. Can an initial placement decision be altered? If yes, how and when?
5. Should Writing and/or Speaking be a component of the Placement exam?
Why/Why not?
6. How do the Placement / Proficiency exam results inform the instructional program
in your institution?
7. How important is it to align the Placement / Proficiency exam to an internationally
recognised framework such as CEFR?
8. Any other issue(s) you want to discuss related to Placement/Proficiency exams.
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TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION Bahçeşehir University Şişli Campus (Labelled on Google Maps as: Behçeşehir Üniversitesi Mesleki Teknik Eğitimi Geliştirme Merkezi)
Address
Şişli Campus
location link on
Google Maps
(Ctrl+Click)
Darülaceze Cad. No: 4
Şişli, İSTANBUL
Telephone: 0212 381 07 22
Description: BAU Şişli Campus is located next to Şişli Endüstri Meslek Lisesi. Two other well-known institutions nearby are Şişli Belediye Binası (Şişli Municipality Building) and İstanbul Çağlayan Adalet Sarayı (İstanbul Çağlayan Justice Palace).
1. From Atatürk airport
A) HAVATAŞ shuttle bus + Metro* You can take HAVATAŞ shuttle buses (₺14) to go to Taksim and then take the Metro from Taksim to Şişli. Ten minutes’ walk from the Şişli metro station. Duration**: approximately 90 minutes
B) Metro* + Metrobus*
You can take the metro from the airport to Ataköy, and then take the Metrobus to Mecidiyeköy. (Make sure you are travelling in the Mecidiyeköy direction.) 10 minutes’ walk from the Mecidiyeköy Metrobus stop. Duration**: approximately 90 minutes
2. From Sabiha Gökçen airport
A) HAVATAŞ shuttle bus + Metrobus*
You can take HAVATAŞ shuttle buses to go to Taksim (₺14), and then take the Metro
from Taksim to Şişli. Ten minutes’ walk from the Şişli metro station.
Duration**: approximately 120 minutes
B) Bus* + Metrobus*
You can take the SG-2 bus from Sabiha Gökçen to Uzunçayır. Then take the
Metrobus from Uzunçayır to Mecidiyeköy. (Make sure you are travelling in the
Mecidiyeköy direction.) Ten minutes’ walk from the Mecidiyeköy metrobus stop.
Duration**: approximately 120 minutes * Please note that on public transportation in İstanbul, you will need either an İstanbulKart (for long-term use) or a “Sınırlı Kullanımlı Elektronik Bilet (1 to 10 trips), or a jeton, which can be obtained from ticket booths.
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** Please also note that times may vary greatly depending on the time of day, weather and traffic.
