WebCEF is a new online tool
for collaborative assessment of oral language proficiency, using
the Common European Framework (CEF)
descriptors.
The WebCEF project is run by a consortium of seven
European universities, including the Open University in the UK.
Last month there was an international training course which took
place in Dresden, Germany. 24 teachers, from the UK, Luxembourg,
Belgium, Spain, Greece, Slovakia and Holland, spent a week
improving their assessment, e-learning and general teaching skills
whist sharing experiences.
Participants learned how to design assessment tasks and to
record and upload samples to the WebCEF site, where they can be
accessed by other members of the WebCEF community. FlashVlog, the
technology used by WebCEF, was designed by the Open University and
it can be accessed free of charge by members of the WebCEF
community. The only equipment needed is a webcam; however it is
also possible to upload from a digital camera or even a mobile
phone.
For privacy reasons, membership of the WebCEF community and
access to the online assessment tool is by invitation only. Members
with mentor status can enrol student groups.
WebCEF is a useful tool for students, as it can be used for self
or peer assessment activities, which encourage them to listen
critically to their own speech and become familiar with the
components of good oral proficiency (range, accuracy, fluency,
interaction and coherence).
WebCEF can be used with students of all ages. For teachers in
the UK, it can be used in conjunction with the European Language Portfolio (ELP). The adult version comes with a tutor support pack
for meeting the requirements of RARPA on non-accredited courses.
The needs of adult learners are different from those of school
students. For example, they may be more shy of recording and
nervous of the technology. For this reason an Adult Learners
subgroup of the WebCEF community is being coordinated by Caroline
Rowan Olive from the Open University.
If you would like to know more, please email Caroline.
For further information visit the WebCEF website.