CALL Potpourri
Issue 10, Fall 2005
TELL @ ELI Archive

The Challenges of iBT

Barbara Smith-Palinkas, Scott Redfern, and Sunhwa Choi

The new TOEFL exam, the iBT (Internet-based TOEFL), presents challenges not only to ELI students, but also to ELI iBT instructors. This semester, as students struggle to adjust to the new format of the exam, the instructors have found ways to give students authentic practice during their weekly computer lab hour.

The greatest challenges lie in creating activities to practice the integrated speaking and integrated writing tasks. Students have four integrated speaking tasks: the first two require the students to read a short passage, listen to a conversation or lecture, and speak for 60 seconds, connecting the information from the listening with the reading; the second two tasks require the students to listen to a short conversation or a short lecture about an academic topic and to summarize the information, again speaking for 60 seconds.

Sound recorder is the perfect tool for recording students’ responses as it is automatically set to record for 60 seconds. Much of the instructor’s work comes before the class meets in the lab: a folder for the class on the H:// drive , and individual folders in which each student can save his/her response need to be made and stored within the larger class folder, and step-by-step directions for students on how to access Sound Recorder and save a response need to be created. A good practice for the first lab might be to have the students access the class folder and make their own individual folders. The lab projector is invaluable for walking students through the steps the first time they meet in the lab. Keeping a list of the directions handy for subsequent classes is useful as well. (See steps at end of article.)

The readings and conversations/lectures from the textbook provide good practice activities. Students can use their texts to read the passages, and the conversations / lectures, usually under two minutes in length, are short enough to play in the lab without disrupting other classes in the lab. Another option is for the instructor to hand out a short reading passage and to record a short lecture on sound recorder to which students can listen through their headphones. (It is advisable to make multiple copies of the recording so that everyone is able to access the listening at the same time. If more than three or four students try to open the same file, an error message occurs. Assign students Copy 1, Copy 2, etc.)

After students have recorded their responses, they can listen to them and rate themselves using the rubric in the text. They can also work in pairs, listening to their partner’s response and making suggestions for improvements. During this time, if convenient, the instructor might take groups of two or three students to his/her office and listen to the responses on the speakers. This way the students and instructor can listen together, and the instructor can pause the recorder while going over some fine points using the rubric. If they find that there is no sound or that the sound quality is poor (holding the microphone too close to their mouths causes distortion), they can re-record their response.

Once students are familiar with the integrated speaking tasks, the change in focus to integrated writing tasks comes easily. Students are already familiar with the reading-listening-responding sequence as well as the fundamental lab procedures for opening folders and saving the responses. The reading passages, however, are longer (250-300 words) as are the lectures (approximately three minutes). Students are required to summarize key points in the lecture and relate them to the reading; they are given 20 minutes to prepare, write, and proofread their response. As with the integrated speaking tasks, the readings and lectures from the textbook provide good practice activities. Students again use their texts to read the passages, and the lectures on the CD can be played in the lab as well.

After students complete the writing task, they can use Microsoft Tools to do a word count; students are expected to write between 150 and 225 words. They can save their responses in the same folder they have used for their integrated speaking responses. At the end of the semester, students will have accumulated a “portfolio” of their work and can literally hear and see the progress they’have made over 15 weeks. It provides the instructor with valuable information as well.

Directions

Accessing Sound Recorder
· Click on Start
· Click on Programs
· Click on Accessories
· Click on Entertainment
· Click on Sound Recorder

Setting Up Sound Recorder To Record for more than One Minute

· Click on the red button
· Wait for about 5 seconds
· Click on stop (black rectangular box)
· Click on Effects. Click on Decrease speed—this gives you more time to speak. You will need to click on Decrease speed at least 5 times until you have a minimum of 90 seconds to speak. You will need at least 90 seconds total response time (30 to prepare, 60 to speak).
· Save as PromptX (use the prompt number) in the folder with your name on it. The folder is located in the H:// drive and is labeled X.