Language Course Design

Assessment plan

1. Course goals
This course aims to help pre-service EFL teachers to achieve the following goals:
01 Recognize and describe key steps in language course design as well as the (CD01)
relationship between them (“WHAT”)
02 Select suitable principles and instruments with a view to implementing each (CD02)
step above (“HOW”)
03 Justify their above selection by using relevant theoretical and empirical data (CD03)
(“WHY”)

2. Overall assessment plan

To collect the evidence of learning in this course, the following assessment practices are used:
Assessment practices Course goals Assessing methods
Quizzes (20%) CD01 Selected; constructed response (gap-fill)
Group presentation (30%) CD01-3 Constructed response (performance-based)
Evaluative report (50%) CD01-3 Constructed response (performance-based)

3. Main assignments (80%)

3.1 Group presentation (30%)
3.1.1 Assessing target
This assignment uses “Conducting Needs Analysis” as a representative course content to collect
evidence for the extent to which pre-service EFL teachers have achieved the three course goals
mentioned above. To be more specific, in this assignment, pre-service EFL teachers need to
demonstrate that they are able to:
01 Spell out the relationship between “Conducting Needs Analysis” and (CD01)
“Formulating Course Goals and Objectives”
02 Select suitable principles and instruments for a particular needs analysis (CD02)
process.
03 Highlight the potential benefits of the selected principles and instruments for (CD03)
that process.

3.1.2 Assessing task

In groups of 3 to 5, study the scenario below and then create a plan to collect relevant data for
the purpose of defining the NEEDS of the following group of learners.
 A group of 11 in-service hotel receptionists from different hotels in Hanoi would like to
improve their job-related English proficiency to reach the following standards:
 Able to provide potential hotel guests with information during telephone enquires;
 Able to make a hotel reservation for guests utilizing the correct English vocabulary and
terminology;
 Able to check guests in and out of hotels in the correct sequence;
 Able to use correct English language phrases for check-in and check-out services;
 Able to examine and respond to customers’ complaints with helpful and non-offensive
English language phrases
You are recruited to design and deliver an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course to this
group of learners. To this end, the first thing that you need to do is to identify their actual
NEEDS. Create a plan for such a needs analysis. In this plan, you should:
1. Restate the purpose of the above needs analysis (CD01);
2. Identify the data that you need to collect for the above purpose (CD02);
3. Identify the stake-holders who can give you these data (CD02);
4. Select a potential instrument or a set of potential instruments to collect these data
(CD02);
5. Devise a sample content (e.g., a test task, a key section in a questionnaire survey, an
interview or an observation scheme) for one of the above instruments (CD02+);
6. Pilot this sample content and suggest the relevant changes (if any) (CD02+).
When you get it done, you will have from 10 to 15 minutes to present your plan to the HR
departments of these hotels and persuade them about the plausibility of this plan (CD03).

3.1.3 Marking rubrics

The HR departments of these hotels will use the following marking rubrics to evaluate the
plausibility of your Needs Analysis plan.
1 (Poor) 2 (Fair) 3 (Good) 4 (Excellent)
CD01 Fail to spell out Be able to spell out Be able to spell out Be able to spell
(5%) the relationship the relationship the relationship out the
between the needs between the needs between the needs relationship
analysis above and analysis above and analysis above and between the needs
the course goal the course goal the course goal analysis above and
formulation and formulation, formulation, the course goal
maintain this formulation and
relationship However, fail to However, fail to maintain this
throughout the maintain this maintain this relationship
presentation. relationship relationship in throughout the
throughout the some parts of the presentation.
presentation. presentation.
CD02 Fail to select Be able to select Be able to select Be able to select
CD02 suitable principles/ suitable principles/ suitable principles/ suitable principles/
+ instruments for the instruments for the instruments for the instruments for the
(15%) above needs above needs above needs above needs
analysis as well as analysis. analysis and devise analysis.
 devise a sample a sample content.
content.
However, fail to However, fail to Be able to devise
devise a sample pilot and improve a sample content,
content, pilot, and this sample. pilot, and
improve it. improve it.
CD03 Fail to justify the Be able to justify Be able to justify Be able to justify
(10%) selection of the plausibility of the plausibility of the plausibility of
principles and only some selected most selected all selected
instruments for the principles and principles and principles and
target needs instruments. instruments. instruments.
analysis process.

3.2 Evaluative report (50%)

3.2.1 Assessing target
This assignment uses “Selecting and Evaluating Instructional Materials” as another
representative course content to gather evidence for the extent to which pre-service EFL teachers
have achieved the three course goals above. To be more specific, this assignment aims to
measure their ability to:
01 Spell out the relationship between the course goals/objectives and the materials CD01
evaluation/development.
02 Evaluate the suitability of a given set of instructional materials for a particular CD02
language course with a view to making a final decision regarding whether this CD02+
set of materials should be used.
03 Justify the plausibility of the above decision, using the specific evidence from CD03
the evaluation.

3.2.2 Assessing task

In groups of 3-5, supposing that you are now working as EFL teachers for a state-owned high
school in Vietnam. In this context, you are required to help your Grade 10 students to achieve
Level 3 of the Six-level Foreign Language Competency Framework for Vietnam. Prior to your
new school year, the head master asks your group to select suitable listening materials for your
actual teaching. Complete the following task:
 Study the required competences for the listening ability at Level 3 of the Six-level
Foreign Language Competency Framework for Vietnam below (CD01):
1. Nghe hội thoại giữa những người bản ngữ hay những người không trực tiếp đối thoại
- Có thể hiểu được ý chính của các hội thoại mở rộng nếu lời nói được diễn đạt rõ ràng bằng
ngôn ngữ chuẩn mực.
2. Nghe trình bày và hội thoại
- Có thể theo dõi và hiểu được dàn ý của các bài nói ngắn, đơn giản về các chủ đề quen thuộc
 nếu được diễn đạt theo giọng chuẩn, rõ ràng.
- Có thể theo dõi và hiểu được các bài giảng hay cuộc nói chuyện về đề tài quen thuộc hoặc
trong phạm vi chuyên môn của mình nếu được diễn đạt một cách đơn giản với cấu trúc rõ
ràng.
3. Nghe thông báo, hướng dẫn, chỉ dẫn
- Có thể hiểu, làm theo được các thông tin kỹ thuật đơn giản như hướng dẫn vận hành các thiết
bị thông dụng.
- Có thể hiểu các chỉ dẫn chi tiết (ví dụ như các hướng dẫn về giao thông).
4. Nghe đài và xem truyền hình
- Có thể hiểu các ý chính của các chương trình điểm tin trên đài phát thanh và những nội dung
phỏng vấn, phóng sự, phim thời sự có hình ảnh minh họa cho nội dung cốt truyện được diễn
đạt rõ ràng và bằng ngôn ngữ đơn giản.
- Có thể nắm bắt được các ý chính trong các chương trình phát thanh và truyền hình về các đề
tài quen thuộc và được diễn đạt tương đối chậm và rõ ràng.
- Có thể hiểu một phần tương đối nội dung các chương trình phát thanh và truyền hình về các
chủ điểm mà bản thân quan tâm, ví dụ như các cuộc phỏng vấn, các bài giảng ngắn và các bản
tin được diễn đạt tương đối chậm và rõ ràng.

 Evaluate the extent to which the objectives and the actual tasks of the listening lessons in
Tieng Anh 10 (Volume 1 and 2) by Hoang Van Van et al. (2020) are matched to the
above course goals (CD01-02).
 Based on this evaluation, make a final decision regarding whether this textbook should be
used for your 10 graders in their listening lessons (CD02+).
 Justify the plausibility of your decision by using specific evidence from the above
evaluation (CD03).
 Write an evaluative report from 1,000 to 1,500 words to communicate your findings and
decision with your head master.
3.2.3 Marking rubrics
The head master will use the following marking rubrics to assess the quality of your report.
1 (Poor) 2 (Fair) 3 (Good) 4 (Excellent)
CD01 Fail to spell out Be able to spell out Be able to spell out Be able to spell
(10%) the relationship the relationship the relationship out the
between the course between the course between the course relationship
goals and the goals and the goals and the between the course
materials materials materials goals and the
evaluation and evaluation, evaluation, materials
maintain this evaluation and
relationship However, fail to However, fail to maintain this
 throughout the maintain this maintain this relationship
report. relationship relationship in throughout the
throughout the some parts of the report.
report. report.
CD02 Fail to map the Be able to map Be able to map Be able to map all
CD02+ lesson objectives, only some of the most of the lesson of the lesson
(25%) tasks in the given lesson objectives, objectives, tasks in objectives, tasks in
materials to the tasks in the given the given materials the given materials
pre-set course materials to the pre- to the pre-set to the pre-set
goals. set course goals. course goals. course goals.
CD03 Fail to make a Be able to make a Be able to make a Be able to make a
(15%) plausible decision plausible decision plausible decision plausible decision
based on the based on the based on the based on the
mapping results mapping results, mapping results and mapping results
and justify it with justify it with and convincingly
specific evidence. specific evidence. justify it with
specific evidence.
However, fail to However, a couple
justify it with of justification
specific evidence. instances are
invalid.