ONLINE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT

For this week I want to share with all of you about one article that I have read last week.This article is about the need for in-service English language training for UKM lecturers.

The mastery of English is seen to be instrumental for developing nations such as Malaysia to compete in the global market. The role of English language is to complement and supplement but never to substitute for or compete with the socio-cultural role that have been well imbedded and well entrenched in the national language, Bahasa Malaysia. Throughout the nation, teachers of mathematics and science are receiving English language training through the English for Teaching of Mathematics and Science (eTeMS) programme.
UKM in this efforts to remain competitive in a borderless world has now given emphasize to the use of English for academic and professional purposes. One of its efforts is to ensure at least 50% of English use by 2005. These decisions are also in keeping with the university’s strategic plans for internationalization of its programmes. Central to these plans is the English language competency of practicing academicians or in-service lecturers who have been subjected to this change, particularly the medium of instruction. A language competency profiling of these lecturers will be useful as the information will guide and inform in their placement of language training modules. For this purpose, the English language competency test should profile the lecturers’ general English language proficiency and instructional language target language.
Besides that, the development of English language training modules for in-service lecturers and the construction of the online English placement test are significant examples epitomizing lifelong learning practices valued by the School of Language Studies and Linguistics. The objectives of the UKM Strategic Plan for 2000-2020 which are related to ICT include UKM to spearhead the campus ICT agenda by upgrading the ICT literacy and culture activities, to establish efficient management and service system, to upgrade training and staff development program and to prepare lifelong learning for all.

Lastly, I think that’s all for this time that I want to share with all of you. So, see you in the next posting.