Projects related to the European Language Portfolio (ELP) carried out at the Language Centre of the University of Trieste are concerned to examine whether and to what extent "can do" descriptors can be extended to courses in Languages for Specific Purposes. The project reported in this article had two aims. The first was to explore what…

English for General Purposes (EGP) is a foundation course which should be taken by all the undergraduate students at the University of Tabriz, Iran. However, the EGP course cannot meet the students' objectives and needs. Evidently, it has some shortcoming and the results of the study indicate that it not only has lost its credibility but also has…

Examines reasons for the failure of modern language teaching to fulfill its cultural aims and focuses on teaching methods, student assessment, course content, and teacher role. Conclusions are that teachers must be aware of the implications of different teaching strategies, their influence, and limitations. (17 references) (CK)

This curriculum guide is designed for use in a course based on the English translation of Book 1 of Vergil's "Aeneid." The life of the author is briefly surveyed along with the Augustine Age of Latin literature. A study of the dactylic hexameter and poetic devices used by Vergil is emphasized. The guide includes a statement of the broad…

The third part of a five-part Spanish course serves as a curriculum guide to accompany the basic text, "ALM Spanish," Units 21 and 22. The overall goals of the course are to teach students to understand, speak, read, and write at a normal speed any arrangement of lexical and structural material learned. The guide focuses on six areas of…

This is a guide to a realization and appreciation of the German culture, gained through the use of oral and written German. Four areas of language instruction are emphasized: (1) listening, (2) speaking, (3) reading, and (4) writing. The guide is divided into five sections: (1) broad goals and performance objectives, which include a breakdown of…

This curriculum guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the text, "Artes Latinae," units 11-17. The course focuses on the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as on cultural background material. Attention is also paid to developing a positive student attitude toward language learning. The student moves at his…

The fourth part of a 5-part Spanish course serves as a curriculum guide to accompany the basic text, "ALM Spanish," units 16 and 17. Emphasis on guided discussion and free conversation is maintained throughout the course. The guide focuses on six areas of language instruction: (1) listening, (2) speaking, (3) reading, (4) writing, (5)…

The second part of a 5-part course in Spanish serves as a curriculum guide to accompany the basic text, "ALM Spanish," units 12 and 13. The guide focuses on six areas of language instruction: (1) listening, (2) speaking, (3) reading, (4) writing, (5) culture knowledge, and (6) student analysis of attitudes toward language learning. The…

Discusses student evaluation in foreign-language courses and argues that passing a multiple-choice test should not be a course objective. Suggests that achieving such an objective does not ensure that students understand the topic or that they will use their new knowledge in new situations, nor that they know how to analyze to the appropriate…

This curriculum guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the text "Artes Latinae," units 1-10. The course focuses on the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as on cultural background material. Emphasis is placed on developing a positive student attitude toward language learning. The student moves at his own…

This curriculum guide is designed for a course based on Ovid's poetry. It includes a statement of the broad goals and performance objectives of the course, a summary of course content, suggestions for the expansion of material, sample evaluations, and a list of references. (PMP)

This article presents a model of formative task-based language assessment implemented in the Chinese language program at the University of Iowa. The model was conceptualized from both empirical evidence, namely previous research done by other team members and me, and assessment theory, namely task-based learning and testing. Our formative…

This curriculum guide is designed for a course based on the text "ALM Russian," second edition, units 11, 12, and 13. The course focuses on the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as on cultural background material. Particular emphasis is placed on developing the student's knowledge of grammar. The guide includes a…

This article explores how teachers, students, and other stakeholders collaboratively develop classroom-based assessment procedures for the evaluation of oral skills. By considering crucial issues in assessment such as validity, teacher-learner collaboration, and contextual factors, the authors provide a checklist that will help ESL/EFL teachers…