Description

This event is open to MA students, doctoral students, post-doc researchers, faculty members, and anybody interested in the practical dimension of second language testing.

Prof. Dr. Bonilla's lecture will detail the challenges and best practices of evaluating second language and heritage language students for placement into Spanish language courses. The literature on testing for placement purposes in second language acquisition and language testing provides some insight, but language programs must make many decisions that draw from their specific student base and program characteristics to develop appropriate instruments that can reliably serve to evaluate students’ abilities. This lecture will offer a practical guide to test development and assessment based on her work developing an online placement test. Supported by research on second language acquisition and language testing, the lecture will focus on the steps used to develop test content, pilot the test, evaluate results for reliability and validity, incorporate student and faculty input, and tailor versions for heritage language students. The information presented in the lecture can be applied to second languages beyond Spanish.

Before and after the lecture, there will also be open office hours with the speaker.

Prof. Dr. Bonilla is the Basic Spanish Program coordinator in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at George Mason University. Prof. Dr. Bonilla has published numerous peer-reviewed studies in journals such as Second Language Research, Foreign Language Annals, Journal of Spanish Language Teaching, and Hispania as well as multiple peer-reviewed chapters in edited volumes. She has conducted classroom-based research on multidisciplinary teams as well as independently on topics related to pedagogical practices as related to the acquisition of syntax and morphology and individual differences such as cognitive aptitude. Her research has focused on questions of language learning and assessment of linguistic development in various learning environments, including online learning, classroom learning, community-based learning, and study abroad. In 2025, her article on placement testing and linguistic development was nominated by the editors of Hispania for the ACTFL/NFMLTA/MLJ Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in World Language Education.

This event is supported by the Doctoral School at Ghent University and the Internalization@Home program from the Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication.

If you have any questions, send an email to: nausica.marcosmiguel@ugent.be