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Article published In: Emerging Assessment Needs and Solutions in EMI in Higher Education
Edited by Slobodanka Dimova and Joyce Kling
[Journal of English-Medium Instruction 1:2] 2022
► pp. 255–274

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The Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE)

Assessing lecturers’ English proficiency in Flanders

ORCiD logo with link | University of Antwerp
 | Ghent University
 | Ghent University
 | Ghent University
Published online: 25 August 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.21007.van
Abstract
In Flemish higher education, lecturers teaching in a language other than their mother tongue need official proof of their C1 level in that language. As a result, Flemish universities developed the ITACE (Interuniversity Test of Academic English), a domain-specific and purpose-built language test linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and validated by an independent audit commission. Yet, the introduction of a mandatory language test was heavily contested in Flemish academia and in the media. In addition, the ITACE was perceived as a political tool of the government to enforce its language policy. Almost ten years after its introduction, the ITACE now appears to be widely accepted. The introduction of the test revealed that initial scepticism can be overcome through development, proper contextualization, and use of a high-quality, target-specific instrument. The article discusses the context in which the test was created, the construction of the test (addressing issues of reliability and validity), and the implications of the test, including its pedagogical and societal relevance.
Abstract (Dutch)
In het Vlaamse hoger onderwijs hebben docenten die lesgeven in een andere taal dan hun moedertaal een officieel bewijs nodig van hun C1-niveau in die taal. Daarom ontwikkelden Vlaamse universiteiten de ITACE (Interuniversity Test of Academic English), een domein-specifieke taaltest gekoppeld aan het ERK (Europees Referentiekader voor de Talen) die werd gevalideerd door een onafhankelijke auditcommissie. De invoering van een verplichte taaltest zorgde voor beroering in de Vlaamse academische wereld en in de media, o.a. omdat de test werd gezien als een politiek instrument van de overheid. Bijna tien jaar na de implementatie van de test lijkt de ITACE algemeen aanvaard. De implementatie bracht aan het licht dat aanvankelijke scepsis kan worden overwonnen door de ontwikkeling, goede contextualisering en gebruik van een kwalitatief hoogwaardige, doelspecifieke test. Het artikel bespreekt de context waarin de test werd ontwikkeld, de constructie van de test (waarbij wordt ingegaan op betrouwbaarheid en validiteit) en de implicaties van de test, in het bijzonder de pedagogische en maatschappelijke relevantie.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Context, text, test
  • Presentation of the ITACE
    • Administration and logistics
    • Test construct
    • Marking and grading
    • Test analysis
  • The ITACE in practice
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
References (38)
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2025. English proficiency, pedagogy, and confidence: what really matters in EMI teaching?. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
De Soete, Alexander
2023. EMI and its sociolinguistic entanglement with local languages. Journal of English-Medium Instruction 2:2 ► pp. 134 ff. DOI logo

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