Candice J. Marshall from Earlham College presented at TESOL 2016 on a new method for placing international students in ESL courses using video interviews instead of inadequate compass testing. The video interview process involved pre-screening, scheduling, and technology like Skype, resulting in 26 out of 33 interviewed students being aptly placed in ESL courses. Recommendations included confirming appointments, addressing bandwidth issues, and exploring alternative online forms for increased accessibility.

1. Candice J. Marshall, M.A.
Earlham College
Presented at TESOL 2016, Electronic Village
April 6, 2016, 11 AM

2. Overview
 Rationale
 Pre-screening
 Scheduling Interview
 The Interview
 Technology
 Outcomes
 Recommendations
 Practice Interview

3. Rationale
We needed a better and more efficient way
to place students in ELL courses,
preferably pre-arrival.
COMPASS testing was inadequate for the
increasing number of international
students we had coming in.

4. Rationale (Continued)
We chose video interviews for:
Greater authenticity/verifiability for the writing
samples
A more personal touch – students get to interact
with someone at the school they will be
attending
A better understanding of the student as a whole
– their background and needs

5. Pre-Screening
IPO handled all confirmed applicants.
ESL gave them the criteria, they forwarded
us students who met it.
I.E. Under 94 TOEFL
Picture source: http://www.yourerc.com/blog/image.axd?picture=%2f2013%2f07%2fpre-screening.jpg

6. Scheduling an Interview
Tools:
Doodle (Doodle.com)
World Time Buddy (worldtimebuddy.com)

7. Doodle

8. World Time Buddy

9. The Interview
Google Forms (http://goo.gl/forms/5BipwjDg5n)

10. Interview Technology Used
Skype
*successful
Firefox Hello
*less successful

11. Outcomes
33 students interviewed
26 of 33 were placed in ESL courses
Of those placed through interview process,
25 of 26 were suitably placed.
1 (placed in most advanced course) may not
have needed it, but we erred on the side of
caution.

12. Recommendations
Make sure to confirm appointments and
send reminders.
Be mindful of potential bandwidth issues for
the student’s video feed
Experiment with other online forms for
greater accessibility (i.e. Chinese)
Things to try for next year – Wufoo, Qualtrics

13. Practice Interview
I need a volunteer!