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For Faculty Evaluators

Guidelines for Department Representatives Serving as Evaluators for Graduate Student Instructor Oral English Tests (GSI OET) In 1983 the ELI assumed responsibility for the assessment of the speaking ability of prospective graduate student instructors (GSIs) who do not hold an undergraduate degree from an institution in which English is the language of instruction. Since that time, a faculty representative from the department in which the GSI would be working has been a member of the evaluation team. Most tests are conducted at the English Language Institute unless otherwise arranged. The purpose of the OET is to assess an individual's competence and effectiveness in the type of communication commonly used by GSIs at the University of Michigan. The test is designed to evaluate proficiency at the high intermediate to advanced level. The OET, which takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete, consists of four tasks that represent the multiple contexts in which GSIs may interact: General Interview, Lesson Presentation, Office Hour Role-Play, and Recorded Questions. Description of the GSI OET All tasks are taken into account in evaluating a student’s performance. A candidate will not pass or fail the test based on performance on just one task. It is important to keep in mind that this is not a test of teaching ability. It is a test of language ability while teaching. In addition to assessing the general level of language ability, the tasks and evaluation criteria are used as diagnostic tools to identify strengths and weaknesses of the candidate. This information, in turn, is used to recommend or require placement, if needed, into courses offered through the English Language Institute. There are three evaluators present at each test: two members of the ELI Testing Division and one faculty representative from the department in which the GSI would be working. All tests are video-recorded. Once a test is finished, the candidate leaves the room and each evaluator independently rates the prospective GSI. Evaluation Criteria Rating Scale Evaluators then discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate to reach a consensus rating. One evaluator alone cannot decide a test result. Below is specific information about the roles of the evaluators during the GSI test. Please contact India Plough, GSI OET program manager, indiac@umich.edu, 734.615.9627, if you have any questions. Components of the GSI Test (PDF) (and what faculty representatives should do during the test)  Download Adobe's free PDF reader.