Bases for the evaluation of the domain of the disciplinary forms of communication and specialized linguistic uses in Space European Higher Education (ESHE)

Abstract

The teaching and assessment of disciplinary forms of communication and specialized uses of language has a natural space for development in the university field. In fact, the new European Space for Higher Education (ESHE) is giving increasingly significant importance to communication specific competencies and specialized discourse in university curricula. As a result, the efforts to enhance their acquisition have increased in recent years and, consequently, the demand of valid and reliable proficiency certification systems that would recognize achievements in various languages, at least in Europe, have begun to gain strength. Similarly, the development of new curricula, the generalization of active learning methodologies and the introduction of new forms of assessment at university level have led to an environment that overcomes, in part, some of the difficulties which traditionally the language proficiency assessment has faced in specific contexts. So, this article provides an overview of the state of art, and, after an analysis of epistemological, methodological and documental bases of the teaching and assessing at the ESHE of disciplinary communication competencies and specialized uses of language, we will outline a framework procedure for recognizing proficiency certifications for specific purposes, as verified by the different systems of evaluation provided in the ESHE. The development of this framework procedure has taken account of the principles and methodologies of European quality assurance agencies (IALTA and ALTE among others), the suggestions of the most recent papers on language assessment (Douglas 2000, Davies 2008, Bachman and Palmer 2010; Fulcher and Davison 2012; etc.), and several recent experiences developed at Spanish universities (López and Edwards 2007; Ezeiza 2008 and 2009; Durán et al. 2009; etc.). Due to its direct relation to the subject of this article, it has also paid special attention to the Guidelines for the development of specific curricula (Martín Peris et al. 2012) recently published by the Cervantes Institute.