SELFFormative Language Assessment System
The SELF online placement test is reaching a new milestone with the development of a speaking assessment module, the component that was missing until now to cover the four fundamental skills. This module will complement the current assessments of listening, reading, and short writing, thus offering a more complete picture of learners' language abilities.
The SELF Production Orale project (SELF PO) is the result of a collaboration between the Laboratoire de Linguistique et Didactique des Langues Étrangères et Maternelles (LIDILEM) and the Laboratoire d'Informatique de Grenoble (LIG).
Two modules are currently under development: one for English, the other for French, the latter developed in collaboration with the University Center for French Studies (CUEF) and the Association of Directors of University Centers for French Studies for Foreigners (ADCUEFE).
Progressive funding for a major project
The project benefits from substantial financial support from Université Grenoble Alpes:
A cutting-edge technological approach
Automatic speaking assessment employs advanced speech processing technologies: speech recognition, syntactic and semantic analyses, extraction of speech representations from self-supervised models, and score prediction based on multiple linguistic parameters. These tools enable systematic, standardized, and large-scale assessment.
How does it work?
At the end of the test, students will respond orally to a series of questions by recording themselves via their microphone. An oral production score will be automatically calculated from these recordings and will enrich the SELF skills profile.
Expected availability: end of 2026
To learn more, watch the presentation of the SELF PO project during the webinar organized by the University of Lille in September 2025:
Link to the Video (in French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8TcJO4hizU
