Retos en la implementación de exámenes de lenguas en línea con Moodle

Abstract

The application of online exams provides several benefits compared to traditional examinations, especially cost reduction, flexibility in terms of locations and schedules, and the optimization of the entire process, where the inclusion of more dynamic and interactive questions is facilitated, and the delivery of results becomes more efficient. However, in some cases it is not enough to use the resources and activities provided by the content management system that was chosen to support these exams; instead, it is necessary to generate customized solutions to meet particular needs. This was the case of the admission exams for different projects at the Escuela Nacional de Lenguas, Lingüística y Traducción, where the reading and listening comprehension sections required adjustments either in the configuration or in the Moodle programming. The design of the technological solutions used a software engineering-based methodology to define the requirements and to propose solutions within the available institutional resources, as well as delivering the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of using a commercial solution. Specifically, the programming that was required to control the number of audio playbacks in the listening comprehension sections was developed within an agile methodology that promoted a continuous improvement cycle with adjustments based on the areas of opportunity that were detected. The reported results show how adaptable Moodle is for specific tasks, while they provide lessons learned and outline new paths to be explored in future work. At the same time, the results suggest recommendations and reflections that may be useful for solving similar problems in other contexts.