DIALANG: A Diagnostic Language Assessment System.

This article features the diagnostic language assessment system DIALANG, a computer software developed by the organization of the same name. This computer-based technology is able to provide tests of different language skills in fourteen European languages. The purpose of the DIALANG is to provide users with diagnostic information about their language proficiency which will allow them to become aware of their strengths and weakness and find ways to develop their language skills. Separate assessments in the language skills are provided. The target group is teenagers and adults who wish to have their foreign language skills diagnosed and evaluated, independent of any formal education system. A test session typically takes thirty to forty five minutes to complete. The two innovative features of DIALANG are its use of self-assessments in this low-stakes situation and its use of computers and the Internet as the medium of test delivery.