This edited volume is a collation of evidence-based test provider and institutional accounts of the remote online delivery and administration of tests originally developed for in-centre delivery. Until recently empirical investigations of remote online language testing were limited and the various types of validation evidence had not been specified. This led to a degree of opacity regarding remote online test administration and delivery. The first-hand accounts of remote testing solutions presented here span a diverse range of languages, countries, contexts and intended purposes. The editors have drawn on these experiences to propose a framework (the Process Framework for Online Test Validation) to support remote online testing as an established mode of delivery. They argue that test providers should be accountable to test users, supporting their choices and assertions with empirical evidence and communicating transparently. Suggestions are based on empirical validation research involving key stakeholders and conducted by language testers delivering remote online tests in various high-stakes contexts. This book will be of interest to both researchers and practitioners in the language assessment field, including but not limited to language testing for admissions purposes, second language assessment and academic literacy.

Tony Clark is Head of Assessment Validity at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, UK. His current research interests include multimodal learning and assessment, high-stakes test comparisons and concordances, and investigating test impact and different test delivery modes. In his previous role, he was Head of IELTS Research.  

Emma Bruce is an assessment researcher at the British Council, UK. Areas of expertise include test development and validation, integrated skills testing and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Before joining the British Council, Emma worked in the tertiary sector for over two decades, initially as a lecturer, and later as a Head of EAP testing and assessment.