Under Law 14, adult education students without a certificate of eligibility to study in English, or who do not meet one of the identified exemptions, have to pass French language tests before they can receive their attestation of college studies (AEC).
Samantha Morley, a pedagogical counsellor in Champlain Saint-Lambert's Continuing Education department, says that can be a stressful experience as well as an additional barrier toward getting certified.
"Most of our students who aren't exempt are coming from other parts of the world. You have to do your tests in a language centre which is a very particular environment that produces a lot of anxiety," she said.
Morley developed a virtual reality simulation aimed at helping students practice their speaking and listening language tests in an environment that replicates the one they will take their real test in.
Students can put on a VR headset and find themselves in a cubicle where they can choose to take a practice test with sample questions, feedback, strategies and tips. In the simulation, students don't have the option to pause, consult resource materials or look answers up online. Morley says this helps identify where they need to improve and prepares them for the speed and timing of a real test.
"We wanted to give students that are practicing the same level of control and access to outside information as they will have during the in-person test," she said. "Putting them in a VR headset allows them to truly test what they know."
Morley developed the tool over the summer and invited the students in the Continuing Education Virtual & Augmented Reality Specialist program to provide feedback on it based on what they learned.
"It's valuable feedback because they are almost at the end of their program. They can give me user feedback and developer feedback pointing out specific glitches," she said.
In October, Morley began testing the simulation with actual students who will have to take the language tests at the end of their studies. She also has plans to improve it by adding a 3D-modeled avatar of a person that interacts with the user and gives them feedback.
She hopes to launch this additional element in 2025 to make the experience even closer to the real test, using AI technology to create an avatar to administer the test and give feedback. The goal is to create a model that responds to the user's oral French with appropriate responses and feedback, to mimic a real verbal exam.
The Champlain Continuing Education department currently has about 150 students who are required to take these tests before they can receive their certification.
