Tracing the Journey of the Use of Computer Technology in the Field of Second and Foreign Language Assessment and Testing

Technologies create opportunities for reflection on the development and evaluation of innovations in the profession as a whole and this has been quite evident in the field of second language teaching, learning and testing since the advent of CALL [Computer Assisted Language Learning]. The use of computer technology in language teaching, learning & testing brought the digital revolution in the profession and reshaped the existing practices. This also provided an opportunity for the pundits in the field to contemplate on possible capitalization on the use of computer technology to overcome many of the prevailing problems in the profession. Such constant contemplations, with immense research work over the possible use of computer technology in the field of language teaching, learning and testing gave birth to the discipline of CALT (Computer Assisted Language Testing). Since its advent, CALT has transformed the existing assessment and testing practices tremendously making them more flexible, innovative, individualized and fast. Today academic institutions, individual teaching professionals, and large testing corporations worldwide are exploiting the potentials embedded in it to cater the need of assessing large number of people, cheaply and efficiently. This journey of the use of computer technology in the field of second and foreign language assessment and testing has been traced in the paper focusing on the changing roles and shifts in the use of this technology.