@Linguist_CIOL
FEBRUARY/MARCH The Linguist 21
FEATURES
pool – not least internationally – so I would
not be surprised if two sessions of DipTrans a
year didn't become the 'new normal'. Time
will tell.
JW: That sounds very promising for CIOL
and the profession Ela, but I know it has
been very hard work.
EKS: Yes, but for a good cause. Online is
different and in some ways harder, but I'm
glad we've made the move and it's definitely
our future.
JW: Thank you Ela and Dom; and great
thanks to the whole CIOLQ team. Online is
definitely our future, so it's fantastic that
we're underway.
Find out more about CIOL qualifications at
ciol.org.uk/ciol-qualifications
Business Development Manager Dom Hebblethwaite and Head of
y-Spechko about the challenges of taking CIOL examinations online
particularly challenging, but we are working
on this and I'm optimistic that we'll develop
better solutions as we go forward.
JW: We chose Rogo as our eAssessment
platform. What did you like about Rogo
which led to us choosing them, Dom?
Dom Hebblethwaite: We had a long list of
around ten providers, which we whittled down
to three platforms, but in the end our choice
was clear. Ease of use and platform flexibility,
combined with the ability to customise in line
with our rigorous processes, were the critical
points in the evaluation process. Rogo
(getrogo.com) has been designed with 'high
stakes' Awarding Organisations in mind and
is used in more than 160 countries,
complementing our position as a specialist
language qualifications Awarding Organisation
with genuine international reach.
JW: How have the first exam sessions gone?
EKS: There are some generic issues with
online delivery that we are working through.
Some candidates have less confidence and
comfort using web-based systems than pen
and paper. Candidates are also using their
own wifi, laptops and equipment. We all
know, from myriad Zoom and Teams calls
during lockdown, that connectivity and kit
can pose more than the occasional problem.
On the plus side, the overwhelming
majority of early online candidates have coped
well with the new way of being examined
and have valued the 'chat' and 'remote
assistance' from the online invigilators, as well
as the FAQs, pre-preparation and trial run
information we give them.
JW: Have there been any problems?
EKS: Some candidates have experienced
technical issues and feel they have not been
able to do themselves justice. We are talking
to them about how best we can help them;
where appropriate we will use our Special
Considerations policy, and work with
candidates to reschedule or resit if needed.
We are confident that we can find good
solutions for these candidates.
As for future challenges, we are already
finding that with more FAQs and pre-
communication, as well as the enhanced real-
time candidate support we have put in place,
we are helping people to adapt to what is a
new way of being assessed for many. The
level of take-up looks really promising. We've
had particularly strong uptake of the Diploma
in Translation (DipTrans). We think the online
DipTrans may well attract a larger candidate
go online
