If you just saw me speak at a conference, this is the page for you — slides and a short summary for each talk, most recent first.
Peer-reviewed conference talks and posters, most recent first.
Cox, T. L. (2026)
Examines how global proficiency frameworks like the ACTFL Guidelines and CEFR can inform locally adapted, learner-centered assessment, drawing on data from more than 2,600 university students to explore how grit, willingness to communicate, and metacognitive calibration develop together as learners advance.
AssessmentSelf-AssessmentCox, T. L., Alexieva, P., & Wilcox, M. (2026)
Applies Assessment Engineering to a legacy exam in continuous use since 1953, reverse-engineering its implicit structure and aligning it to the ILR proficiency scale to support principled item development going forward.
AssessmentProgram AdministrationCox, T. L., Wilcox, M., Mir, S., Hansen, J., & Farnsworth, A. (2026)
Reports a needs and content analysis conducted ahead of developing a BYU-specific English admissions test, identifying the language demands first-year courses place on multilingual students as a lower-cost, better-validated alternative to standardized options like TOEFL and IELTS.
AssessmentProgram AdministrationCox, T. L. (2026)
Tests whether a brief training module on the ACTFL proficiency guidelines improves learners' ability to accurately self-assess their own proficiency. Contrary to expectation, trained learners over-assessed their proficiency significantly more than untrained learners — suggesting brief, broad-scope training alone may be insufficient for improving self-assessment accuracy.
Self-AssessmentACTFLCox, T. L. (2026)
Examines whether Willingness to Communicate functions differently for advanced learners of German specifically, using a dataset of more than 3,000 learners across multiple languages for comparison.
SpeakingSelf-AssessmentCox, T. L. (2026)
Explores how Willingness to Communicate functions across digital and face-to-face environments for advanced second language learners, examining how context, affect, and modality shape learners' readiness to communicate.
SpeakingSelf-AssessmentCox, T. L., Thompson, G., Oliveira, D., & Rose, C. (2025)
Reports on a collaborative, data-informed process using ACTFL OPIc diagnostic data to identify proficiency trends across and within languages, supporting more effective curriculum design in multilevel classrooms.
AssessmentCurriculum DesignCox, T. L. & Rose, C. (2025)
A research-informed guide to grading systems that support mastery and risk-taking rather than grade protection, arguing that language learning works best when treated as an "infinite game" rather than a finite one.
AssessmentCurriculum DesignCox, T. L. (2025)
Explores how AI is reshaping language assessment, from Spanish (BYU's most widely taught language) to underrepresented languages — covering temporal fluency research, self-assessment tools, and how models like XGBoost and mDeBERTa can provide scalable, low-cost proficiency ratings.
AssessmentAI in AssessmentCox, T. L. (2025)
Presents validation work on a Willingness to Communicate scale with advanced foreign language learners, drawn from a large multi-language dataset.
SpeakingSelf-AssessmentCox, T. L. (2024)
The same WTC validation work presented to the East Coast language testing community, alongside a companion poster on conducting a language needs analysis through a proficiency framework — a Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) case study.
SpeakingSelf-AssessmentCox, T. L. (2023)
Examines how accurately advanced foreign language learners judge their own proficiency, replicating and extending prior research on self-appraisal calibration.
Self-AssessmentCox, T. L. (2023)
Explores how mindfulness practices can be integrated into proficiency-based language instruction.
Curriculum DesignKeynotes, invited lectures, and webinars, most recent first.
Cox, T. L. (2025)
An invited lecture using personal narrative and ACTFL proficiency research to explore why fluency — speed and accuracy — isn't the real marker of language mastery, and how grit, willingness to communicate, and honest self-assessment shape long-term language growth.
ACTFLSelf-AssessmentDownload Slides — Barker Lecture (PDF) · Download Slides — Yale (PDF) · Watch the Recording
Cox, T. L. (2025)
A public-audience version of the "Failing Forward" talk on language proficiency and lifelong learning, delivered alongside the release of the book Called to Serve, Called to Speak (Provo, UT: Y Mountain Press, 2025).
ACTFLSelf-AssessmentCox, T. L. (2025)
Draws on the LASER (Language Ability Self-Evaluation Resource) dataset to examine the metacognitive habits and mindset patterns that distinguish the most proficient language learners.
Self-AssessmentACTFLCox, T. L. (2026)
A hands-on workshop helping language instructors shift from teaching what students know to designing what students can actually do, using backward-design principles to build real communicative ability into everyday instruction.
Curriculum DesignTeacher TrainingCox, T. L. (2023)
An earlier delivery of the same proficiency-integration workshop for language teachers in the Southwest region.
Curriculum DesignTeacher TrainingCox, T. L. (2021)
Explores the often-unstated ways assessment design shapes student learning and motivation, for a general (non-language-specific) teaching audience.
AssessmentCox, T. L. (2021)
An introduction to ACTFL proficiency concepts for instructors and students in BYU's Pathway program.
ACTFLTeacher TrainingCox, T. L. (2020)
Examines how the design of classroom assessments shapes what and how students actually learn, even when that influence isn't intentional.
AssessmentCurriculum DesignCox, T. L. (2020)
A webinar on designing valid proficiency measures for less commonly taught languages, where established large-scale testing infrastructure often doesn't exist.
AssessmentACTFLCox, T. L. (2019)
A personal reflection on growth, discomfort, and stretching beyond comfort zones, connecting principles of discipleship and scholarship.
Self-AssessmentCox, T. L. (2013–2015)
Presents systematic approaches to training raters for consistent, reliable scoring of performance-based language assessments.
AssessmentRaschA few talks from the CV — including recurring BYU/LARC teaching sessions and guest lectures — are summarized in aggregate on the Materials page rather than listed individually here.