Raili HildenView profile
Professor
Raili Hilden is a full professor in language didactics (foreign languages) at the University of Helsinki's Department of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences. Her core activities include research, teaching, and societal impact with a focus on language assessment, particularly in high-stakes testing contexts. She leads research projects like AASIS (Automatic assessment of spoken interaction in second language) and DigiTala, exploring automated assessment tools for speaking proficiency. She chairs the Finnish National Matriculation Examination Board's Swedish section and contributes to national curriculum development. Research Interests : Language assessment methodologies, teacher assessment literacy, educational equity in language education, and the integration of technology in language testing. Current projects emphasize automated scoring systems and multimodal assessment formats. Key Contributions : Directed national evaluations of language learning outcomes (2012-2014), developed grading criteria for Finnish national curricula, and pioneered computer-based language testing innovations. Her work bridges educational policy, technology, and pedagogical practice. Awards : Recipient of top honors including Vuoden kieltenopettaja 2003, Kulturfonden Språkpriset 2004, and The FIPLV International Award 2005. Active in international conferences and serves on boards like the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board. Grants/Projects : Multiple Academy of Finland grants (AASIS: 2023-2027; DigiTala: 2025-2026), DD-LANG (2022-2026) focusing on diagnostic language assessment innovations. Labs/Teams : Leads multidisciplinary teams combining linguistics, computer science, and educational research to advance automated assessment technologies. Collaborates with Scandinavian institutions on teacher assessment literacy initiatives.










