To improve the level of English education in China and promote the cultivation of compound application-oriented talents in colleges and universities, this research integrates the concept of conceive design implement operate (CDIO) into college English education. First, the CDIO educational concept is introduced in detail. Second, the moth-flame optimization (MFO) algorithm and the support vector machine (SVM) model by the MFO algorithm are presented, and they are applied to teaching evaluation, and then the teaching plan is proposed by the CDIO concept. The teaching evaluation model is applied to the English teaching of students in class A with ordinary learning levels in a university in Hengyang City. The implementation method of the teaching plan is explained in detail by taking “Unit 2 Charlie Chaplin” in the textbook “New Horizons College English” as an example. Finally, the accuracy of the MFO-SVM model for teaching evaluation is verified by simulation analysis, and the corresponding teaching strategies are summarized through teaching evaluation and customization of teaching plans. The experimental results reveal that the MFO-SVM model has an accuracy of 96.43% in teaching evaluation, while the extreme learning machine (ELM), SVM, and back propagation neural network (BPNN) models have an accuracy of 92.27%, 90.45%, and 86.36%, respectively in the evaluation results of the teaching quality. The summarized teaching strategies are mainly divided into four parts, namely, autonomous learning, project-based teaching, dynamic generation and information feedback, and production teaching. This research has a certain reference for the current reform of English education in China and the cultivation of compound application-oriented talents.