Fostering learners’ involvement in the assessment process during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of university language and communication teachers across the globe

Abstract

With the transition to online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for identifying effective methods of assessment has become paramount. The methods of traditional summative in-person, paperand-pencil exams could not be adapted to the online environment. In case of unsupervised (nonproctored) exams it was impossible to ensure students’ academic honesty. Some universities have offered remotely supervised (proctored) examinations, which has been a rare exception. The pandemic prompted teachers to innovate their assessment practice and apply formative assessment methods as an alternative to traditional summative assessment. They have started using tasks such as e-portfolios, online learning journals, blogs, online presentations, creative writing, and open-book exams, which present golden opportunities to involve students in the assessment process. This study aims to explore assessment-related experiences of language and communication teachers at higher education institutions (HEIs) during the pandemic. Our mixed-method research combines an international survey administered to university language and communication teachers (N=301) with in-depth interviews with a selection of participants (n=18) of the same background. The results provide valuable insights into the perceptions that university language and communication teachers have of effective assessment methods and pedagogical approaches engaging learners in assessment. The implications of the study advocate a growing trend toward a wider use of learner-centered assessment.

Post-pandemic social cohesiveness in English language learning: Actors’ capacity transformation

“…In this case, what is important is that all assignments are submitted on time, with flexibility in the time allowance from the lecturer, keeping in mind the limitations of the network. Moreover, honesty is included in the student's assessment, and from this perception, the selection of assessment methods can be described appropriately for learning English according to the student's needs (Koris & Pál, 2021). ( 3) The values of social sensitivity in the form of being patient, gentle, humanist, and economical can be attributed as internal factors of the success of learning.…”

Oral Reflection Tasks: Advanced Spanish L2 Learner Insights on Emergency Remote Teaching Assessment Practices in a Higher Education Context

“…(The adaptation process of the tasks and the criteria falls beyond the scope of this paper). This response aimed to guard against the inevitable threat of test security issues, which would benefit cheats and discriminate against honest students (Koris and Pál 2021). Despite the crisis, the redesigned assessments and marking grids utilized more authentic online materials compatible with increased remote security delivery and geared towards MDCA tasks.…”

A hallgatói munka értékelésének újragondolása a hazai felsőoktatásban tanító szaknyelvoktatók körében végzett kérdőíves felmérés tükrében

“…Célja, hogy feltárja a hazai szaknyelvoktatóknak a pandémia kitörése utáni időszakban szer-zett tapasztalatait a hallgatói értékeléssel kapcsolatban, valamint felmérje, hogy a hazai felsőoktatásban dolgozó szaknyelvoktatók milyen értékelési gyakorlatot tartanak hatékonynak távoktatási helyzetben. Az itt bemutatott kutatást többféle nemzetközi kontextusban is vizsgáltuk, melynek eredményeit nemzetközi tanulmánykötetben, illetve folyóiratban publikáltuk (Pál & Kóris, 2021a;Pál & Kóris, 2021b;Kóris & Pál, 2021). Az 1. táblázatban szereplő, hallgatói értékelésre használt feladatok osztályozása alapján jelen tanulmány célja, hogy meghatározzuk azokat a szaknyelvoktatásban használható feladattípusokat, amelyek hatékonyabbnak bizonyultak a kényszertávoktatási helyzetben, mint a jelenléti oktatási környezetben.…”