INNOVATIONS SERIES

Innovations in
learning technologies for
English language teaching
edited by Gary Motteram
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22 A practice-based exploration of technology enhanced assessment
Virtual learning environments
Case Study 62! "sing a virtual learning environment
Yrma G teaches in Turkey. She uses Moode to su!!ort her students" #ritin$ skis. She
!articuary ikes this too as it ao#s a sim!e #ay o% $ettin$ the students to u!oad
their #ritten #ork in sta$es& #hich she can then 'uicky !rovide %eedback on.
Moode ao#s students to u!oad individua assi$nments as %ies or even to #rite
directy onto a !a$e& #hich the teacher can access. This ao#s a sim!e #ay %or
students to submit their #ork& %eedback can be !rovided and the students can then re(
submit. It is aso a #ay o% ao#in$ the students to #rite in sta$es. They can u!oad their
introduction& then ater the main body& etc.
This makes the #hoe activity more !rocess(based. Irma can aso ook back and
com!are eary dra%ts #ith the %ina !roducts. It can be 'uite time(consumin$& but it is
very re#ardin$ %or the students and by havin$ the content oaded onto Moode it is
much easier to access and !rovide %eedback.
Assessment can be carried out in a more re%ective #ay by res!ondin$ to students&
rather than )ust correctin$. Students are encoura$ed to $o over their #ork a$ain
throu$h 'uestions& recommendations and su$$estions #here im!rovements need
to be made.
*y havin$ the student #ork dra%ts oaded onto Moode& it is much easier to access
and !rovide %eedback on the te+tua use o% En$ish. Students are aso encoura$ed to
do !eer revie# in the onine te+t discussion boards and this has he!ed deveo!
%riendshi!s as #e.
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A practice-based exploration of technology enhanced assessment ##
Many education and trainin$ or$ani,ations across the #ord are utii,in$ virtua
earnin$ environments -V.Es/ as mentioned in 0ase Study 1.2. It is beyond the imits
o% this cha!ter to tak about the assessment !ossibiities usin$ Moode because it
Is a very ar$e too that o%%ers a #hoe array o% !ossibiities3 It is %ree to do#noad but
re'uires a server to run on& and so o%ten the decision to run a virtua earnin$
environment ike Moode is normay made at institutiona eve. 4o#ever& buyin$
server s!ace is not that e+!ensive and it is not that di%%icut to do#noad and run your
o#n version o% Moode. There are aso commercia com!anies that o%%er hosted
versions o% Moode& so this need not be that e+!ensive.
Many hi$her educationa institutions are be$innin$ to introduce these ty!es o%
systems into their teachin$ and earnin$. 4o#ever& there are virtua earnin$
environments that are %ree and not di%%icut to set u! %or teachers. One interestin$ V.E
#hich is attractin$ a ot o% interest at the time o% #ritin$ is Edmo do. You can create
as many $rou!s as you #ant and each $rou! has a code. Students can access their $rou!
by sim!y #ritin$ in the code and do not even need to !rovide an emai address. The
inter%ace is very much ike 5acebook and the students have a #a
6here they can add inks& videos& or !ictures. The #a can be used %or cass or $rou!
discussions. Teachers can aso create 'ui,,es %or continua assessment and the
%eedback can be automated. Students can u!oad their assi$nments that the teacher can
then 'uicky access and !rovide %eedback on.
Case Study 6 #! Edmodo is a free po$erful V%E
Mouna #orks in Tunisia #ith $rou!s o% secondary schoo chidren earnin$ En$ish.
She ikes to $et them to discuss and share ideas on di%%erent to!ics each #eek.
Mouna uses Edmodo. She sets a discussion to!ic and each student is obi$ed to
make a minimum o% three contributions. The students do this at home. She revie#s
the discussion and takes notes. In cass she o%ten hi$hi$hts some o% the best
contributions and e+!ains #hy she ikes them. Each #eek she chooses the student #ho
has made the best contribution. This is not based on $rammar or an$ua$e but
On their abiity to communicate an idea e%%ectivey. 4er %ocus is to $et the students to
think ess about the $rammar and more about #hat they are sayin$. She is tryin$ to
encoura$e more %uency in their #ritin$ and more %ocus on the content o% #hat they
are tryin$ to say. It is an e+!erimenta idea. She has noticed that students #rite more or
ess de!endin$ on the to!ic. She is so#y buidin$ u! a ist o% the to!ics that the students
seem to ike to #rite about. She is 'uite ha!!y #ith her eary e+!eriments but #ants to
%ind more e%%ective #ays o% !rovidin$ %eedback on their comments.
Assessment tools that can develop oral s&ills
One o% the areas #here the a%%ordances o% I0T is !erha!s most !ertinent is in the
area o% ora skis. It has a#ays been !ossibe to record students usin$ cassette
recorders but this #as o%ten cumbersome and didn"t ao# %or easy distribution and
sharin$. There is no# a #hoe ran$e o% I0T toos that can make the assessment o%
students" ora eves much easier. Many o% the teachers #e s!oke to& and in %act the
authors o% this cha!ter& have a been #orkin$ #ith a variety o% these toos.
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'' A practice-based exploration of technology enhanced assessment
Case Study 6'! "sing my(rainShar&
I have been makin$ use o% my*rainShark over the ast three years and it has been a
reay success%u too to #ork #ith. Students can !roduce their o#n 7o#er7oint
sides& oad them u! onto my*rainShark and then add their voice to their sides.
My*rainShark then !acks the 7o#er7oint !resentation #ith the audio and creates a
ink to a %ie that can easiy be shared #ith the teacher. So students can create
7o#er7oints on a $iven to!ic& record and re(record their voice unti they are ha!!y
#ith their recordin$& and then share their #ork at the cick o% a button. Students and
teachers can isten to the recordin$s and add notes8comments as %eedback.
I have used this too #ith $reat success. I recenty $ot students to create 7o#er7oint
!resentations o% si+ to ei$ht sides #here they !rovided !ersona in%ormation about
their %amiies& %riends& interests and hobbies. They then added their voice to the
7o#er7oint !resentations and shared them over the internet. I !ayed back their
recordin$s& took notes and !rovided them #ith %eedback on the #ork. In cass I !ayed
back some o% the best e+am!es and asked the students #hy they thou$ht I had seected
them.
My*rainShark is !articuary use%u because there is no need to share bi$ %ies and
It is an onine too. Once the students have u!oaded their !resentations and added
their voice& they sim!y share the ink. The teacher can cick on the ink and isten
To the recordin$s directy %rom the my*rainShark server. This too can aso make an
e+ceent contribution to e(7ort%oios.
This too is es!eciay $ood %or En$ish %or Academic 7ur!oses students and those
doin$ *usiness En$ish. Many o% these students #i be e+!ected to $ive 7o#er7oint
!resentations durin$ their course and this is a $reat #ay o% $ettin$ them to !ractice.
Students are not imited to 7o#er7oint. They can oad u! 795 documents& 6ord %ies&
!ictures and even video& and then add their o#n voice narration.
Students can aso share their recordin$s #ith other students and in this #ay $et
!eer %eedback.
This sna!shot hi$hi$hts many o% the !oints #e made in the %irst !art o% this cha!ter.
4ere #e have a too that can o%%er rea a%%ordances. 7reviousy& it mi$ht have been very
di%%icut %or students to !re!are %or a 7o#er7oint !resentation #ithout actuay
doin$ the !resentation in %ront o% the teacher8!eers and $ettin$ %eedback. No# students
can create them usin$ my*rainShark and then share them 'uicky over the internet.
5eedback is easy and can even invove the students" !eers in the !rocess as #e as the
teacher. O% course& the students can !ay back their o#n recordin$s
As many times as they ike& and re(record unti they are ha!!y #ith the audio that
$oes #ith each side. This ao#s %or se%(re%ection and se%(evauation. The teacher
coud even !rovide $uideines to the students so that once they have made their
7o#er7oint !resentations and added their voice: they coud revie# and evauate their
o#n #ork. Indeed e(!ort%oios can even incude students" o#n evauations o% their
#ork or !eer evauation as !art o% the !ort%oio itse%. This can be in the %orm o% a
checkist or 'uestions %or the students to use #hen revie#in$ #hat they have
recorded -0ummins and 9emesne& 2;;</.
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A practice-based exploration of technology enhanced assessment ))
Case Study 6 )! *a&ing simple audio recordings
Vicario is a very sim!e too that ao#s students to record their voice %or u! to %ive
minutes and then send the resutin$ recordin$ as an emai. It is !erha!s one o% the
easiest audio recordin$ toos on the internet and #orks iteray at the cick o% )ust
one button. The students don"t even need to o!en an emai cient to send the
recordin$s. They sim!y record& !ay back the recordin$ and then #rite in the emai
address o% the !erson they #ant to send the recordin$ to. The receiver can then cicks
on the ink and isten to the recordin$. The recordin$s can aso be do#noaded onto
the students" com!uter or embedded into a bo$ by co!yin$ the code that is !rovided
and then !astin$ it into a bo$& virtua earnin$ environment& or #ebsite.
This too is $reat %or !ort%oios and %or $ettin$ the students to buid u! a coection
o% short recordin$s over a !eriod o% a modue that can sho# their deveo!ment and
!ro$ress. I have been usin$ the too to $et the students to do re$uar !eriodic
recordin$s based on activities #e have done in cass. So& #e use the cass time to
!ractice certain s!eakin$ activities but the students actuay do the recordin$s at
home and then send them to me. Students have to evauate their recordin$s and
then at the end o% the course& choose the recordin$ they are most !eased #ith and
submit this %or %orma evauation.
4ere are some o% the to!ics I have #orked #ith=
+ Gave !ersona in%ormation.
2 Taked about ho# they had met.
# Taked about the %riend"s !ersonaity.
' Taked about #hat #e they had in common and their interests.
) Taked about #hen they ast met.
,eedbac&- peer evaluation and self-evaluation
As #e outined in the %irst !art o% the cha!ter& %eedback !ays a key roe in the
assessment !rocess. Good %eedback can he! students to see their o#n short%as
and direct their %uture earnin$: it can motivate students and he! them to re%ect
on their o#n earnin$. It is im!ortant to reai,e that not a %eedback has to come
%rom
The teacher. 7eer %eedback or se%(re%ection and %eedback can aso achieve the same $oa
o% makin$ students a#are o% #here they need to %ocus their o#n earnin$. .am and .ee
-2;>;/ e+!erimented #ith an interestin$ combination o% %eedback #hen they
encoura$ed their students to create !a!er !ort%oios. Students #ere e+!ected to
#rite !art o% their !ort%oios in the cass and the teacher used this time to !rovide
%eedback. Students aso had one(to(one con%erencin$ #ith students about their #ritten
#ork and %inay students #ere e+!ected to !eer revie# each other"s #ork.
The students #ere then e+!ected to choose their best t#o #ritten !ieces and !ut
them %or#ard %or %orma summative %eedback. One !o#er%u as!ect o% this study
#as that it reay %ocused the students #hen it came to the !eer evauations and se%(
evauation o% their #ork since the students had to decide themseves #hich !ieces
o% #ritten #ork to !ut %or#ard %or %ormative evauation.
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66 A practice-based exploration of technology enhanced assessment
This a!!roach coud easiy be a!!ied to ora recordin$s. Students coud buid u! a
series o% ora recordin$s over a course& and se%(evauate their #ork or the teacher
coud even set u! activities so that !eer evauation takes !ace. Students then #oud
have to choose their best t#o recordin$s and submit these %or %orma summative
assessment. My o#n e+!erience #ith $ettin$ students to create audio recordin$s
as !art o% their %ormative assessments is that they o%ten take a on$ time to isten
to& and !rovide %eedback on& and this may be an innovative #ay o% deain$ #ith
the !robem and aso ti$hty ai$nin$ the %ormative and summative assessments.
In the tabe beo# #e can see an e+am!e o% a %orm that students coud use to he! them
se%(evauate. A%ter each recordin$ the students shoud #ork throu$h the sheet. The
idea is to encoura$e the students to deveo! their o#n a#areness o% their eve& their
strate$ies and their short%as and in doin$ so he! to make them more re%ective and
a#are o% their eve. The student then has to !ass their se%(re%ection on to another
student #ho reads the re%ection and !rovides comments. The teacher is
Then $iven the se%(re%ection sheet and can add additiona comments.
The students have )ust recorded themseves $ivin$ a !resentation about their cosest
%riend. They had to incude in%ormation about=
?? 4o# they %irst met.
?? 6hat they have in common #ith their %riend.
?? 6hat ty!es o% thin$s they ike doin$ #ith their %riend3
?? 6hat it is about their %riend"s !ersonaity they ike.
?? 6hen they ast met and #hat they did to$ether.
?? They coud incude !ictures in the 7o#er7oint !resentation aon$ #ith the sides.
They u!oaded their 7o#er7oint !resentations onto my*rainShark and are no#
e+!ected to evauate their o#n recordin$s.
.able 62! Se%(assessment %or ora recordin$s
E%. Student self-assessment form
Student name!
Student number!
Class number!
Email!
@ey= > A Very !oor: 2 A 7oor: B A Avera$e:
C A Good: D A Very $ood.
+ 2 # ' ) My recordin$ #as #e or$ani,ed and deat
#ith the di%%erent areas o% the discussion in a
coherent %ashion.
+ 2 # ' ) I #as abe to ceary articuate and discuss
di%%erent as!ects o% my %riendshi!.
+ 2 # ' ) I #as abe to connect di%%erent !arts o% the
monoo$ue and ink them to$ether.
+ 2 # ' ) I used a ran$e o% vocabuary that re%ects my
current eve o% earnin$.
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+/0+/0 A practice-based exploration of technology enhanced
assessment
E%. Student self-assessment form
+ 2 # ' ) I #as ha!!y #ith the !ace o% my recordin$.
There #ere %e# siences and the monoo$ue
%o#ed #e.
Suden comments on reflection
.eacher comments on reflection
Gettin$ students to #ork #ith assessment descri!tors is not easy. The an$ua$e
O% the descri!tors has to be 'uite sim!istic and you need to $o throu$h each one
and e+!ain to the students #hat e+acty they need to evauate. 6hen students are
re%ectin$ and thinkin$ about their o#n earnin$ it can be very !o#er%u. .an$ua$e
students can be sur!risin$y %air #hen they evauate and re%ect on their o#n #ork
-*uock& 2;>>/.
Case Study 6 6! (logging
Russe"s students on his *A Education course are earnin$ to be teachers& but
aso deveo!in$ their o#n eve o% En$ish. Each #eek Russe !resents di%%erent
technoo$ies and the students tak about them and ho# they mi$ht use them in
their casses. The students usuay $et a chance to try out the technoo$ies in
cass and %or home#ork they #rite about the technoo$ies in their bo$s.
Students are encoura$ed to read each other"s bo$s and eave comments. They are
aso encoura$ed to share their bo$s usin$ their contacts so that they can deveo! the
#idest !ossibe audience. Russe reads their bo$s but does not eave comments. This is
somethin$ he has decided to chan$e in the %uture as the students have tod him it #oud
be much more motivatin$ i% he e%t comments.
The bo$s are assessed at the end& both %or the content and %or the an$ua$e.
Students seem to $et very motivated about their bo$s and !ut a ot o% attention
Into makin$ them cear& easy to read and #e desi$ned. *ecause o% this& Russe has
introduced the ook and %ee o% the bo$ as one o% his markin$ criteria.
In some %ocus $rou! sessions that Russe hed #ith his students& the students
em!hasi,ed the %act they %et very Ecose" to their bo$s. They cared about their
ook and %ee and they #orked harder on them than they #oud a norma #ritin$
assi$nment. Many o% the students had 2; or B; %riends and connections readin$
their bo$s on a re$uar basis and this motivated them a ot.
Summary
Testin$ and assessment has chan$ed enormousy over the ast D; years and #e beieve
that most o% the chan$es have been very !ositive. Technoo$y has !ayed a roe in
assessment %or a on$ time but #ith the introduction o% the internet& o% 6eb 2.;
technoo$ies and no# mobie technoo$ies& the roe technoo$y can !ay is $reater than
ever.
There #i be many teachers out there #ho are usin$ technoo$y in their assessments&
but in $enera it is sti not the case. The ar$e ma)ority o% assessments are sti !a!er(
based and the use o% I0T %or assessment& )ust ike the use o% I0T %or teachin$& is sti at a
very e+!erimenta sta$e. To hi$hi$ht the !oint& I have no# used bo$$in$ as an
assessment too %or over >;; students& and yet not one had ever done a bo$ be%ore as
!art o% their assessment.
Technoo$y o%ten bemuses teaches because it chan$es so %ast. It is Econstanty
evovin$" -*eatty 2;>;= F/ and it is neary im!ossibe %or teachin$ and earnin$ to kee!
u! #ith these chan$es. Try not to #orry about this. 0hoose technoo$ies that %it #e
#ith your assessment criteria and that #i broaden your assessment base and don"t
#orry #hether they are the atest thin$ or not.
Our vie# is that I0T can o%%er $reat a%%ordances to assessment and #e encoura$e
you to make use o% it& and in doin$ so ho!e%uy broaden your assessment base. Try
it on in%orma assessments #ith your cass and $ather !enty o% %eedback
5rom your students. Remember& most teachers tend to introduce it ste! by ste!.
You #i certainy chan$e and ada!t your assessments as you earn more %rom usin$
them. Most o% the teachers #e s!oke to said their students #ere very su!!ortive.
It #i be a ste!(by(ste! !rocess but one that both you and your teachers #i %ind
very re#ardin$.
1eferences
Aderson& G0 -2;;D/ Diagnosing foreign language proficiency: The interface
between learning and assessment. .ondon= 0ontinuum.
*achman& .5 -no date/ Language Assessment: Opportunities and Challenges.
Avaiabe onine at= ## # .$oo$e.co.uk8ur3saHtI rctH)I'HIesrcHsI%rmH>IsourceH#eb
IcdH2IvedH;09;J5)A*IKR.Hhtt!LBAL25L25en$ishvs.hunnu.edu.cn
L259o#noad sL25.an$Tst
L25tstM;;C.docIeiHbtSBKOB>O'7N;J62mI0$0#Ius$HA5J)0N5nC,O
2ON@nOtsF1ky;dV1GIM0TAIsi$2HRGrDO605kVF2GhsCc)ADA
*achman& .5 and 7amer& AS -><<1/ Language testing in practice: designing and
developing useful language tests. O+%ord= O+%ord Kniversity 7ress.
*eatty& @ -2;>;/ Computer Assisted Language Learning. .ondon= .on$man.
*i$$s& G -><<</ Teachin$ %or 'uaity earnin$ at university= 6hat the student does.
igher Education C;8B= BOCABO1.
*uock& 9 -2;>>/ .earnin$ se%( assessment= an investi$ation into teachers" beie%s.
English Language Teaching !ournal "#82= >>CA>2D.