ASSESSnet · Language assessment in virtual mobility initiatives at tertiary level – teachers’ beliefs, practices and perceptions

Language assessment in virtual mobility initiatives at tertiary level – teachers’ beliefs, practices and perceptions

Virtual mobility (VM), also termed as telecollaborative or virtual exchange (VE), entails a situation, in which students from geographically distant locations interact, cooperate, and thus engage in intercultural exchange, by means of online communication tools in order to complete course/project objectives. Because VM is a relatively new trend in education, and there is a scarcity of publications and training opportunities that target assessment in such courses, the need for empirical research is manifest. Mobility initiatives, including VM, are viewed as a valuable contribution to plurilingual and intercultural education, which constitute a key issue of European language policy. In European Union, FL skills are perceived as a factor determining mobility and employability of young people. Additionally, VM is seen as a tool of increasing internationalisation and global engagement of higher education, which became particularly visible during the covid-19 pandemic. The project results offer concrete solutions that may contribute to improving the quality of not only assessment, but also to the design and implementation of VM projects on the whole. Additionally, although it must be underlined that VM is not tantamount to distance education, as these two pedagogies use similar tools, the results of the ASSESSnet project can be also applicable in other technology-enhanced contexts. Finally, VM promotes inclusive education and social equity, which are key topics for today's society, as these educational environments are easily accessible to students from different cultural, geographical, linguistic and economic backgrounds, as well as to students with disabilities. On the research level, the project focused on the following central objectives: (1) exploring the planning of the assessment process in VM projects in FL education at tertiary level; (2) investigating the implementation of the assessment process in VM projects; (3) analysing the form of assessment in VM projects at tertiary level; (4) identifying the content of assessment in VM projects; (5) examining teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of the assessment practices; (6) establishing the impact of gender and place of residence on assessment practices and teachers’ perceptions and beliefs. The overall goal of the ASSESSnet project was to support foreign language (FL) practitioners in the process of assessing student learning, particularly in terms of selecting appropriate assessment content, criteria and tools. Quantitative and qualitative data collected and analysed in the study helped to formulate practical teaching recommendations and to the publication of an edited volume of case studies that illustrate different approaches to assessment in VE. Another important project objective, central to the MSCA Fellowships, was the researcher’s training and personal development, aimed at enabling the fellow to become a mature and independent member of the academic society

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