Enhancing Language Education through Alternative Assessment Practices in Technology-Based Settings

Abstract

Given the challenging nature of large-scale standardized assessments due to the complexities, it is vital to obtain equitable assessment practices for enhancing English language learning and ability during instruction and course of study. Moving beyond standardized tests, we can use alternative assessment to incorporate learning, instruction, and measurement and develop a practical assessment approach for learning purposes regularly. Alternative assessment results from the mentioned research move have brought various alternatives to standardized tests for enhancing the quality of instruction and shifting scholarly attention toward learning rather than testing. Specifically, during technology-based assessment practices, the insufficiencies of existing traditional tests for different students’ needs and purposes have created the must adopt a more user-friendly approach to assessment that can incorporate multiple intelligences, approach students’ preferred learning styles, involve language learners’ higher-level thinking skills, use more of authentic and real-world tasks and activities. Thus, this aims to illustrate the benefits, processes, and outcomes of alternative assessment practices in technology-based environments for enhancing the quality of language education.

1. Introduction

1.1 Alternative assessment

Numerous scholars, for several decades, have tried to explore novel approaches to assessment practices in order to solve the perceived problems in particular educational systems and realized the importance of enhancing assessment approaches, methods, and practices not only for measuring language learners’ proficiency but also for fostering the quality of education in general and curriculum, instruction, and learning in particular [1, 2]. It can be noticed that the result of standardized tests, prepared to evaluate the linguistic capability of all language learners with one pre-established test, cannot just emerge from linguistic performance and ability but other related factors, such as their cultures, educational backgrounds, personal, social, and contextual factors, and psychological and affective aspects [1, 3, 4]. To suitably correlate the English proficiency of language learners with their test performance, teachers, examiners, and test developers need to have profound knowledge and awareness of the nature of second language acquisition (how it is developed and processed over an extended period), the essence of how surface fluency can be different from the capability to use accurately for a specific purpose, the duration and extent needed to acquire fluency, accuracy, and appropriacy, the forms of linguistic devices utilized to meet the purpose, and the skills crucial for using those linguistic abilities. Hence, since reaching a high and advanced linguistic proficiency is cumbersome and time-consuming, the implementation of standardized assessment, which is mainly conducted at the end of the course of study, should be replaced with more practical and micro-assessment practices [3, 5, 6].

Given the challenging nature of large-scale standardized assessments due to the complexities, it is vital to obtain equitable assessment practices for enhancing English language learning and ability during instruction and course of study [7, 8, 9]. Moving beyond standardized tests, we can use alternative assessment to incorporate learning, instruction, and measurement and develop a practical assessment approach for learning purposes regularly. Alternative assessment results from the mentioned move of research have brought various alternatives to standardized tests for enhancing the quality of instruction and shifting scholarly attention toward learning rather than testing. The insufficiencies of existing traditional tests for different students’ needs and purposes have created the need to adopt a more user-friendly approach to assessment that can incorporate multiple intelligences, approach students’ preferred learning styles, involve language learners’ higher-level thinking skills, use more of authentic and real-world tasks and activities [10]. Touching the heart of instructional practices, [11] pointed out that alternative assessment has received global acceptance in English language teaching, as the process and assessment of learning English are complex, and teachers and test developers need to improve the link of assessment, instruction, and learning.

Alternative assessment practices can offer numerous benefits for language learners and teachers in different ways. According to the [12], one such example can be the authentic attainment of complicated results by measuring higher-level skills, namely reflecting, creative thinking, problem-solving, and synthesizing. The alternative assessment can possess genuine, performance-oriented activities conducted in a real-life, authentic context and inform teachers of how assessment and instruction can interact to obtain a clear vision of students’ abilities. It can also foster the connection between learners and teachers, teaching and assessment, objectives and outcomes, and stakeholders and parents. According to [13], alternative assessments pay attention to language learners’ progress over the course duration, add adaptability in time and performance, and decrease the anxiety learners experience. Furthermore, it can provide a non-intrusive approach to everyday classroom practices, implement tasks that are linked with meaningful instructional activities, concentrate on both the process and product, become keen on various cultures, and boost clarity in the anticipated assessment standards and criteria [14, 15]. Although the term alternative assessment has been extensively mentioned in the literature, further investigations are required to comprehend the depth, process, and results alternative assessment can have, specifically in a technology-based environment.

2. New assessment approaches

2.1 Alternative assessment versus traditional assessment

Alternative assessment has been coined differently: “alternative assessment,” “direct assessment,” “informal assessment,” “authentic assessment,” “performance assessment,” and “descriptive assessment.” Despite their differences, these terms share some common fundamental characteristics [16]. So, this chapter selects the term “alternative assessment” as it is more generic and includes other characteristics. Alternative assessment practices can be a significant source of acquiring a dynamic and evolving picture of language learners’ academic and linguistic development, judging learners’ improvement in language with nonconventional strategies [17], contextualizing assessment practices in day-to-day teaching practices and learning activities [18], and recording the documents about how students processed and finished the real-world tasks with the means of L2. Hence, it is likely that, while conducting the alternative assessment, teachers focus on perceiving and recording English learners’ improvement and strengths [19, 20] and consider learners’ learning preferences and styles of learning, along with cultural and educational features.

Despite numerous advantages of alternative assessment, [21] posited that it could have various disadvantages and issues related to its time-consuming nature and subjectivity, reliability, and validity. Others believe that alternative assessment can be called additional assessment-performing in association with conventional assessment approaches to comprehensively include multiple modes of assessment. While traditional assessment used multiple-choice, true-false, and short-answer questions that were objective and selective, alternative assessment possesses an integrative and productive form that is primarily subjective and performance-based. Whereas traditional assessment focuses on single-effort, indirect, and inauthentic tests that are timed, performed individually, offer no feedback and contextualization, and are standardized and norm-referenced, alternative assessment is a criterion- and classroom-based assessment, performing a direct and authentic assessment process, that continuously engages learners in groups with projects in a context that resembles a real-world setting along with constructive feedback [22]. Shifting from traditional assessment toward alternative assessment resulted from the inadequacy of standardized tests to document students’ strengths and improvement [23, 24]. There can be more reflective and self-directed attempts during the alternative assessment, making students active agents of development and change in their particular contexts [25, 26, 27].

Numerous alternatives are in conjunction with the alternative framework, such as using qualitative designs, rather than quantitative psychometric approaches, perceiving literacy as a social and integrative practice in contrast to discrete ones, conceptualizing literacy as multiple tasks and activities, and relying on qualitative data as a substitute to quantitate one. Other previously neglected variables have become paramount in alternative frameworks, namely affective, meta-cognitive, and cognitive strategies, behaviors, collective communication, and the pursuit of personal/community aims. Moreover, the alternative process focuses on building upon criteria about the expected process of language acquisition based on research findings, collaborating and negotiating among the individuals [28], employing teaching strategies that can lead to developmental change and progress, possessing dynamic and active exploration and evaluation of teaching and learning practices, and using the results to inform instruction and further modifications in practices. The required data must be accumulated from various sources continuously and be analyzed to help teachers, students, and stakeholders gain awareness.

2.2 Types of alternative assessment

Language teachers can adopt alternative assessment practices instead of standardized ones, such as proficiency checklists, benchmark systems, peer- and self-evaluations, observations, achievement profiles, and portfolios. The three common types of alternative assessment approaches are authentic assessment, performance assessment, and constructivist assessment [29]. Similarly, Reeves [30] recommends three major approaches to incorporating alternative assessment into online environments: cognitive assessment, portfolio assessment, and performance assessment. Thus, scholars and researchers dynamically use the term performance-based, alternative, and authentic assessments. In performance assessment, students are actively involved in producing responses that can be observable, and the tasks and activities used in a particular context are appropriate and reflect real-world context [31]. As put forward by Elliott [7], practically, English teachers can select assessment tasks and activities linked to the previously taught content, inform them beforehand of the expected established standards and criteria for directing the performance of their tasks, prepare learners with clear examples and models before conducting tasks to demonstrate standards practically, motivate learners to execute self-assessment strategies and interpret learners’ linguistic abilities and performances in relation with other criteria. Some of the alternative assessment methods mentioned above are illustrated in the following paragraphs.

Portfolios are conceptualized as a “purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas” and “the collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self-reflection” [32]. Students must choose the content, have a selection guideline, follow the criteria and standards, and gain reflective opportunities [33]. Accordingly, Hamp-Lyons and Condon [32] stated that portfolios, as student-centered, reflection-based, and progress-oriented tasks, must include multiple works with different ranges in a rich context with delayed assessment over a period. So, students need to invest considerable energy and take enough responsibility to take action, record performance, results, and efforts, and inform stakeholders and others to gain feedback. There are numerous benefits to portfolios, considering when assessment includes more of students’ authentic tasks, is a more performance-based, student-centered, learning-oriented, and self-directed mode of learning, focuses on development over time, shares the results in a novel way, and informs parents with their learners’ continuous improvement [34]. Portfolios assess multiple sources and products of learners across time to perceive growth and development, recognize how students work differently in various tasks, focus on the quality of work, and offer self-reflection and peer-reflection opportunities. Moreover, electronic portfolios are a technology-oriented type of genuine learner-centered assessment that works like the traditional one. Electronic portfolios, called e-portfolios, involve collecting carefully chosen works of thoughts, experiences, and practices in an online and computer-based setting for enhancing education, making decisions, and changing different aspects. So, during synchronous and asynchronous online classes, students can document their learning products and experiences, have self- and peer-assessment, follow their progress over time, and find their positive and negative points in language knowledge and performance. Hence, they need to process, create, and record their linguistic and non-linguistic products through videos, written passages, and reflections to show their learning growth. Some necessities of e-portfolios can be a high internet connection, students’ positive attitudes and motivation, ethical concerns, and sufficient time and budget. Furthermore, it must be systematic, inclusive, authentic, informative, personalized, and prearranged. Another common tool used as an alternative assessment is regarded as a project.

Projects is an individual or group work that encompasses authentic, real-world tasks and processes, shows students’ perceptions of a particular task, needs students’ previous experiences, and requires students’ attempts, plans, and strategies to be completed, such as a research project, presentation, and artwork. One such regular project is problem-based learning, which demands learners’ problem-solving skills in a particular context [29]. Projects can lead to problem-solving, collaborative and cooperative learning, and meaningful negotiation, vital tasks in acquiring a second language. The duration of projects can range from several days to months, depending on the purpose and commitment of the project. For conducting projects, it needs to be associated with the goals of the curriculum and course, learners’ needs and interests, the novel characteristics of higher-order thinking, creative work with a sufficient level of authenticity and accuracy, and involvement and engagement by taking responsibility [35]. Given the purpose-driven nature of projects, students must have a shared aim and purpose to work toward reaching the desired outcomes, such as writing a novel, report, or article. Hence, it can be used to assess students’ linguistic performance during and at the final stage of the project.

2.3 Technology-enhanced assessment

Since the arrival and spread of the Covid-19 pandemic created a shift of focus toward online education, the knowledge, ability, and tools to conduct and process electronic- and technology-based learning successfully gained paramount importance for teachers, parents, and stakeholders [36]. So, virtual teaching and learning, online educational courses, and synchronous and asynchronous online platforms have received substantial attention. While online learning is more rapid, student-centered, engaging, convenient, and approachable, it requires facilities, literacy, and training for teachers, students, and stakeholders. One recent concern in online learning is the effectiveness of online assessment practices. When teachers and others improve academic development, reliability, validity, and practicality [21, 37, 38, 39], security [40], assessment methods [41], administrative efficacy [39], and teachers’ and learners’ attitudes [42], they can enhance technology-based assessment practices. Various techniques and strategies are used for implementing technology-enhanced assessment in language classes. Technology is regarded as a substitute for traditional assessment practices in class and a tool for solving the perceived problems of the contexts. Several researchers consider that technology-enhanced assessment can positively influence students’ achievements and engagement [37]. Similarly, Marriott and Lau [43] discovered that technology-based assessment improves students’ engagement and motivation.

It is stated that the theoretical realizations are the same in classroom-based and technology-based assessment, but the teachers’ roles and duties change [44]. Teachers must employ valuable strategies in technology-based assessment settings to inspire deep learning, facilitate assessment practices, and meet the needs of learners’ characteristics (e.g., age, gender, and others) [45]. The learners also were noticeably satisfied with technology-based assessment practices as they enjoyed the assessment focus which was based on learning purposes and the nature of it in the technology-based environment [21, 46]. Technology provides a novel chance to use formative and summative assessment for continuously evaluating students’ learning and linguistic performance. Although using assessment and testing in online settings has been researched previously, implementing alternative assessments in technology-based assessment practices needs to be deeply investigated. Since English learners in online settings usually become passive recipients of knowledge, cheat during exams, Google their answers while responding teachers’ questions during class, record the materials and content in a pdf file without thinking deeply and memorizing, and engage less in cooperative learning. So, teachers need to professionally change their instructional and assessment practices to heighten the quality of students’ learning. Thus, alternative assessment methods, namely authentic assessment, performance-based assessment, projects, portfolios, self- and peer-assessment, proficiency checklists, benchmark systems, and observations, are assumed to make students active, systematic, flexible, cooperative, transformative, responsible, self-directed, and motivated in improving their linguistic capability and performance. In addition, the employment of alternative assessments in technology-based environments can offer feedback as a vital component in learning [47]. Also, the delivery, form, and strategies used for feedback in technology-based environments can be uniquely varied [48]. The implications of this study can help teachers, students, and stakeholders to pay closer attention to the contributions of alternative assessment, as a learning-oriented assessment practice, in technology-based settings.

3. Method

This study is a review paper of 15 articles (see Table 1) that were selected purposefully from professional journals. The keywords searched to find appropriate and relevant articles were alternative assessment, technology- and computer-based assessment, and learner-oriented assessment. The articles were all indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, SSCI, ISC, and Eric journals. The articles were read several times by the researcher to find different perspectives, benefits, and applications of alternative assessment practices in technology-based environments to enhance language education. The analysis and interpretation descriptively elaborated the main themes and benefits of alternative assessment, how it can be practically conducted in real classes, and what implications this study provides.

Title	Authors	Journal	doi	Keywords
Alternative Assessment for Transitional Readers	Beaumont, de Valenzuela, & Elise Trumbull	Bilingual Research Journal	http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2002.10668710	Alternative assessment
Crisis and Changes in Learning Behaviors: Technology-Enhanced Assessment in Language; Learning Contexts	Alavi, Dashtestani, & Mellati	Journal of Further and Higher Education	https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1985977	COVID-19 crisis; technology-enhanced assessment; e-assessment; online; learning; online pedagogy; technology literacy
What Kind of Alternative? Examining; Alternative Assessment	BALLIRO	Tesol Quarterly	—	Assessment; Alternative assessment
Rethinking alternative assessment	McNamara	Language Testing	—	Alternative assessment; Testing; education
Alternative Assessment	Al-Mahrooqi &; Denman	The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, First Edition	https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0325	Assessment; Alternative assessment; Formative assessment
Assessment at a distance: Traditional vs. Alternative Assessments	Dikli	The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology	—	Traditional vs. Alternative Assessments
Learning-oriented assessment: a technology-based case study	Keppell; & Carless	Assessment in Education	https://doi.org/10.1080/09695940600703944	Assessment; Learning-oriented; technology
Technology enhanced assessment in complex; collaborative settings	Webb & Gibson	Education and Information Technologies	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9413-5	Assessment; Collaboration; Assessment for learning; Assessment; of learning
APPROACHES TO ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT	Hamayan	Annual Review of Applied Linguistics	—	Alternative assessment
An Ecological Perspective on Classroom-Based; Assessment	CHONG &; ISAACS	Tesol Quarterly	https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3201	Ecological Perspective; Classroom-Based Assessment
Demystifying Iranian EFL teachers’; perceptions and practices of learning-oriented; assessment (LOA): challenges and prospects; in focus	Derakhshan & Ghiasvand	Language Testing in Asia	https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-022-00204-2	Alternative assessment; English as a foreign language teacher; Formative; Assessment; Learning-oriented assessment
Influence of an integrated learning diagnosis and formative assessment-based personalized web learning approach on students learning performances and perceptions.	Wongwatkit, Srisawasdi, Hwang, & Panjaburee	Interactive Learning Environments	https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2016.1224255	Formative assessment, web learning
Perceptions of self-assessment literacy and self-directed reflection during online learning for Iranian EFL student teachers.	Arefian	Reflective Practice	https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2022.2096584	Reflection; online learning; self-assessment;
The alternatives in language assessment.	Brown & Hudson	TESOL Quarterly	https://doi.org/10.2307/3587999	Alternative assessment
How convincing is alternative assessment for use in higher education?	Maclellan	Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education	https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293042000188267	Alternative assessment; higher education

Table 1.

Reviewed articles.

4. Implications

Highlighting the significance of alternative assessment practices for solving educational problems and boosting the quality of education, instruction, and learning in a practical manner for learning purposes has altered the focus of educational purposes, so as to link learning, instruction, and evaluation. Hence, when language teachers involve learners with alternative assessments, students engage their different intelligence, favored learning styles, and analytic, reflective, creative, and higher-order thinking with real-world and authentic tasks and activities.

Technology-based and online learning requires more student-centered learning, teaching, and assessment approaches. Thus, assessment in online education needs to be reconsidered by language teachers. Alternative assessment practices in a technology-based learning environment can technically make assessment more genuine, performance-based, authentic, direct, and active. By using tasks, projects, and practices that students need to conduct in their daily practices within an online environment, students can become more active in making decisions, agentic in their use and learning, productive with their linguistic performance, and open to change and relearn formally and informally. Students can become familiar with the standards and criteria to reflect on their learning process, identify the gaps and strengths, change their perceptions and practices, record the result, and receive constructive feedback from others. Furthermore, students, emotionally, can decrease their anxiety, have more motivation, and become adaptable.

Different alternative assessment techniques available for teachers, such as reflective practices, projects, portfolios, observations, and checklists, can be used in technology-based settings to make assessment a constructive way to enhance the quality of learning. Teachers can assign authentic tasks, give students options, pass some responsibilities to students, create groups and pair works, motivate and encourage them, add novelty to the tasks and exercises, give them timelines and guidelines, and prepare them with some other relevant tasks and instruction before conducting and performing. After this stage, students need to perform individually or in groups, direct their own practices, complete the tasks, focus on the quality, take decisions, ask for help, think positively, cooperate with others, and practice four skills (speaking, writing, reading, and listening). After finishing their tasks, they need to gather their work through projects, portfolios, tasks, and products to receive feedback, know their gaps, plan ahead, and work to progress.

To this end, language teachers can use alternative assessment practices to enhance the quality of language education. This study can inform teachers, stakeholders, and parents to incorporate this mode of assessment for learning purposes. Other studies can empirically observe how this approach can be applied in real classes, gather students’ and teachers’ perceptions, and quantitatively examine the impact on learning.