Virtual Presentations www.vimeo.com/iafor
41091
Assessment in Groupwork Project-Based Learning in Business English Classrooms Thu Hang Nguyen, Danang University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam Mai Yen Tran Vu, Danang University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam
In the context of global economic integration in which English language competence along with essential soft skills have increasingly been of great significance, it is the responsibilities of teachers of English in general and Business English in particular to facilitate projectbased learning. However, assessment of project-based learning has always been the matter of concern that every teacher at educational institutions wrestles with. The purpose of this paper is to deal with issues related to assessment in project-based learning in the teaching of Business English at a university of foreign languages. The research is based on theoretical foundations of project-based learning assessment in English language teaching. The reality of assessing project-based learning in Business English teaching at a university are investigated and issues encountered in the assessment are under detailed discussion.The research puts forward thoughtful pedagogical implications along with assessment criteria and assessment rubrics for gaining further reliability and validity for the assessment. The article aims at equipping teachers with effective tools for implementing project-based learning assessment in Business English contexts. 40178
Implementing 'Video Project' as one Form of Alternative Assessment in a Task-Based Language Learning Program Thi-Thanh-Huong Nguyen, Danang University of Foreign Language Studies, Vietnam
Task-based language learning and teaching emerged from the need to prepare students to use language in real-life situations, as it is observed that mastering the knowledge of the language system does not ensure this ability. This approach has gained recognition in the field of English for Specific purposes, especially teaching and learning business English. However, it faces many challenges particularly in the aspect of assessment. It is obviously not effective to assess the student’s performances of the targeted learning outcomes using traditional methods of assessment. This article introduces the “video project” as one form of alternative assessment in a business English course at Danang University of Foreign Language Studies, which involves task-based learning in the form of “business case studies”. The author attempts to describe this type of assessment from the perspective of task-based assessment. In addition, this article highlights how technology can be incorporated in this form of assessment and its beneficial effects on students learning. A survey was carried out to confirm the assumption that a majority of students have positive attitudes towards this form of assessment. Based on the student’s feedback and the teacher’s reflection, requirements for better practice of this form are discussed. 39904
Promises and Challenges of Future EAP Literacy Courses: Implications From a Large-Scale Survey Ju Chuan (Cindy) Huang, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan
In order to help graduate students overcome English academic reading and writing difficulties, universities in non-English-speaking contexts such as Taiwan have started implementing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses at the graduate level. Despite a wide variety of EAP literacy courses, little research has reviewed what current EAP courses have offered and how effective these courses have been in meeting students’ needs. A comprehensive evaluation would be necessary in order to shed light on EAP teaching and learning in the new era. Therefore, this study investigated the perceptions of faculties and graduate students on the effectiveness of current EAP literacy courses with a large-scale survey. A total of 1,831 participants (1,155 graduate students and 676 faculty) from 10 public universities in Taiwan filled in an online questionnaire. Several themes emerged in their questionnaire responses. First, although both universities and institutes offered EAP literacy courses, some faculties and students were still unaware of such courses and only one-third of the students took the courses. Second, both professors and students felt that the courses helped students with sentence grammar, cohesion, and coherence; however, their general evaluation of the courses was not high. While their reasons for course evaluation varied, the reasons mostly revolved around the course content and qualification of instructors. Based on the findings, this study offered ways to improve current EAP literacy courses and potential directions of EAP literacy teaching.
#IAFOR | ACLL2018 | IAFOR.ORG | 77