A Comparative Study of Traditional and E Portfolio Assessment in Language Classrooms in the Indian Context
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2012
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Abstract
The premise of this paper is to bring out the salient features in language assessment with reference to
English and French languages in the blended learning environment existing in India. Teachers and scholars
today are experimenting with alternative techniques and procedures of evaluation to traditional test
which is held at the conclusion of a unit of study. However, researchers have started questioning the
adequacy of the single test at the end of the course as no single measure seems capable of estimating the
diversity of skills, knowledge, processes, and strategies that combine to determine students' progress.
Marks or grades do not adequately capture the level of understanding of the language competence of the
students. Thus teachers have begun to incorporate alternative assessment techniques to yield more
useful information about students' achievement and classroom instruction. One of these alternative
assessment techniques is eportfolio assessment incorporating web based technologies and rubrics.
The aim of this study is to combine research evidence on e-portfolio use with practical feedback from the
students in an attempt to develop easy-to-use criteria designed to support active self regulated language
learning. The research findings of the study assert that rubrics help students in self-evaluation and peer
assessment and establish clear benchmarks for achievement; internet technology such as E-mail, blogs
and Web Quest provide a platform for expressing and exchanging meaning in French language learning.
In conclusion, this paper summarises current trends in educational assessment and relates these to the
assessment of the students' outcomes on language learning; emerging networked technologies that
integrate explicit teaching strategies are slowly transforming traditional classrooms into lifelong learning.
Demystifying some of the myths that enshroud both face-to-face learning and virtual learning would help
educators view reality in clear light.