The use of rubrics for the assessment of digital products in language learning

Abstract

Many language teachers incorporate the use of digital technology into their classrooms in a various forms such as videos, blogs and slideshares. However, both teachers and students need a new level of awareness in assessing such web-authored products. A possible way for both teachers and students to learn to assess such digital products is for both parties to get involved in the process of assessment, specifically in rubric construction. This poster presentation will investigate the process in which English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and students in a Japanese university collaboratively negotiate the process of rubric construction and the use of such an assessment tool throughout one academic semester. The collaborative process highlights two challenges that the teachers and students face: 1) how to assess the combination of language use and digital products; and, 2) how to empower teachers and students in the digital age.