You are invited to the first seminar of the 2021 Virtual Learning and Teaching Enhancement Seminars under the auspices of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (L&T), Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, and the Division of Learning and Teaching Enhancement.

Topic

The problem with time-limited, sit-down tests: Assessing language

Presenter

Prof Christa van der Walt

Short biography

Dr Margaret Blackie is a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science. She was the recipient of the South African Chemical Institute's Education Medal and the SU Teaching Award in the Distinguished Teacher category in 2020. She also holds an SU Teaching Fellowship. She has research interests in synthetic chemistry and in education, and she teaches Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, Faculty of Science at SU.

Blurb

Education is not known as a field that changes easily and rapidly. During lockdown it had to re-think teaching and assessment practices not only quickly but also under pressure. Like all creatures in the face of stressful situations, educators had to choose between fighting and fleeing, neither of which is conducive to carefully planned and executed teaching. Assessment was probably the most difficult aspect to manage in these times. In this paper I will discuss some of the problems we face when assessing language-related topics. From my own perspective of training language teachers, I will argue that our traditional time-limited, sit-down tests have their own problems that have been masked by their familiarity and our resistance to change. This will be done in the context of international perspectives on the validity and reliability of online assessments and controversial practices like proctoring and 'automatic' assessments.

Time: 13:00-14:00 on 13 May 2021 on MS Teams

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer or mobile application

[JAD[1] [JAD[2] [JAD[3] 

Enquiries: Rose Richards (rr2@sun.ac.za)