Innovation in Language Learning

Our institution-wide languages programme offers advanced level courses (C2 CEFR) in five languages. Our university does not have a credit system so papers cannot be 'borrowed' and accredited towards one's main course of study. The advanced level courses, therefore, offer a university (not language centre) award that is recorded on student's official transcript. These courses are externally examined and validated.

Assessment is both formative and summative. The formative component is made up of a 500-word essay to be written over the Christmas period (homework) and submitted in January. The summative assessment is made up of an oral presentation and a 3-hour supervised examination (listening, reading, writing and grammar).

The improper use of Artificial Intelligence in the production of written materials represents a challenge. When comes to the oral presentation this is mitigated by robust questioning and in the case of the exam by denying access to the internet and/or producing the work with pen and paper only. The Christmas essay, however, is to be produced at home in an unsupervised environment.

In this presentation I will showcase the changes we made to the procedure of producing and marking this essay and explain the rationale that guided our assessment team to make such changes and re-evaluate the writing guidelines and marking criteria.

Key words: assessment, Artificial Intelligence, design, ethics

REFERENCE:

[1] Council of Europe (2020), “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment “ – Companion volume, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, available at www.coe.int/lang-cefr.