Lessons Learnt: A Study of Student Feedback Regarding Online Proficiency Assessment

Abstract

Subsequent to the revolutionary advances in technology and its remarkable impact on universities, online summative assessment has become increasingly commonplace and popular in the academia. Consequently, online English language proficiency assessment has also gained momentum globally. This study was conducted at a Sri Lankan private university where online assessment is utilized as the standard summative test for several modules including EAP (English for Academic Purposes) module. The main objective was to explore undergraduates’ perceptions of the online EAP assessment and its effectiveness and feasibility in gauging competency of English among ESL (English as a Second Language) learners. A quantitative approach was chosen for this study where a questionnaire was used as the primary data collection tool. The sample was a convenience sample of 120 undergraduates who had taken the online test. The findings revealed the undergraduates’ displeasure regarding several aspects of online English assessment. They were critical of the reading component of the online test in addition to experiencing time management issues, technical limitations that marred their performance.