Abstract:

For some time now, online testing has been a vital component of many foreign language classrooms, appreciated for its ability to provide self-paced study and rapid feedback to students while ensuring the instructor’s ability to gauge and verify students’ comprehension. Yet the widespread adoption of electronic testing has for many instructors come with the expense of increased complexity and nuance, both in the means of instruction and in testing to accommodate the electronic format. In many course management systems and polling software solutions, however, instructors can set a “trigger” in a quiz or poll that allows for the release of further questions, information, or other actions, a method of interaction that is fundamentally different from traditional testing. With triggered testing, students can demonstrate mastery of word genders or professional vocabulary prior to completing assignments relying on this knowledge. Only when a student has demonstrated mastery of a given topic does the next challenge appear. This study explores the interactivity and implications of triggered testing and assessment in foreign language courses while providing instructional strategies and lessons learned for developing effective triggered quiz and assessment modules.

Keywords:

assessment, computer-adaptive test, triggered testing, selective release.