Using Pre/Post-Testing to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Online Language Programs

Abstract

Learners are often frustrated by their perceived lack of progress in second language courses, language teachers are frequently tasked with the responsibility of providing evidence that learning is really happening, and institutions of higher education in the United States are under increasing pressure to justify the continuation of "foreign" language programs. In answering the call for more increased transparency, this paper presents assessment data for students enrolled in the first four semesters of language study in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and American Sign Language in a postsecondary institution in the United States. This comprehensive approach to program assessment incorporates online pre- and post-testing as a direct measure for learning that supports accountability at the student, course, program, and college level.