Learning new languages can be tough, particularly for beginners when noticeable progress is hard to see.
To help learners self-assess their language proficiency, the NCSSFL-ACTFL developed Can-Do Statements, a questionnaire that asks students whether or not they can complete specific tasks in the language their learning.
Giovanni Zimotti, director of Spanish Language Instruction, began offering this survey to students at the University of Iowa in 2019.
“We started by printing a 20-page survey for each student,” remembers Zimotti. “At the end of the semester, we’d track down the paper documents so we could ask students to manually count and compare their responses to understand their progress.”
Realizing this process was unsustainable and inefficient, he and eden jones, then Spanish CLAS core coordinator, sought electronic tools, such as ICON, to enhance the process. However, the learning management system couldn’t quite meet the needs of the project, and other products couldn’t integrate with ICON, which made them difficult to use.
As they searched for ways to create a streamlined, electronic platform, Zimotti teamed with Claire Frances, director of the Center for Language and Culture Learning, to apply for the Innovations in Teaching with Technology Awards.
“We had conversations that were helpful in directing us to different resources, including Maggie Jesse and Lance Bolton,” says Zimotti. “We were directed to ITS Enterprise Services, who provided input into the budget and helped us understand what was feasible.”
Zimotti and Frances were awarded $15,200 from ITTA to work with ITS Enterprise Services to develop an app that uses the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements to engage learners in self-assessment.
Students can login with their HawkID and select the language they’re learning. They then answer a series of can-do statements, such as I can say my name, or I can introduce myself in the language I’m learning. The app produces a score that correlates with a level, like novice or intermediate, and provides suggestions to improve students’ knowledge of the language.
Students complete the survey at the beginning and end of each semester. It provides a new score each time, demonstrating students’ progression with the language. For instance, a first-year student may be a novice at the end of the first semester, but by their graduation, they’re intermediate mid.
“The process of self-assessment ideally produces a self-efficacy loop,” explains Frances. “Students self-assess as able to perform certain tasks, which makes them feel a certain level of achievement; they also see all the other tasks that they self-assess as not being able to do, which can be internalized as goals. The theory is that they’ll strive to complete the other ones, with goal setting and self-efficacy working hand in hand. We were also interested in seeing how self-assessment corresponds with external assessments, such as in-class tests as well as proficiency tests, which are pegged to these can-do statements.”
Impacting teaching at the UI and beyond
They piloted the app in summer 2023 and launched it in the fall 2023 semester. The data being collected from these surveys allows them to better understand how students are self-assessing and adjust teaching content based on it. It also provides a trajectory of the language learning process at the University of Iowa and can help ensure students are placed in the appropriate class.
“By recommending that a student may benefit from a higher-level course, we can save them time and money, and the student can reach their learning goals for the language more quickly,” says Zimotti.
Zimotti and Frances published an article in The Language Educator about their app, and numerous institutions, including K-12 and other universities, inquired about the app, and they’re now working with a team to make it widely available.
They’re also crafting a substantial research project that was started thanks to this small piece of software.
Apply for ITTA by Oct. 15
The Innovations in Teaching with Technology Awards provide funding for instructional technology projects that have the potential to improve student success and retention. A total of $100,000 is available for awards. If you’ve been experimenting with new teaching approaches that involve technology, submit your proposals by Oct. 15.