IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STUDENTS' PROGRESS ASSESSMENT IN A BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AT LAC HONG UNIVERSITY

This paper has been published in Journal of Technical Education Science, No.62 (02/2021) 

Phuong V. D. Van, Hien T. Lam, Lam T. Nguyen, Truong P. Le

Lac Hong University.

ABSTRACT
Thanking to the application of digital technology in education, students are obtaining outstanding benefits such as diverse learning resources, more learning flexibility in both time and place. However, besides these advantages, students must wisely avoid inappropriate information sources and trends by selecting and following the right way to receive, learn and process information. In the competence-development-learning model, students become the center being proactive in selecting information, analyzing and proposing solutions for problems with support from lecturers and reference resources. Many questions exist and require educational institution and faculty to answers such as how to assess students' understanding and if it is in the right direction; how to see students’ progress to assist students positive change; how to conduct formative assessment throughout the entire student progress instead only summative ones (in final exam, final product). This paper reflects the practical results to answer these above questions when applying ePortfolio in assessing students’ performance in the blended learning environment at Lac Hong University. The research is conducted as a part of EMVITET Erasmus+ project.
Keyword: ePortfolio, Formative assessment, Education 4.0, Digital pedagogy

CONCLUSIONS

From the above results, it can be seen that students who have recorded, implemented and updated additional information such as learning knowledge, receiving and following comments on ePortfolio actually have better learning results, especially in presentation skills. Teachers are able to follow-up, support and evaluate students' competencies formatively and summatively regarding the ability to analyze and solve problems, ability to present and communicate. Students themselves express better understanding by responding to the requirements in their own expression. The application of ePortfolio for assessment not only improves efficiency and accuracy but also gradually builds up students' lifelong learning skills. Level 1 competencies including listening, watching and taking notes, storing content on demand periodically by weeks and months are firmly achieved. Moreover, a habit at level 2, that students go deeper into searching information, analyze and comment on the content through exercises and projects with good time arrangement for learning activities, is formed. This is a stepping stone to achieve level 3 easily. Level 3 provides an overview of students' abilities through knowledge acquired by topics or products on their ePortfolio, students' strengths, as well as their future directions and goals. Obviously, the approach to gain knowledge and resources is gradually changing. The role of the teachers and learners have also changed in blended learning environment. Thus, the method of teaching and learning must also be changed. Being the center, the learners become more proactive, combine the surrounding factors, e.g. the teachers or the coaches, other resources and environment to achieve results, skills and products. Now, the teachers are no longer the main character as in the traditional teaching model. However, because they have a great impact on the student's learning, improvement and development process, they must also change a lot. ePortfolio is highly suggested to put into a comprehensive application among Lac Hong University students in particular and Vietnamese schools in general. Although in the first stage, students face many difficulties in presenting knowledge and responding to requests according to their personal style, it can be seen that ePortfolio is a good means for students to chain all their knowledge and work. This is also a tool to improve presentation skills and the channel for objective and accurate assessment.