an der

Assessment is an essential part of the learning process, especially in formative learning settings. Traditional assessment often serves administrative needs in the form of sum-mative assessment. Both types of assessment are challenging as it can be difficult to ensure consistency, reliability and absence of bias. In formative assessment the problem of workload and timely results is even greater, as the task is carried out more frequently. Information technology is able to assist teachers in these challenges. Depending on the assessment goal different test items are available. The essay test item is known to be used to train language skills and to acquire foreign languages, however, its application is broader. This is due to the fact that it is a suitable test item to test for higher order skills and therefore can be applied in a great variety of subjects and can also be used at the higher education level. Evaluating essays is a time-consuming task and therefore supporting technologies can deliver great advantages. This Master’s thesis first discusses the relevant theoretical background in detail. The second part of the thesis documents the development of a prototype system to assis