Assessing Oral Communication: Poster Presentations

This paper describes a departure from traditional end of term testing for EFL learners in a Japanese University towards a more motivating, skills-based approach, in which students are required to design and give an oral presentation using a visual aid. Although the students referred to are Engineering majors, the format is suitable for students in a wide range of disciplines. An outline of the aims and procedure is followed by a discussion of issues connected with managing such activities in large classes, with particular focus on the difficulties of subjective grading. After detailing the assessment criteria, the paper concludes with an evaluation of the activity and suggestions for future refinements in both procedure and grading