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Better Assessment System
for Students Required

DUBAI - The UAE educational system has been shifting away from the traditional ways of assessment which involves students memorising study material.

On these grounds a promise was made for providing world class higher education and a more comprehensive assessment technique in the UAE by Dr Tayeb A. Kamali, Vice- Chancellor of the Higher College of Technology.

Dr Kamali made this commitment at the introductory speech of the 12^th Annual Current Trends in English Language Testing (CTELT) Conference, at the Dubai Men’s.The highlight for this year’s CTELT is the presentation of the the topic “Developing Assessment Literacy”.

Dr Kamali said: “The progress of students must be measured accurately and consistently and it is important to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning practices in the region.”

He added that the Higher College of Technology emphasised on a continuous learning process and there was a need to modernise methods of assessment which is often coined as complicated by teachers and educators.

Plenary speakers of the symposium included Natalie Kuhlman, San Diego State University, California, US, Ali Shehadeh, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE, Annie Brown, National Admissions and Placement Office, Abu Dhabi, UAE and Hossein Farhady, American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia.

On speaking to the teachers who were participating in the symposium, Khaleej Times found that most educators were content with the current assessment technique in educational institutes but teachers voiced their concern on how many Emirati students were required to perform better at competitive examinations like the TOEFL and IELTS.

Jeff Verbeem, a teacher at the College of North Atlantic, Qatar said that proper training has to be provided to Emirati students right from the kindergarten level.

“The students here need to be exposed to English language training right from a very young age. As compared to other GCC countries, the training given to students for competitive exams are commendable but there is always room for improvement.”

Kiya Murman, a teacher at the Emirates College, Abu Dhabi agreed saying that the Emirati students can do better if they are provided with the correct cultural exposure right from a very young age.

Saad Hafez, the English Language Supervisor at the Ministry of Education, Ras Al Khaimah said: “The ministry has been doing its part to improve the status of language studies in the country like introducing the CEPA (Common Educational Proficiency Assessment) for better performance but more time and effort were required to provide quality assessment to students.”

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

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