Using proficiency-based professional development to transform classrooms in higher education

In the era where language instructors are required to regularly assess student progress, develop assessment tools and enhance curricular and instructional designs for their programs, assessment literacy has become important for foreign language instructors at all levels (Davies, 2008; Scarino, 2013). While professional development (PD) sessions focused on assessment may be available, the extent to which they influence the teaching practices of participants, both immediately and over time, is unclear. To address this matter, we have offered workshops to foreign language instructorsin higher education, encompassing numerous topics ranging from the basic assessment concepts to the speech elicitation techniques utilized by the oral proficiency interview and conducted an annual follow-up study on short- and long-term influences. For three years, we offered blended programs for less commonly taught language (LCTL) instructors in higher education, and have investigated the long-term influence of the PD program on participants’ understanding of the accompanying proficiency guidelines and implementation/application of what they learned from PD to their in-class practices (e.g., teaching, assessment, material development, feedback). The follow-up procedure included questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, administered over six months after the workshop. Results showed that the majority of the participants were transferring the knowledge and skills gained in PD to their classrooms in a variety of ways (e.g., placement decisions, use of rubrics, material enhancement, etc.). Instructors also demonstrated ongoing interest in more PD. The presentation will discuss the challenges faced by LCTL instructors as they attempt to bring changes to their instruction and assessment.