Research Talk by Dr. Claudia Harsch

Join CAL, CeLTA Staff, and the CeLTA Director Search Committee for a research talk by Dr. Claudia Harsch, Professor for Research into Language Teaching and Learning at the University of Bremen, Germany, and Academic and Managing Director of the Foreign Languages Centre for the Universities in the Land Bremen.

Research Talk Abstract

Part 1: (20 minutes, plus 10 for questions) The potential of Dynamic Assessment for Fostering and Assessing Intercultural Competencies among University Students: Four empirically derived critical incidents (Cis) were presented to 13 international students studying in the UK. Students worked in pairs and were asked to interpret the CIs. Appropriate interpretations involved identifying the issues from different perspectives, anticipating emotions, behavior and problems for different participants, and negotiating situations and solutions. Results indicate the potential of DA to provide an empirical diagnosis of student interculturality and learning needs, and thus can inform the design of programs to develop students’ intercultural skills.

Part 2: (20 minutes, plus 10 for questions) Developing assessment literacy: what teachers, coordinators, and researchers can learn from and with each other: The assessment literacy project reported here is situated in a languages center where over 60 teachers provide courses for 21 languages. The course-based achievement tests are developed by the teacher, who expressed their need for support when developing these tests, since most teachers have not had any training in assessment. The project follows an approach where all stakeholders involved (teachers, course coordinators and researchers) bring their experience, abilities, skills and knowledge to the table.