Effectiveness of a diagnostic e-report for independent learning

This paper reports the results of a research project designed to identify the extent to which a diagnostic e-report is useful for students’ independent learning. Recent studies claim that e-feedback is effective if it is used for future learning such as the production of learning plans. In Hong Kong, three universities have developed the Diagnostic English Language Tracking Assessment (DELTA) to provide learners with a tool to diagnose and track their English proficiency throughout their university studies. Feedback is given in the form of an e-report, which shows their ability level on a proficiency scale, their strengths
and weaknesses in reading, listening, vocabulary and grammar, the skills they need to work on in order to progress, and links to online resources. This paper describes the different structured classroom activities that teachers across the three universities used to orient students on how to use the report and the ways in which students used the report to create learning plans. Analysis of survey results, learning plans, teacher interviews, and student interviews reveals the varied interpretations of diagnostic feedback and independent learning by stakeholders. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the effectiveness of DELTA e-reports as a tool for diagnostic feedback and, subsequently, fosters independent language learning.