E-assessment system as a positive tool in the mastery of Putonghua

Assessment in whatever format has not been favourably received by students at all levels since the beginning of time. There is a misconception that assessment is always regarded as a means to make judgments about student performance and grade allocation. It is often thought to have little, if anything, to do with learning. This paper introduces the design of a self-regulating and diagnostic e-Assessment system in learning Putonghua as a second language. The beauty of the newly developed system is its embrace of the spirit of "assessment for learning" and its demonstration of how well-planned web-based multiple choice test items can be used to facilitate self-directed learning so as to enable students to learn Putonghua Pronunciation independently outside the classroom. It is also an example of the Computerized Adaptive Tests (CATs), which is based on the Item Response Theory (IRT) model capable of adapting to an individual student learning needs and learning pace. The key distinguished features of such an e-Assessment system are specified and the paper concludes by providing a list of potential uses of the system in the context of language teaching and learning.