Exploring the Online Testing as An Assessment Tool on EFL learners’ Listening Skill Using the Education First Standardized English Test Website

Abstract

During the pandemic, almost all the institutions were obliged to adopt alternative methods of teaching, which involved using various Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to carry on their teaching and learning process; online testing are one of these methods that teachers and students used during that delicate period to assess the student’s performance, The present study aims to investigate the impact of online testing on EFL learners listening skill using the website Education First Standardized English Test (EF SET) as a technique of self-assessment. This study focuses mainly on the student’s feedback about online testing and seeks to identify the benefits of the website. We hypothesised that online testing and assessment enhances students’ listening skill, and that EF SET is a convenient online material to test EFL learners’ listening skill. The research design adopted a mixed method that consisted of a focus group of ten students from the first-year English department to provide feedback about the website impact, in addition to questionnaires, one for the focus group and one for the teachers from the same department. The findings indicated that the use of EF SET benefited the listening abilities of EFL students. Finally, teachers acknowledged the usefulness of the ESA in assessing learners’ listening abilities