Effectiveness of an Alternate Assessment Pedagogy in Business Programs with Non-native English Speakers

There is a lot of emphasis on teaching and assessment pedagogy in academia considering the significance of learning in this era of knowledge economies. Students all over the world are being predominantly tested using conventional testing methods, such as written examinations in English. Written examinations enable the students to express their knowledge freely, but they may also be a challenge for students who are non-native English speakers and learners. As a result, when these students enter higher education institutions (HEIs), they are faced with severe setbacks in terms of answering their exams. Hence, inclusion of other assessment methods, such as oral exams, is needed. These alternative methods help in fostering learner autonomy by promoting critical evaluation and reflective thinking among the students. This paper uses quantitative research to assess the effectiveness of using alternative methods including oral exams as an assessment instrument to supplement conventional written assessments. The findings reveal that oral exams are independently related to student knowledge and learning in the two economics courses considered. However, their contribution increases substantially when used in conjunction with written exams.