Rubrics in the Assessment of EAP Speaking Skills Supported by Mobile Assisted Language Learning

Research on oral performance assessment in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) learning context supported by Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) is scarce.This research aimed to investigate whether rubrics may be expected to yield valid, reliable and replicable data when evaluating EAP speaking skills in remote classes supported by MALL.An action-based case study was conducted with a convenience sample of 93 students (from three different cohorts: 2019, 2020 and 2021) video-recording themselves delivering speeches with their smartphones in an English language university course including EAP writing and speaking skills as substantial requirements.The students' EAP speaking skills were evaluated over three years with descriptive, analytic, task-specific and teacher-created rubrics contextualised in real-world language.The rubrics were designed to include a rating scale, specific criteria, levels of achievement and descriptors.The results indicate that when implemented as a preparation and assessment tool, rubrics provide valid, reliable and replicable data for assessing EAP speaking skills in remote classes supported by MALL.The practical implications of these findings are significant since the data collected in this way can help language instructors evaluate the students' spoken communicative competence in remote classes that would otherwise be difficult to assess.