Innovative Online Platforms in Foreign Language Teaching for Development and Assessment of Communicative and Intercultural Competence of Students in Higher Education

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the online platforms Duolingo, Padlet, Flip and Zoom in developing students’ communicative and intercultural competence. To achieve this aim, the empirical methods were used: English language tests to assess communicative skills, Intercultural Sensitivity Scale to assess intercultural competence and questionnaires and surveys on students’ perception of effectiveness of digital platforms. Statistical methods of analysis included an independent two-sample t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and effect size (Cohen’s d). The results showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores in communicative competence (3.85 ± 0.40) and intercultural competence (3.76 ± 0.42) compared to the control group (3.27 ± 0.48 and 3.30 ± 0.50, respectively), and, in the experimental group, an increase in competences exceeded 0.70 points for both variables and was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The analysis of student activity on the platforms showed that regular work with interactive tools directly correlates with the competence development. The results can be used by instructors to design interactive assignments tailored to the specific features of each platform, provide formative feedback and encourage students to work autonomously.