Computer-Based Self-Assessment as a Customised Tool for the Strategic Implementation of an Updated Circular Teaching Model

The COVID-19 emergency has affected language learning and assessment by imposing a physical and social distance entailing challenges in measuring the improvement of students and courses that were transferred online. The computer-based self-assessment test under analysis faces such challenges by considering assessment a means to plan the online supplementary grammar and conversation lessons of a Business English university course, which would be based on the cohorts’ needs. This was especially important given the remarkable number of students attending the online course (three groups of 150–200 students) and the limited number of hours available for supplementary lessons, which therefore had to be focused on the most urgent needs. The approach of the self-assessment test and subsequent course planning was that of error analysis, and the results were analysed from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The results refer to two academic years (2020–2021 and 2021– 2022) and improvements made to the test between the first and second years. This allowed students whose secondary school–level preparation of English had been hindered by the COVID-19 emergency to gain awareness of their overall level and of particular issues they needed to focus on to better prepare for the final exam.