Alive and kicking: revamping assessment in the English for nursing class

Enhancing learning is a complex aim to achieve in many undergraduate courses. While some syllabi are still under the framework of the traditional testing approach to assessment, more and more higher education institutons strive to make assessment more meaningful and more in line with the communicative approach (Harding, 2014) This study aims at observing how a group project encompassing role-play, video production and the use of Youtube channel are used to combine syllabus contents and consolidate students’ acquisition of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) skills in the context of English for Specific Purpose (ESP) class. The project was conducted with three groups of first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the English for Nursing course in a higher education institution in Portugal, over one semester. Students were requested to produce a final assignment which consisted of recording a role-play activity covering one of the topics included in the syllabus, where they had to demonstrate working knowledge of specific healthcare terminology, correct use of English and communication skills in Nursing. The overall results are based on a final questionnaire which aims to assess students’ satisfaction and level of motivation, their perception of learning outcomes and the effectiveness of this model as an assessment tool.