Technology integration in language assessment has been regarded as a common strategy in an educational setting. However, teachers need to adjust the perception and cogency of assessment in an online setting as well as the concept of formative assessment in online environments. This research aimed to investigate the students' perception of online backchannel implementation as a formative assessment in improving the students' writing skills in an English classroom. For this purpose, a mixed-method was applied with a closed-ended questionnaire distributed to 32 students and semi-structured interviews carried out to 24 students at the eighth-grade students of a state junior high school in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. The collected data were then analyzed quantitatively using SPSS 23 and qualitatively. The findings revealed positive perceptions of online backchannel implementation as a formative assessment in improving their writing skills. They considered it a new and innovative process of an assessment that helped them get the maximum result of writing. Furthermore, students' motivation and confidence in writing were raised. This study's implication calls for the implementation of online backchannel in English class as a formative assessment during the writing process.

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This paper explores the student’s perception on the application of Dyned Programme as Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in English department of Universitas PGRI Semarang, Indonesia. This study is descriptive qualitative. Otherwise, it needs the statistical data in calculating the result percentage. It took 85 students of the first semester students who have already joined Integrated Course (IC) as the sample. IC is a subject which involves ICT-based learning. In this case, Dyned Programme is the ICT-based learning used as CALL. The result of this study shows that the students are satisfied with ICT facilities provided as the media in English teaching and learning. In addition, the use of Dyned Programme in English teaching and learning is well-accepted by the students. Moreover, it comes to the students’ perception that shows us how important the media of ICT in English teaching learning process in order to make the students interest in learning English.

The spread of the pandemic COVID-19 has made many changes in educational policy such as the assessment in English teaching and learning process. The process and procedures in the assessment need to be adjusted from face-to-face assessment into blended and online assessments. Not only English teachers, pre-service EFL teachers are also required to be ready and adapt to the changes quickly. To adapt it, the integration of technology in the assessment process has been examined. However, the involvement of technology in the area of formative assessment remains underexplored, particularly in the teaching practicum conducted by pre service EFL teachers. The present study is trying to fill the gaps by investigating pre-service EFL teachers’ perception on technology-based formative assessment which is implemented in their teaching practicum. A total of 57 pre-service EFL teachers completed a Likertscale questionnaire. After fulfilling the questionnaires, there were 19 pre-service EFL teachers who agreed and volunteered to be in a semi-structured interview. The findings show that the involvement of technology in formative assessment is perceived positively by pre-service EFL teachers in their teaching practicum during the pandemic COVID-19. They confess that technology has played its practical role in helping them assess their students. Further, the implementation of technology-based formative assessments promotes the students’ performance.

Assessment is an ongoing process of evaluating learners' ability or skill after process of teaching and learning. In English class, assessment also plays an important role. According to the facts found, assessment mostly used in English class is traditional assessment. English class needs more alternative assessments to set the goals of learning English. Curriculum 2013, which is used in Indonesia right now, emphasizes the use of authentic assessment, and performance -based assessment is to be a subset of authentic assessment. This article is trying to discuss the students' responsess on the use of performance-based assessment applied by the English teachers. This study applied descriptive qualitative research design. The subjects of this research were 30 Senior High School students. To collect the data needed, this study used observation and interview as the instrument. The observation was used to discover performance-based assessments which had already been applied by the English teachers in school. The result of the interview was interpreted to clarify the students' responsess on the use of performance-based assessment applied by the English teachers. Performance-based assessments which had already been applied were roleplays, writing sample, and retelling. From 6 classes, 3 classes (50%) applied role-plays. Moreover, 2 (33,3%) classes applied writing sample, and the rest applied retelling (16,66%). It means that role-plays was performance-based assessment which was mostly applied by the English teachers. Furthermore, the students' responsess on the use of performance-based assessment was good. Almost of the 30 students considered that performance-based assessment can improve their English skills and confidence instead of traditional assessment. 24 of the 30 students also claimed that traditional assessment is still inadequate to activate their English skill. In short, 80% of 30 students gave a positive responsess on the use of performance-based assessment.