Meeting the Challenges of Workplace English Communication in the 21st Century

We are pleased to announce the publication of “Meeting the Challenges of Workplace English Communication in the 21^st Century” in Volume 5 of The Journal of Writing Analytics. Edited by María Elena Oliveri, David H. Slomp, Norbert Elliot, and André A. Rupp, this is the first special issue of the journal.

Under the theme of assessing complex tasks of hard-to-assess 21^st century workplace communication skills, U.S. and international researchers have deliberated on new directions to transform assessment practices, including the following: assessment for learning (AfL) approaches; applications of corpus linguistics; and advanced psychometric models including cognitive diagnostics. Authors deliberate on various aspects of AfL needed to create an ecosystem for teaching and assessing workplace communication, with special attention to writing analytics, anticipatory frameworks (such as evidence-centered design and Theories of Action), novel approaches to domain conceptualization, domain modeling, evidence accumulation and interpretation, prospective score reporting, formative feedback, validity of score-based inferences, and application of sociocognitive and sociocultural differences in the populations assessed.

Articles also illustrate how multidisciplinary researchers (e.g., learning specialists, cognitive scientists, psychologists, instructors, and assessment developers) can collaborate to maximize the desired, intended consequences from the use of AfL assessments to leverage positive consequences and opportunity to learn. As authors establish principled strategies to engage learners with the very forms of literacy that are needed for workplace success, addressed as well is the underlying topic of precarity and a focus on justice and fairness.

In addition, please consider joining us at the 2021 Writing Analytics Spring Virtual Symposium to be held virtually from May 15 through May 30. We have an exciting program on incubating writing analytics research in the time of COVID-19 in which we will continue to expand the body of knowledge in writing analytics. The schedule for the symposium will be released in early May.