Blurb:

The expansion of online language learning opportunities has provided language teachers and learners with an increasingly diverse range of tools aiming to facilitate language learning in various contexts. However, CALL researchers and practitioners do not have adequate knowledge about the effectiveness of online language learning; and controversies and challenges exist in the on-going efforts to better understand aspects of assessment in language teaching online. Therefore, the purpose of this introduction chapter to the edited volume is to engage language teachers, researchers, and practitioners in the conversation of opportunities and challenges regarding assessments in online language education, to further the discussion on how to re-conceptualize the need and use of assessments in the online environment, and finally to contribute to a better understanding of how assessment tools can affect online language teaching and learning.