Author: Ed Itor

English Unlimited (EU) and Australia Pacific College (APC) are owned by the same company, with Centres operating in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.  

As an extension of its reaction to the COVID 19 lockdowns in 2020, when the Centre was able to move quickly to online delivery, EU is now delivering Certificate IV in Communicate TESOL online. With the Learning Management System (LMS): MOODLE as the preferred platform for the delivery of this course, EU has created a comprehensive and interactive course.  

The review of the Certificate IV in Communicative TESOL, conducted against the quality principles in Area H: Online Delivery, showed the extensive mapping of course content to curriculum and assessment in alignment with assessment outcomes. Students enrol as part of national online classes, combining students and teaching staff from Australia-wide. Students expressed their delight that “the classes are good and rich in content online, so I really like taking them at home and getting to study with people from all over Australia”. 

02 February 2023

NEAS congratulates Griffith University, School of Humanities and Social Science on completing a successful Quality Review of its Master in TESOL Course and the Quality Endorsement of its Graduate Certificate in TESOL. 

NEAS was particularly impressed with the attention given to course development and the quality of delivery. With both domestic and international students enrolled in these courses, the school provides students with ease of access to information pertaining to course subject information. Individual course information sheets paired with teacher support offer students the support material to foster self-directed learning.

The provision of constructive feedback is embedded in these courses and aims at enhancing student-to-student engagement in their learning experience. This is fostered by providing avenues of peer-to-peer feedback. 

Student support is highly regarded by the university and is made available to both domestic and international students through multiple channels. Academic support programs are offered to students who are continuing to enhance their English Language proficiency, while Griffith’s international student services provides ongoing support to international students through a number of programs. These were increased to include additional services during covid regulations.

Students undertaking TESOL courses at Griffith University benefit from access to conference information and job advertisements via a Griffith University TESOL Community Teams Site.

02 February 2023

Congratulations to Union Institute of Language (UIL) on completing a Quality Review activity with NEAS! 

Union Institute of Language (UIL) returned to on-campus learning in April 2022 after ceasing to have on-campus students in December 2020. In the interim, online courses had been offered, but with extended support and learning time. UIL has long-term partnerships with international colleges globally, and school and tertiary institutes within Australia. In addition, UIL has established an agreement with public and many independent schools in Queensland to prepare their students for mainstream primary and high school. Destination schools receive regular reports from UIL on their students, including welfare and homestay reports.

UIL fosters an environment of care and support and provides students with activities to build confidence in engaging with the community and encourages the use of English. These activities include cultural, art, environment, sport, and library familiarity activities. The UIL programs offered are reviewed annually and informed by students’ results, as well as by feedback from receiving schools and colleges. Flexibility within the curriculum allows specialist teachers to focus on the needs of the current student cohort. 

January 2023

NEAS Congratulates Shafston International College in Brisbane on completing a successful Quality Review Activity with NEAS! 

Located on the banks of the Brisbane River, Shafston Brisbane campus offers large garden areas and striking river views. The original Shafston House building has been refurbished and equipment modernised. On its entrance floor, the main reception area leads to facilities for students to mingle, the enrolments section and the student services section. There are also excellent areas for orientation, assessment and study space with novels. Due to the large facilities, Shafston English was able to provide face-to-face classes during the pandemic. Currently, the school is welcoming students into General English classes, IELTS and CAE Preparation classes, High School Preparation (HSP) and Primary School Preparation (PSP) classes.  

Shafston fosters a supportive and nurturing environment for international students and provides counselling services on campus. The safety and wellbeing of students under 18 are highly regarded and supported by management.

January 2023

Congratulations to Cambridge Assessment English! 

NEAS is honoured to have assessed and endorsed C1 Advanced in the category of Quality Products and Services (Area K). The Quality Principles of Area K focus on these features of the target Product and Service: its underlying research; its fulfilment of purpose; its processes for maintaining quality; its uniqueness and innovation; and its contribution to the ELT community. See here for detailed information on Area K of the NEAS Quality Assurance Framework. 

Cambridge C1 Advanced is a high stakes test approved by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs as proof of English language ability for Student visa applications and other programs, including Temporary Graduate, Skilled, Former Resident, and Work and Holiday visas. C1 Advanced is also recognised as proof of high-level achievement in English by many employers, Higher Education Institutions and government departments around the world. Developed by Cambridge Assessment English, a not-for-profit department of the University of Cambridge, the exam is purpose designed to assess candidates at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Formerly known as Cambridge English: Advanced – CAE, C1 Advanced is the result of over 30 years of academic research, trialling and the careful incorporation of feedback from all stakeholders. 

C1 Advanced test is globally renowned. The trialling of exam materials with a wide range of students helps ensure accuracy, fairness and appropriateness of content. Continuous collation of user feedback from around the world enhances further the test and its delivery. Cambridge Assessment English regularly reviews and develops the test, in line with stakeholder feedback and technological developments. The test provides candidates with certified results.

January 2023

NEAS Congratulates Moreton Bay College International on completing the Quality Endorsement of their Pre-intermediate High School Preparation Course. 

Moreton Bay College International’s Intermediate-level High School Preparation Program was endorsed by NEAS in the middle of the 2022 academic year. Since then, the need for a pre-intermediate level program became noticeable. For the purpose of this endorsement, the College submitted a two-level, 20-week HSP Program including a newly created pre-intermediate level. The pre-intermediate level is suitably written and is consistent with the course endorsed earlier in 2022 to allow the enrolment of students with an English language proficiency of at least A2 CEFR. The course provides an integrated skills approach to language learning while drawing on a communicative teaching method. 

January 2023

NEAS Congratulates EF Brisbane on completing a Quality Review activity with NEAS! 

EF Brisbane re-opened its doors in February 2022 and has since had an ongoing increase in student numbers. NEAS conducted a recent visit to EF Brisbane and was particularly impressed by the school’s collaborative and cheerful environment and management’s commitment to providing students with pastoral care and quality learning experience. The campus facilities are conducive to learning and provide a good space for students to mingle and relax with breakout spaces on every level and a deck area to access during breaks and for school celebrations. Throughout the College, there are bright, cheerful posters, advertising other EF colleges and showing local artwork.

December 2022

NEAS Congratulates Charleston English on completing a successful Quality Review Activity. 

Charleston English commenced in November 2019 and has bravely faced the effects of COVID-19. Currently, all classes are held face-to-face, and the college is offering General English courses. Charleston English is located in the centre of Brisbane city in close proximity to public transport and provides state of art facilities including spacious and well-equipped classrooms, computer labs and break-out areas. In a recent visit, NEAS was particularly impressed by the student learning atmosphere at Charleston English and the level of student engagement with teachers and managers.

December 2022

NEAS congratulates Victoria University English (VU English) for successfully completing its Quality Review initiative in 2022. Located at Victoria University’s City Campus (in Melbourne’s central business district), VU English is the University’s dedicated English language centre. The Centre delivers a wide range of English language courses and supports learners improve their English skills. It also delivers standalone ELICOS programs to university groups from a range of countries. All classes are back to 100% face-to-face delivery and the campus enjoys a diverse nationality mix, with enrolments hailing Japan, Vietnam, Colombia, Thailand, Brazil, China, Pakistan, Iran, and other countries and regions.

VU’s core value of “fostering mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships” facilitates open communication among staff and between staff and students. Students’ security and wellbeing are serious considerations of the International Student Adviser and her team. VU English’s course design and assessment is developed in-house and is maintained by academic management with input from teachers via a comprehensive course review system. Feedback from anonymised student Health Checks concerning teachers and their approach was very positive, with the majority agreeing or strongly agreeing with the high level of course delivery, assessment and teaching approaches. Student comments about the teachers include “They really care”, “When I have a problem, they immediately respond”, and “They prepare well, especially grammar”. Students and teachers also reported that they were happy with the spaces at the Centre and felt that access to technology was good. One student commented “That’s amazing!” when asked about the technology in the classroom.

December 2022

NEAS CEO, Dr Patrick Pheasant, visited NEAS Member Centres in Hanoi, Vietnam, during a recent tour of the country in November, to progress strategic dialogues with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam Education Quality Management Agency, and the Australian Embassy. During this trip, Patrick’s also arrived in Singapore as a guest speaker at the Asia-Pacific Quality Network Annual Academic Conference.

We take this opportunity to congratulate the following ELT Centres for their continued commitment to aspirational quality assurance standards and for their demonstrated excellence in delivery of English language programs in Vietnam: 

• Vietnam USA Society English Centres (VUS) – Hanoi – Nguyen Luong Bang, Golden Palace, and CTM Branch Campuses;
•  RMIT University Vietnam – Hanoi City Campus; and
•  Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET) – Ngoc Khanh Campus, Hanoi

The Centre staff were invariably warm and welcoming at each site. Key members of the leadership teams demonstrated a solid understanding of quality assurance processes and mechanisms. Each Centre took great pride in their commitment to excellence and prominently displayed the NEAS logo on their campuses. The classrooms were clean and well organised. In structured discussions about future strategy, the Centres were commended for their dedication to teacher training and ongoing professional development for teachers and academic managers.

Onsite Visits and Management Meetings are integral to the ongoing Quality Review cycle. Management Meetings cover key areas of the NEAS Quality Framework as well as areas of significance for the ELT Centre. Following the Management Meetings, a succinct report is delivered to the Centre, which identifies notable areas of strength and presents suggestions for continuous improvement. In addition to planned meetings, NEAS also conducts unscheduled visits from time to time.

December 2022