Author: Ed Itor

Pamela Humphries

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Dr Pamela Humphreys has worked in international education for over 30 years in Europe, Asia and Australia for a range of both private and public organisations. Currently the Director at Macquarie University International College (MUIC) & English Language Centre (ELC), she has oversight of English language programs, Foundation, Diploma, Undergraduate Certificates, and a suite of online test preparation products which have seen over 800,000 users to date, and two of which were ranked #1 and #3 by FutureLearn in 2020.

In 2021, Pamela was the recipient of the English Australia John Gallagher Bursary for her significant contribution to the ELICOS sector, including:

Over her career, Pamela has been a teacher, examiner trainer, teacher trainer, and manager for ELICOS, pathways programs and higher education courses. Under her leadership, she and her teams have won over 10 national and institutional awards and citations, including the prestigious OLT Program Award for the Griffith English Language Enhancement Strategy. Pamela has also been the recipient of leadership awards, and her PhD thesis, on the construct of English language proficiency in higher education, won the IEAA Outstanding Thesis Award for Contribution to International Education.

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Katherine Olston

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As a member-elected Director to the NEAS Board since 2018, Katherine is incredibly proud of the work NEAS has done over the past three years to support members and to enhance the quality reputation of our industry. As a NEAS board director, Katherine has always held our members and students at the centre of what we do, and is proud of the way that, through these challenging times, NEAS has been able to be responsive to member needs while also maintaining a focus on the future, working towards the recovery and strengthening of our industry.

Currently, Katherine is the Director at the Centre for English Teaching (CET) and Head of the Learning Hub at the University of Sydney. She oversees pre-entry English language and academic skills pathways courses and post-entry academic support programs in mathematics and academic skills and language development. Under her directorship, the Centre has proactively responded to the emerging demands placed on the industry, developing flexible, robust initiatives and programmes that are responding to seismic changes in circumstances, at both the national and global level. The Centre continues to lead the industry in innovation by embracing the empowering possibilities of technology to provide quality outcomes to students.

Over the past 5 years, in recognition of CET’s contribution to the industry, the Centre has received a number of awards including, Finalist Language Educator of the Year (PIEoneer Awards, 2020), Innovation and Leadership Award (University English Centres Australia, 2019), Best Practice Award for Excellence in Innovation (ATEM, 2018), Award for Innovation (English Australia, 2017, 2018, 2020), Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Educational Engagement and Innovation (University of Sydney, 2017). CET has also been recognised as a NEAS quality endorsed centre for over 25 years and has three NEAS-endorsed premium products.

Katherine is passionate about advancing the agenda of international education and has over 25 years’ experience in the sector working in a range of English language institutions in Australia and Asia.  She is an active contributor and advocate for the industry, contributing through numerous initiatives, including, as a NEAS member elected Director on the NEAS Board since 2018, as member of UECA (University English Centres Australia), Co-convener of the English Australia Post-entry and Academic English Special Interest Group. She regularly represents CET at industry events through conference presentations, workshops, panels and professional development activities (NEAS, English Australia, IEAA, UECA, AIEC).

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David Yoo

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Master of Education (International Education)

Bachelor of Agricultural Economics (Hons)

Graduate Certificate in Accounting

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

I feel privileged to be serving as a member elected Director on the NEAS Board since 2018 and as the Chair of the NEAS Finance, Audit and Investment Committee since 2019, and more recently in 2021, as the Deputy Chair of NEAS.  It has been especially rewarding to help NEAS navigate through the most challenging period in the history of Australian international education and for NEAS to now be in a stronger fiscal position than when entering the current COVID-19 pandemic.

I have been a passionate international educator for nearly 30 years, and remain a strong advocate for building a sustainable, diverse and vibrant Australian international education services community. 

As a founder, current Board Chair and Managing Director of APC Education Group (AEG), comprising Australian Pacific College, English Unlimited and Virtu Design Institute, we have now assisted over 80,000 international students since 1994 to reach their goals. AEG is very proud to have been the first Australian international education group to announce in March 2020, a COVID-19 Tuition Fee Relief and care packages available to all of our vulnerable students across Australia and for all of our programs, while at the same time meeting all our fiscal and regulatory responsibilities; proving that financial prudence, quality assurance and compassion need not be competing interests, but necessary for a sustainable future for all.

Having served on various industry advisory and State committees including Austrade, Department of Education and Training (DET), Australian Council for Private Education and Training (now ITECA) and English Australia NSW Branch, I will continue to bring diverse educational experience to the NEAS Board, while at the same time draw upon my commercial and financial expertise as a former accountant with Ernst & Young specialising in audit and business services looking after clients, both small and large businesses, across different sectors such as Kambala School, Coca-Cola, Woolworths, Commonwealth Bank, Jones Lang Wootton, Ramsay Health Care and Wesley Mission.

As the Managing Director of a group of private international and domestic providers for over 27 years, I feel there is still much for me to contribute to NEAS and the ELT community as we lead our sector into a brighter post COVID future, and seek your ongoing support as I stand for re-election.

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2022 TOEFL® Grants and Awards

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Applications are now open for the following 2022 TOEFL® Grants and Awards:

2022 TOEFL® English-language Researcher/Practitioner Grant Program – The purpose of the grant is to enable practitioners to become involved in ETS’s efforts to promote English language learning, and to support education and professional development for English-language teachers worldwide through ETS’s assessments and services. ets.org/toefl/grants/el_researcher_practitioner_grant

2022 Jacqueline Ross TOEFL® Dissertation Award – This award recognizes doctoral dissertation research that makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge about second or foreign-language tests and testing and/or the use and development of such tests and testing. ets.org/toefl/grants/jacqueline_ross_dissertation_award/

2022 TOEFL® Essentials™ New Scholar Award – This award recognizes a recent graduate in the field of foreign- or second-language assessment, whose scholarship or other major professional activities have already made an outstanding contribution. ets.org/toefl/grants/essentials_new_scholar_award/

Congratulations to Smrt English on achieving NEAS Quality Endorsement

Posted on | by Ed Itor

Congratulations to Smrt English on achieving NEAS Quality Endorsement of its suite of online English language learning courses as a Quality Product / Service. Endorsement covers Smrt English’s dedicated courses for: Adults; Academics; Youth, Kids and Children; and ESP and Exam Preparation. The Smrt product has a history of development spanning ten years. Initially designed as a digital course book for face-to-face instruction, the courses have been tailored to complement online delivery of synchronous lessons dependent on Centre and student needs. Proficiency levels and learning outcomes are made clear and specific to learners and teachers.

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Cambridge Assessment English

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Congratulations to Cambridge Assessment English on achieving NEAS Quality Endorsement of its CELTA course (traditional and online) and its Linguaskill English language test, in the category of Quality Products and Services.

Arguably the most widely recognised English teaching qualification in the world, CELTA has earnt a well-deserved reputation as the gold standard in pre-service teacher training. CELTA graduates develop a solid foundation in teaching methodology, and the course’s traditional in-person delivery has also been updated to a fully virtual mode. An extensive study has shown CELTA to be the English teaching qualification most often requested by employers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Linguaskill, an online multilevel English language test, assesses all four macro skills, and requires only an internet-connected computer to run. Designed as a fast, convenient, and easy-to-use assessment tool, it employs adaptive technology to deliver personalised experiences to its candidates; the test’s level of difficulty self-adjusts to match the user’s true ability. Linguaskill’s currency and relevance is maintained and refreshed by a dedicated research team of world class repute; the test benefits the ELT community through its advances in automated test scoring. The test can also be administered to candidates at home through remote proctoring.

The Benefits of Transnational Partnerships​

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Australian ELT providers have been partnering with offshore providers for decades.  Transnational partnerships are a sustainable way for Australian providers to grow and compete internationally as well as develop greater understanding of the cultural contexts of their international partners.

Transnational arrangements between Australian and offshore providers include delivering programs through distance learning modes, teacher and/or student exchanges and offshore campuses. NEAS has recently added a new area, ‘Transnational Delivery‘ to the NEAS Quality Assurance Framework.

Offering international students a transnational experience in their home countries provides many benefits.  It’s a cost-effective way for students to build their English language competencies whilst being able to stay close to their families and support networks.  Students also become accustomed to the teaching and learning culture delivered by the pathway institution assisting them adapt to both the target language and teaching methodologies.

NEAS endorsed provider, UTS College has enjoyed a successful history of transnational partnerships with a number of off-shore providers.  According to their ELT Director of Studies, Jason West, a key benefit of these partnerships is the internationalisation of the college’s curriculum.  

“When we are refreshing our curriculum, we can seek input from our partners to ensure that the content is more relevant for cohorts of students from different cultural backgrounds, We’ve listened to our partners to build in materials that listen to and respond to the voices of our multi-cultural and multi-lingual students.”

Another NEAS Master Practitioner for the ELT Community!

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Congratulations to Dr Alexander Nanni who was recently received the prestigious NEAS Master Practitioner certificate.

NEAS Master Practitioner is unique in its kind and sets the benchmark for understanding quality assurance, using qualified research into English language teaching and demonstration of knowledge of the NEAS Quality Assurance Framework.

The course comprises a capstone project which enables the participant to apply quality assurance principles to an area of interest and specialisation. The capstone project submission may take one of several forms such as an essay, research project, an experiential work or a multimedia presentation.

Alexander submitted a research report titled ‘Characteristics of Effective English Language Teachers: Students’ and Teachers’ Views’. The report outlined an investigation aimed at improving the quality of the English courses offered by the Preparation Center for Languages and Mathematics at Mahidol University International College, Thailand. The project investigated students’ and teachers’ beliefs about the characteristics of an effective language teacher.

Master Practitioners not only demonstrate their understanding of Quality Assurance in ELT but can become quality ambassadors for their Centre. The Master Practitioner capstone project can be utilised to enhance a professional’s understanding of their work and centre, bringing about benefits for the organisation, staff and students.

Well done Alexander!

Congratulations to USQ College.

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Congratulations to USQ College on the successful Quality Endorsement of its two online English language courses: ACS7001 Advanced Communication Skills One (ACS1) and ACS7002 Advanced Communication Skills Two (ACS2). The courses are delivered via Zoom instruction and associated online materials, and contain opportunities for forum discussion and self-study. Making use of USQ’s Virtual Learning Environment and support services, the advanced communication skills courses prepare students well for future faculty studies. The courses benefit from extensive mapping, curriculum and assessment document preparation, which strongly align assessment with learning outcomes.

Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant (AVEG) Program Update

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NEAS recently conducted its first online workshop for the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant (AVEG) Program. In this decision-making forum, NEAS engaged leaders from the National Foreign Languages Project (NFLP), a department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), in a highly productive discussion. Participants shared ideas and confirmed details for the upcoming specialist workshops to be delivered by NEAS in October and November 2021.

Focussing on Quality Management, Online Delivery, and Teacher Professional Development, these hybrid workshops will deepen industry links, showcase Australian education, and identify new collaborative opportunities between providers in our two countries. NEAS acknowledges the important support of DFAT for this flagship initiative; NEAS also benefitted immensely from the participation and input of colleagues from DFAT, DESE and Austrade. NEAS continues to works closely with its valued Members and stakeholders in Australia and Vietnam for the implementation of the AVEG Program. Additional details will be available in the weeks ahead.