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.
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.
Congratulations to St John’s International College for completing a successful Quality Review Activity with NEAS. NEAS conducted a Site Visit and a Management Meeting at St John’s International College and was pleased with the current operations as the Centre rebuilds its international Student Cohort. St John’s International College operates within the St John’s Anglican College Secondary campus, offering a High School Preparation Program to international students. In mid 2021, with the extended closure of Australia’s international borders, the College chose not to continue to offer its quality-endorsed online program and sought NEAS “Pending” status (hibernation), during which no eCoEs were issued.
The Centre resumed its active membership of NEAS in late February 2022 and has been recruiting students from China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
While student numbers are growing, St John’s International College continues to ensure high-quality education and pastoral care for its international students.
The College at Western Sydney University (WSU) is the official pathway provider for the University and delivers a wide range of quality TEQSA accredited English language and academic preparation courses. Congratulations to WSU The College on successfully completing the NEAS Quality Review exercise for 2022! This involved structured meetings and focus group discussions with management, students, teachers and professional staff. Anonymised Health Check surveys were used to develop areas of focus for the conduct of the Quality Review, and comprehensive stakeholder feedback was triangulated and mapped to key Principles and Drivers of the NEAS Quality Assurance Framework.
Located in Sydney Olympic Park, a major urban centre with strong transport connectivity and retail and community amenities, WSU The College is welcoming a growing number of enrolments from a wide range of countries that include China, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, India, and Pakistan. Currently, classes are being delivered face-to-face, as well as in blended modes and hybrid modes. The College offers English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses across five levels from Elementary to Intermediate. Also on offer are the following courses: Advanced Academic English Skills: Reading and Writing; Advanced Academic English Skills: Listening and Speaking; Master of Teaching Direct Entry English Program (MTDEEP); and Bachelor of Nursing Direct Entry English Program (BNDEEP).
Students who lodged anonymised Health Check feedback expressed that they were delighted with their course and considered it appropriate for their chosen pathway. Staff also communicated a profound pride in working for WSU The College, with one respondent remarking that “staff and students at the College get the support needed to create an ideal teaching and learning environment”.
Congratulations Sunshine Coast International College (SCIC) for completing a successful NEAS Quality Review activity. SCIC is an independent ELICOS Centre located in the Sydney CBD. The college was initially founded in QLD and relocated to Sydney in 2016. SCIC is in the process of rebuilding student numbers after the COVID-19 Pandemic. With over 250 students currently studying on campus, SCIC is presently delivering a range of courses including General English, English for Academic Purposes, Cambridge English Advanced and IELTS preparation. The majority of SCIC’s students are from Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam and some are on pathways to a range of universities and colleges with whom SCIC has established pathway agreements.
Teachers and students spoke about “the SCIC family” that supports the students while they are studying at the Centre. Health Check comments by students and staff also pointed to the high level of support, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students spoke favourably about their teachers and courses and were happy that their feedback was highly acknowledged by the school. Students in the focus group pointed out that the Centre always fixes or replaces things as necessary and always “asks if we are OK”. Teachers in the focus group advised that there was a strong relationship between management staff and the teaching body, and they felt comfortable giving feedback and making requests.
NEAS was pleased to attend the UECA Assessment Symposium event on 22 October at Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast.
The Symposium was attended by international English Assessment researchers, ELT practitioners, Academic Managers and Centre Directors. The topic of Integrated Assessments was the focus of the Symposium which featured synchronous and asynchronous presentations.
Congratulations to Study NSW for holding a highly successful International Market Briefing which was attended by NEAS on 25 October.
In partnership with Austrade, Study NSW hosted this important event in Sydney to inform, support and engage professionals and stakeholders in international education. Addressing a full audience, Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioners and Business Development Managers shared the latest intelligence on key markets abroad and outlined opportunities for the growth of Australian education businesses.
It was an outstanding forum to reconnect with friends and network with future partners. Our many thanks to Study NSW and Austrade for their essential work in supporting the recovery of the education sector.
Queensland Education Minister, Ms Grace Grace, recently announced Whites Hill State College (WHSC) as the winner of the Global Engagement Award at the 2022 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools.
Whites Hill State College Principal, Mr Andrew Beattie, said he was delighted to accept the award which recognises the hard work and dedication of the High School Preparation (HSP) team who made a way for international students to be continue their studies in both offshore and onshore programs simultaneously across five time zones and countries.
NEAS is proud to endorse Whites Hill State College as a Quality Centre. The College’s Virtual High School Preparation Program has also been awarded NEAS Quality Endorsement for online delivery.
The 35th Australian International Education Conference was held on the Gold Coast and online on 18 to 21 October 2022. Excited to reunite in person, the event reconnected over 1,750 colleagues in the international education sector from Australia and around the world. AIEC featured captivating learning sessions, innovative networking opportunities, incredible keynote speakers, a buzzing exhibition and fun social events, providing a unique convergence of networking, learning and fun.
NEAS was an exhibitor at the event and was pleased to meet with hundreds of professionals including education agents, ELT centre managers and products and services providers.
NEAS CEO, Dr Patrick Pheasant, conducted a workshop at the event titled ‘Online and Transnational Delivery of English Language Teaching – Global Perspectives’. Presenting with him were Dr Alexander Nanni (Mahidol University International College), Dr Pamela Humphreys (Macquarie University) and Mr Jake Heinrich (RMIT Training). The session was well attended and highlighted the teaching and learning innovations of High Schools, Vocational Colleges, Universities, and English Language Centres in online delivery, English as a Medium of Instruction and Transnational ELT Delivery. Through a lens of quality management, the workshop also addressed how the impact of Australia’s closed borders has affected social, cultural and economic barriers to international education.
NEAS congratulates The Australian Centre for Education (ACE) Cambodia on completing a successful Quality Review activity. ACE is an initiative of IDP Education and currently runs six NEAS-accredited campuses across Cambodia. Five campuses are located in Phnom Penh -Santhor Mok (SM), Samdech Pan (SP), Tuol Tom Poung (TTP), Chak Angre (CA) and Tuol Kork (TK)- and a campus in Siem Reap.
ACE Cambodia delivers courses catering to a diverse range of students, including courses designed specifically for younger students such as English for Children and English for Young Learners, and courses designed for students from various age groups including General English, Academic English, Business English and IELTS Preparation Courses.
The students’ face-to-face feedback and survey responses indicate a strong satisfaction with the quality of teacher delivery and materials. Students spoke of ‘great’ courses and advised that “The teachers always explain what we don’t know” and that lessons are engaging and planned well – “It’s fun but very educational”.
The Centres provide a functional online platform that supports appropriate course delivery and provides students with a wide range of self-study material. Opportunities are available for students to access additional resources, both online and face to face, to practise with and/or visit the Guided Individual Learning (GIL) centres on each campus. Teachers, professional staff, and students all agreed that the opportunities that are available for students to improve their language learning are extensive. The Google Classroom additional resources and the Guided Individual Learning centres were all spoken about favourably. In addition, each centre operates a “Book Club” where students, of any age, can borrow books on a regular basis.
Teachers were keen to express their views on the quality delivery at the centres, advising that the centres were well known in Cambodia for “good quality teaching”, as was their ability to adapt their delivery from face to face, to hybrid and to completely online and back to a blended model over the past few years. As the sponsor for the Cambodia TESOL (CAMTESOL) conference, each year staff are all encouraged to attend and deliver papers where possible. This is an excellent opportunity for staff to contribute to professional development for themselves and for the ASEAN region.
The College at Western Sydney University (WSU) is the official pathway provider for the University and delivers a wide range of quality TEQSA accredited English language and academic preparation courses. Congratulations to WSU The College on successfully completing the NEAS Quality Review exercise for 2022! This involved structured meetings and focus group discussions with management, students, teachers and professional staff.
Anonymised Health Check surveys were used to develop areas of focus for the conduct of the Quality Review, and comprehensive stakeholder feedback was triangulated and mapped to key Principles and Drivers of the NEAS Quality Assurance Framework.
Located in Sydney Olympic Park, a major urban centre with strong transport connectivity and retail and community amenities, WSU The College is welcoming a growing number of enrolments from a wide range of countries that include China, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, India, and Pakistan. Currently, classes are being delivered face-to-face, as well as in blended modes and hybrid modes. The College offers English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses across five levels from Elementary to Intermediate. Also on offer are the following courses: Advanced Academic English Skills: Reading and Writing; Advanced Academic English Skills: Listening and Speaking; Master of Teaching Direct Entry English Program (MTDEEP); and Bachelor of Nursing Direct Entry English Program (BNDEEP).
Students who lodged anonymised Health Check feedback expressed that they were delighted with their course and considered it appropriate for their chosen pathway. Staff also communicated a profound pride in working for WSU The College, with one respondent remarking that “staff and students at the College get the support needed to create an ideal teaching and learning environment”.
NEAS congratulates the Whitsundays College of English in Sydney (WCE) for becoming the latest Quality Endorsed Member! Situated in the inner Sydney suburb of Ultimo, WCE is seeing enrolments grow at a steady pace with the reopening of Australia’s international borders. WCE’s mission is to help learners achieve their English language goals in a positive and nurturing environment.
The Centre benefits from a diverse nationality mix, with students hailing from Thailand, Korea, Japan, China and South American countries. Courses offered include General English (Elementary to Advance), IELTS preparation, English for tertiary study, and Cambridge exam preparation. The College is also preparing for the launch of its School bridging program. Delivery of courses is 100% face-to-face and daily contact comprises of four hours of tuition during daytime or evening sessions. WCE enjoys close relationships with agents and most students come to WCE through their offshore and onshore agent networks.
WCE fosters a strong culture of friendliness, professionalism and familial support. Open communication is also highly valued; staff, students and teachers were observed to engage comfortably with each other and with management. The sense of community among students and teachers is enhanced by excursions and other extracurricular activities. The wellbeing of students is maintained with the provision of a dedicated Student Welfare Officer and an externally appointed counsellor. Students are happy and feel cared for; this is reflected in the feedback from anonymised Health Check surveys and in the Focus Group interviews.
NEAS is delighted to welcome back WCE, which first achieved NEAS Accreditation in 2006, when it was then located in Airlie Beach, Queensland! The Centre is now under new ownership and management.
October 2022.
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