NEWS

NEAS would like to celebrate the Quality Endorsement of Hoa Sen University, Vietnam. Hoa Sen University is an established, private, multidisciplinary university in Ho Chi Minh City. The English for International Communication (EIC) Program is provided for first and second-year university students and is designed to prepare students to study their third and fourth-year programs in English as the medium of instruction.

Hoa Sen’s program is dynamic with the provision of projects and workshops providing opportunities for real communication activities, and self-directed learning at home through a well-designed Learning Management System. Students enjoy a friendly learning environment and spoke of ‘gentle’ teachers who encourage student participation.

Congratulations to Hoa Sen University for its commitment to providing quality education!

June 2022

Congratulations to the Aussizz Group (Aussizz) on achieving NEAS Endorsement in the Quality Education Agent category. Founded in 2009, Aussizz is an Australian-registered education and migration consultant agency that has grown over the past 15 years to operate 25 offices in four nations, recruiting students from multiple countries, including Australia, New Zealand, India and the UAE. In addition to Australia, Aussizz counsels students destined for the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Aussizz has partnership agreements with many NEAS members and is itself a member of the International Student Education Agents Association (ISEAA), Australia India Business Council, Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), Professional International Education Resources (PIER) and Migration Alliance and Migration Institute of Australia (MIA).

NEAS assessed Aussizz’s application using Quality Area J of the NEAS Quality Assurance Framework, focussing on these important principles: the presence of an ethical framework underpinning the practices of the agency and its counsellors; provision of information to stakeholders that is ethical, accurate and consistent; use of governance structures that are effective and transparent; supporting a performance and development culture for staff; implementing systematic risk management processes; and routinely obtaining stakeholder feedback to inform the continuous improvement of services.

NEAS uses a unique 360-degree stakeholder feedback model in its review processes. During telephone discussions with partner providers and students, these stakeholders confirmed that Aussizz seeks regular feedback from them regarding their services. One provider claimed “they are some of the best in practice”, while another said, “issues are dealt with immediately” and a third enthusiastically declared “they are all really good …know their stuff”. One provider also commended Aussizz for winning their Admissions Award three years in a row. Clients in the telephone discussions were delighted with the way Aussizz handled their application.

June 2022

Southern Cross University (SCU) College offers preparation and pathway programs to international students to prepare them for success in university and beyond. Creating a supportive language environment, the College empowers students to develop their language and academic skills, as well as their confidence. In June 2021, NEAS and SCU College worked together to conduct a quality assessment of the Centre’s online English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and General English (GE) programs, as part of a project funded by Trade Investment Queensland. As a result of the initiative, a dedicated NEAS Report was produced, noting areas of best practice alongside specific recommendations for ongoing improvements.

Twelve months later, a special Management Meeting was held, which served as a review mechanism to assess the updates and revisions that were applied to the College’s Learning Management Systems (LMS) and interactive resources, in alignment with the recommendations made in the earlier report. As with the Quality Assurance exercise in 2021, the recent review of 2022 measured the course enhancements against the Quality Principles in Area H: Online Delivery. These Quality Principles focus on: ensuring the design of the online environment supports a positive and engaging user experience; the appropriateness of learning and assessment strategies for virtual delivery; provision of learning resources and technology to facilitate learning; and the presence of an integrated reporting system to support the online courses.

NEAS acknowledges the improvements that have been methodically implemented, and commends the College for its adept use of the University’s LMS in acculturating pathway students to future systems. Also commendable was the creation of new learner-centred format of scaffolded online lessons featuring a combination of resources aligned to the learning outcomes and assessments for each weekly unit. The implementation of explicit learning outcomes into Blackboard Accordion menus across courses form part of an integrated reporting system, and changing from Blackboard Collaborate to a Blackboard integrated Zoom application improved further the learner experience.

June 2022

Professional development is an integral part of a teacher’s career.

Supporting teachers with their development is a fundamental aspect of the work that the IELTS partners undertake. Whether you are a new teacher to IELTS or one with years of experience under your belt, there are plenty of opportunities for development with IELTS.

Providing a range of tried and tested ideas and techniques, the IELTS teaching tips postcards and accompanying videos provide numerous fun ideas to get language flowing in the classroom. These tips took inspiration from an IELTS workshop with preparation teachers who use these techniques in their own classrooms.

For more classroom inspiration, the IELTS blog for teachers provides both practical and theoretical teaching information that is relevant and transferable to the classroom.

Do you have a fun educational activity or learning resource you’ve developed for your IELTS prep students? For these teachers, IELTS offers the Morgan Terry IATEFL Scholarship. The winners receive an expenses-paid trip to the IATEFL conference, which aims to link, develop and support English language teaching professionals worldwide.

For those of you undertaking further study, the Caroline Clapham Masters Award may be for you. This award is for a Masters level dissertation or thesis in English which makes the most significant contribution to the field of language testing – not specifically IELTS​.

Finally, our free IELTS teacher training program, a NEAS Quality Endorsed Product, aims to further enhance teachers’ performance and effectiveness as IELTS Speaking and Writing teachers.

Find out about all these resources and more by watching the Using IELTS to advance your teaching career webinar on the NEAS website.

What is your vision for Quality Assurance in ELT and where do you see NEAS’ role in maintaining quality within the ELT sector?

Quality Assurance (QA) is indispensable for maintaining the standards of ELT Institutions and for supporting the ongoing development of the sector. A well-established ELT QA Framework sets the quality standards, supports management, and builds students’ and agents’ confidence with the school, the services and courses.

Being a major player since 1992, NEAS has set the foundation for ELT QA through ongoing intensive consultation with English language professionals in Australia and overseas. The NEAS QA Framework is designed to maintain the highest standards in meeting regulatory and legislative requirements while ensuring products and services are sound and are guided by best practices. I have personally relied on the NEAS QA Framework to prepare new courses, quality reviews and accreditation activities.

I see NEAS as a pillar in ELT Quality Assurance, through its commitment to quality and the ongoing provision of quality endorsement services, professional development, as well as providing an extensive range of support services to ELT accredited institutions and members in Australia and overseas.

What is your view on Professional Development in ELT?

Professional Development is extremely important for the ongoing development of the ELT community. Whether you are a manager, a teacher or a member of the student support team, participating in professional development can boost your skills and help build confidence.

I advise ELT members to actively pursue PD opportunities that help improve target skills and to keep up with new trends. If you are looking for ways to learn new skills or to take up a new role within the industry, be assured that participating in Professional Development can help you reach the next step in your career.

Can you tell us about NEAS professional Development activities for 2022?

NEAS has established a thorough PD timetable designed to target the needs of the sector, in addition to a set of free online courses, Specialisation Courses and Master Practitioner Courses available via NEAS Online. This is in addition to the NEAS Management Conference in May and the Workshop Series aimed at offshore delivery in Thailand and Vietnam. These are great Professional Development opportunities for Managers, teachers and services staff.

I also recommend applying to be listed a NEAS ELT Professional, a recognised expert in English Language Teaching. ELT professionals are acknowledged through their commitment to professional development and are listed on the NEAS website. This is a great way to keep track of your professional development activities and all of your CPD points.

What advice would you give to Academic Managers?

My advice for Academic Managers is to focus on building a culture of consistent improvement, to value feedback from teachers, staff and students, and to always monitor and review courses, processes and procedures.

Make sure your teachers are made aware of all the professional development opportunities, and always encourage staff to participate in professional development activities, this will boost their confidence and increase their engagement and productivity.

What advice would you give to Teachers?

I advise teachers to identify their own Professional Development needs and not to be shy to ask their Academic Manager for professional development. Make sure you check the NEAS website for PD and online courses.

Connect with your students and foster an interactive and comfortable learning environment whether face to face or online.

Ongoing feedback is crucial for student progress, so provide your students with ongoing formal and informal feedback, check for understanding and make things visual.

And finally, be adaptable and ready to accept new ways of delivery. The current pandemic has forced the sector to accept new ways of teaching and learning and there may be new demands in the future.

NEAS congratulates Assumption College English Program (ACEP) for becoming our first Quality Endorsed Member in 2022! What an outstanding start to the new year! An integral part of a large Primary and Secondary college situated 30 kilometres from the centre of Bangkok, Thailand, ACEP is one of 17 institutions within the Saint Gabriel Foundation. The college opened in 2012 in an expansive, modern, and purpose-built campus. ACEP takes a holistic approach to the educational, personal and spiritual development of students. Values in human dignity, commitment to religious life and academic excellence are reinforced throughout programs via the Centre’s motto “Labor Omnia Vincit” (perseverance and hard work bring success). Over the past months, a NEAS Quality Assessor completed an in-depth assessment of ACEP’s application and supporting documents, and followed up with a Virtual Quality Endorsement exercise. Alongside structured meetings and interviews with ACEP management, teachers and operational staff, class observations also formed part of the quality audit.

The college delivers integrated English and Thai curricula under the direction of the Thai Ministry of Education. There are also foundation programs (The Wise Project) for senior students to help with the transition from high school to Thai university in the four areas of Health Science, Communication and Digital Arts, Business Administration, Engineering and Digital Technology. Currently, there are 50 Thai and foreign teachers on staff. Extracurricular activities in music, Thai dance, art and fitness are also available and students are encouraged to participate. ACEP is, at present, offering both face-to-face and online learning, in response to COVID-19 developments. There are currently 140 students enrolled under the tutelage of seven English teachers in the Year 9 and Year 11 Foundation English Programs. Parents are kept informed via the “Checker” application, through which student absences and behavioural matters are managed. Demonstrating best practice in organisational strategy, Head Teachers carefully conduct SWOT analyses to inform planning and budgeting at higher committee and board levels. ACEP facilities are known as the best in the province.