ELT in Transnational Contexts:

a quality framework for

transnational EAP pathway delivery

Brad Hughes

Transnational English Executive

2

Overview

1. Context

a. Academic English course

b. Direct entry to UTS & 84

other universities

c. Transnational delivery:

10 locations

2. Implications

a. Curriculum fit for purpose

b. Effective teaching

3. Quality checklist

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ContextAcademic English: 1200 hour high stakes EAP pathway course

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Context 1

▪High stakes EAP pathway

course: UTS Insearch

Academic English

o 1200 hours: 6 x 200 hr

levels

o Prescriptive syllabus

o Standardised assessments

o UTS Insearch Academic

English Course Book series

▪ Direct entry to degree

programs at UTS

o Direct entry to programs at

84 other universities

worldwide

5

Context 2

Transnational delivery

• UTS Insearch Sydney

• SILC Shanghai

• ACET Ho Chi Minh City

• ACET Hanoi

• UIG Jakarta

• EIC Guangzhou

• EIC Beijing

• AEC Yangon

• IEN Seoul

• NLICC Kathmandu

Over 5,000 students are studying Academic English

at any one time

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Implications

• Curriculum - fit for purpose

o Flexibly structured for transnational delivery, standardised

assessments, comparability in moderation, comprehensive

processes

• Effective teaching

• Collaboration

Quality framework to support this transnationally

7

Implications: Academic English curriculum - fit for purpose • Detailed documentation at all levels

• Layered syllabus: text-based design with

discourse perspective, corpus based lexis,

pragmatic competence, syntactic

competence, Assessment for Learning

principles, extensive reading

• Comprehensive benchmarking

✓ External: each level benchmarked to

IELTS band scores & CEFR levels

✓ Internal: assessments benchmarked to

exemplar scripts & exemplar videos

• High quality assessment tools

• Assessments externally moderated by

LTRC, University of Melbourne

• Policies & procedures

• Blended learning: face to face teaching with

digital support: UTS Online & Academic

English app

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Implications - Standardised assessments & Comparability in moderation

• Robust assessment tools by UTS Insearch Language

Testing Office – best practice procedures, valid & reliable

assessments

• Assessment items distributed via secure FTP server

• Rater training - Writing & Speaking assessments

✓ compulsory for all teachers

✓ repeated every 20 weeks

• Moderation cycle

9

Comparability in moderation

Moderation results, Feb-Jul 2018 All offshore centres

1. Number of scripts 182

2. Number of grades 724

3. No. exact matches 503

4. % agreement 69.5%

5. No. minor differences 179

6. % minor differences 24.7%

7. No. major differences 42

8. % major differences 5.8%

All centre moderation cycle – teachers moderated on

regular basis

Implications –

Effective teaching

• Qualification & experience requirements

• Mentoring, guidance & support

• Professional development programs

• Action research provisions

• Rater training requirement

• Moderation - detailed feedback on rating

Quality framework: 5 areas

• Management & administrationo roles & responsibilities for AE course delivery & policy oversight, rater training

schedules, moderation cycle, assessment security, placement testing

• Teacherso qualifications, experience, teaching hours, induction, mentoring & support

• Teacher professional developmento PD programs, teaching resources, peer observations, action research

• Students & their supporto student services, advice & counselling, surveys, student-teacher ratio

• Premises and facilitieso classrooms, teachers’ room, meeting rooms, Learning Centre, ICT

Checklist applied annually

35 quality points

12

Quality checklist: Management & administration

13

Quality checklist: Teacher professional development

High stakes EAP course

Transnational delivery

Curriculum fit for purpose

Effective teaching

Collaboration

Quality framework & checklist

brad.hughes@insearch.edu.au