I’ve read study after study (after study after study after study) which highlight mismatches and gaps between the language proficiency tests used for admissions to postsecondary institutions across the Anglophone world and their effects on the student experience, be it academic success, social adaptation and well-being, or graduate employment.

Many of those gaps could be narrowed or even eliminated through professional development and training.

So I developed a workshop for post secondary recruitment, admissions, and student services staff and policymakers aiming to do just that.

This is a topic I’m very passionate about! Since 2009 I’ve worked in various Canadian universities, teaching and developing programs and policies to improve outcomes for students who use English as an Additional Language. I have no association with any testing or assessment company, which allows me to approach the topic with a focus on evidence and outcomes.

Here’s the workshop description:

Adequate language proficiency is essential for student success, and so getting language-related policies and programs right has big consequences.  But for recruitment, admissions, and student services staff and policymakers, it can be challenging to keep up with the ever-evolving world of language testing and the latest research on the critical links between language proficiency and the student experience.

This workshop focuses on what recruitment, admissions, and student services staff and policymakers need to know about language proficiency and testing. Participants will come away with a better understanding of the major English language assessments for postsecondary admissions in Canada, and the related challenges currently faced at Canadian institutions and elsewhere in the Anglophone world. Strategies for policy and program development and review will be discussed.

Contact me if you’re interested in learning more.