Dr Sacha DeVelle, Cambridge ESOL

Setting English language standards in Higher Education: is compromising a false economy?

IELTS is one of the most influential language proficiency tests in use, with worldwide recognition and a rapidly growing candidature - already in excess of one million candidates a year. Academic and admissions staff who determine matriculation requirements need appropriate information to fully understand how test scores relate to actual language abilities. This session presents key findings from the IELTS research programme that relate to appropriate and effective decision-making when applying IELTS scores for entry to higher education courses. Academic institutions also need to run their own standards setting exercises to determine the minimum language proficiency requirements for overseas candidates. Sacha DeVelle will present two standards-setting exercises, conducted with the support of IELTS, and discuss how appropriate standards can be set and maintained to ensure that inadequate language skills do not impact negatively on students’ future academic performance.

Sarah Michelotti, Head, English Language Programmes, University of Surrey

The ‘Wandering scholar’

The term ‘wandering scholar’ is an important concept underpinning the development of European Higher Education Institutions, because international education exchange offers a wide range of possibilities for the student of today. There are many different perspectives of the pros and cons of the expansion of exchange programmes and the resulting numbers of international students. Academics, students and English language departments all have high expectations of each other in terms of student contribution, career opportunities, and cultural enrichment. The unifying thread linking these perspectives is language and the students’ proficiency in English will be a key factor in determining the success of the exchange experience.The linguistic needs of students on exchange programmes will be one of the issues tackled in this presentation.

Andrea Robertson, Director of Customer and Application Services, UCAS, UK