Eaquals Event Speaker Report: CASALC 2018

Dr. Laura-Mihaela Muresan represented Eaquals at the CASALC International Conference 2018, which took place in Trnava, Slovakia on 14-15 June 2018.

The event welcomed approximately 80 delegates which included University based language teachers/lecturers, teacher trainers, professors from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Ukraine; heads of department; representatives of the management team of the host university; ECML representative (Graz, Austria).

Presentation Title: New Dimensions of Quality in LSP Learning, Teaching and Teacher Development in Higher Education

Presentation by: Dr. Laura-Mihaela Muresan

Abstract: As we all know, the learning and teaching of languages for specific purposes (LSP) cannot remain imune to the ongoing changes around us. Set against the backdrop of current internationalisation trends in academia and the dynamism of student expectations and career opportunities, this presentation will attempt to explore quality related issues and their inter-relatedness with professional development. Which of the quality dimensions integrated in the Eaqals quality assurance system are most relevant for an LSP / Higher Education environment? What are the academic coordinators’ and the teachers’ views on quality oriented processes? How do they see the challenges and benefits of quality enhancement? To address these questions, some of the key values and components ot the Eaquals Quality Assurance sytem will be highlighted. This synthesis will be complemented by insights derived from a survey among academics involved in LSP education, coordination and teacher development in HEIs belonging to the Eaquals network. This can open up the discussion of new teacher roles, new scope for rethinking language programmes and for finding synergies among the different dimensions co-existing in an LSP / Higher Education environment.