KRISTINE SOGHIKYAN YEREVAN STATE LINGUISTIC UNIVERSITY EPOSTL AS AN ADMINISTRATOR'S GUIDE TO INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE IN UNIVERSITY LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION

YEREVAN STATE LINGUISTIC UNIVERSITY AFTER V. BRUSOV Training of trainers a) Linguistic education b) Didactics

ENGLISH COMMUNICATION AND TRANSLATION PROGRAM Communication Speaking Skills Writing Skills Translation Written Translation Interpretation Literary Translation Translation theories

EPOSTL as a Portfolio for In-Service University Teachers As a reference to communicate expectations As a tool to introduce pedagogical and methods issues As a framework to initiate discussions on various theoretical and practical issues As a means to document experience As a self-assessment instrument

EPOSTL as a University Administrators Tool As a reference to communicate expectations As a tool to introduce pedagogical and methods issues As a framework to initiate discussions on various theoretical and practical issues As a means to document experience As a means to single out improvement focus areas to internally assure quality in linguistic instruction

EPOSTL as an Internal Quality Assurance Guide Quality vs. Quality Control/Management/Assurance Internal vs. External Quality Assurance Internal Quality Assurance at a Chair level

The EPOSTL FOCUS AREAS An introductory guide Lesson Planning, Conducting a Lesson, Methodology, Independent learning, Assessment, Resources, Context.

A COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONNAIRE: CYCLE 1 LESSON PLANNING I can plan specific learning objectives for individual lessons and/or for a period of teaching. How well have classes been planned? How clear was the aim of each lesson? How substantiated was the selected succession of activities, in terms of building up knowledge and skills?

A COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONNAIRE CONDUCTING A LESSON I can create opportunities for and manage individual, partner, group and whole class work. How often did you engage in a) individual, b) Partner, c) Group, d) Whole class activities? How clear are the tasks for partner and group work? How regularly have partner and group work been timed?

A COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONNAIRE WRITING I can help learners to gather and share information for their writing tasks.. How clear have assignments for writing activities have been? What was the proportion of written vs. oral peer critique and group contribution? What resources did you use to gather information for your research assignment? How did you share the information you gathered?

A COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONNAIRE INDEPENDENT LEARNING I can guide and assist learners in setting their own aims and objectives and in planning their own learning. What was your own objective in this course this semester? How well did you meet your initial plan in your research project?

A COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONNAIRE ASSESSMENT I can deal with errors that occur in spoken and written language in ways which support learning processes and do not undermine confidence and communication. How different is your first draft from the second? Hoe explicit and efficient were teachers comments to your Draft 1 to improve your research?

A COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONNAIRE RESOURCES I can guide learners to use the Internet for information retrieval. What electronic resources did you use in your research? How did you select those resources?

NON-QUESTIONNAIRE FOCUS FOR CYCLE 1 CONTEXT I can observe my peers, recognise different methodological aspects of their teaching and offer them constructive feedback.

OUTCOMES Training of trainers and trainers professional development An internal quality assurance focus for a certain time-period A questionnaire and evidence – targeting the focus A filtered-out list of issues to address in the next cycle Reflection and collegial feedback/critique Student teacher reflection initiation

CHALLENGES Resistance Disbelief of the questionnaire results Absence of critique culture/fear of losing face Consistency of producing evidence

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS Shifting university professional development focus from linguistic theory to didactics Peer observations, based on structured observation forms (with indicators) Workshops on evidence generation and portfolio compilation Design of Cycle 2 questionnaire, based on the received results for Cycle 1, with a new perspective

Thank you!