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EAIE 2024: Everything you missed from the three presentations hosted by ETS EMEA Experts
ETS EMEA Team Members presented throughout the EAIE annual conference in Toulouse jointly with invited experts, sharing ideas on current topics in international education and organization updates. Here is a recap of everything you need to know from these three sessions.
Charting a course: Integrating critical thinking and intercultural competence in the classroom.
Presented by: Arum Perwitasari, ETS EMEA, Bozidar, CMEPIUS, Slovenia as the session’s chair, and Thierry Villard, Université de Bordeaux, France
This presentation focused on the importance of developing intercultural competences and critical thinking in international education. It shared insights from a recent study in ETS’ The Human Progress Report, 2024, which included responses from 17,143 global respondents. The findings highlight that critical thinking is crucial for academic performance and adapting to a rapidly changing world. To develop these skills students should enhance their abilities, which include, but are not limited to, active and empathetic listening, observational skills such as recognizing and interpreting non-verbal cues and intercultural nuances, as well as the ability to question and clarify.
These skills are the foundation of effective teaching, equipping students for global success and acting as a driving force behind innovative approaches in international education. In this session, presenters shared interactive strategies and discussed assessment techniques for teaching, aimed at initiating change and integrating intercultural competence and critical thinking into the classroom. Additionally, the session highlighted that the most valuable skills are often hard to measure because they involve analyzing complex information, rely on qualitative judgment, and vary with context. These skills evolve over time, requiring continuous, dynamic evaluation. The speaker suggested that educators utilize self-assessment, group assessment, and a simplified scoring guide adapted from the GRE Analytical Writing Scoring Guide, particularly for writing activities.
What are the key takeaways?
• Incorporate content that challenges students to think critically about cultural issues and encourages them to understand and respect different viewpoints
• Use diverse teaching-strategies such as collaborative projects, discussions, case studies, and role-playing to foster both critical thinking and intercultural competence
• Employ teaching methods that require active participation, such as debates, group work, and problem-based learning.
• Encourage students to reflect on their leaning experiences and provide feedback to help them improve their critical thinking and intercultural skills.
Additionally, the session included a student perspective, inviting them to share their experiences regarding whether they have been taught intercultural competence and critical thinking. The student also gave insights on the effectiveness of the classroom interactive activities and assessments.
English for Academic Purposes (EAP): Making it practical, interactive and fun (a case study)
Presented by: Joanna Wrzesinska (ETS EMEA) and Sandra Kirollos (Ecole de Biologie Industrielle, France)
In the context of internationalization at home, a paradigm shift is reshaping English language instruction. The rise of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) has challenged the traditional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs. This transformation requires a closer examination of the relationship between EMI and EAP and stresses the need for innovative instructional approaches that bridge the gap between general proficiency and specific academic language requirements, with a focus on fostering collaboration, communicative competence and practical application of language skills in meaningful contexts.
To illustrate the transformation, this presentation highlighted a case study of EBI- School of Industrial Biology in Cergy, France. EBI developed an innovative English program for fourth-year students who already completed their TOEIC® preparation and offers advanced workshops aimed at improving academic language and collaborative skills. This program features a workshop-based approach, allowing students of different English proficiency levels to learn together. Each semester, students participate in three independent workshops on topics relevant to their future work environments, led by different instructors who teach and evaluate specific skills. Workshops evolve based on student-teacher feedback and incorporate current trends to keep the content fresh and relevant.
A unique aspect of EBI’s EAP instruction is its mixed-level group structure, which allows students to practice language in real-life situations while being exposed to diverse teaching styles and accents. The presenter provided examples of activities conducted during these workshops, illustrating how they are run and the specific skills taught. Additionally, the program employs a focus group rotation system, enabling students to change groups monthly. This approach offers students the TOEIC® preparation program in parallel to the more interactive workshop system to all together effectively prepare them for professional contexts.
What’s New at ETS? Forging the Future of Assessment: The Latest News and Cutting-Edge Tools from ETS
Presented by: Catherine Meyer and Celestina Cardoz Maury (ETS EMEA)
Key updates from the presentation
ETS Human Progress Report
As mentioned in the previous session, in May 2024, ETS released the first-ever Human Progress Report to investigate the future of human progress, barriers to success, what’s working today, and what needs improvement. Explore the findings of the report here
Adaptive testing with TOEIC® 4-Skills test
Recently launched, the TOEIC 4-Skills test leverages adaptive testing for the Reading and Listening sections of the test to adjust to the test taker's ability level. For example, test takers all start with the same set of questions. Subsequently, they answer a different set of questions based on their performance in the first section. The Listening and Reading sections are adaptive and independent. The performance in the Listening section has no impact on the questions in the reading section. Scores are calculated once the two sections are completed. The Speaking and Writing sections of the test are non-adaptive and scored by highly qualified human raters.
Innovative prep tools
Super Prepa for TOEIC® test preparation helps test takers prepare in a realistic way. The prep tool includes 4 practice tests with 200 official questions per test. Learners can practice in semi-real conditions giving them the ability to stop and resume at the start of one of the seven sessions. To mimic real test conditions, the questions are timed, and learners have 2 hours to complete the test.
Improving test taker experience with the TOEFL® iBT
Along with enhancements to the TOEFL® iBT test last year, a new prep tool called TOEFL® TestReady™ was recently released, offering prep resources and personal insights to help students earn their best score. Learners surveyed* about the new test prep tool said it made them feel more confident and prepared, helped them improve their skills, and made them less nervous about taking the test.
*Source: Survey of 765 users across China, India and the U.S