CEFR-INFORMED ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSES IMPLEMENTATION AUDIT WORKSHOP IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES: SERIES 1, 2024
KAJANG, 14 May 2024 - The first series of the CEFR-Informed English Language Courses Implementation Audit Workshop for 2024 successfully took place at the Park Inn by Radisson Putrajaya.
The event, which brought together English language academicians from 20 public universities (IPTA) across Malaysia, aimed to review and audit the alignment of English courses offered at these institutions with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The workshop's main objective was to ensure that the audited courses aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), a global standard for measuring language proficiency.
Throughout the two-day workshop, participants conducted thorough audits based on four key criteria:
1. Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs): The degree to which these are aligned with the CEFR course descriptors.
2. Teaching and Learning Materials: The percentage of materials tailored to CEFR levels.
3. Assessment Design: The extent to which assessments reflect CEFR-based activities.
4. Assessment Rubrics: The use of CEFR descriptors in evaluation rubrics.
To ensure effective discussions and comprehensive audits, the academicians were divided into seven groups, each consisting of representatives from several universities:
● Group 1: UKM, UNIMAS, UniSZA
● Group 2: UPNM, USIM, USM
● Group 3: UMS, UPM, UTM
● Group 4: UM, UTHM, UMT
● Group 5: UTeM, UMPSA, UiTM
● Group 6: UMK, UniMAP, UUM
● Group 7: IIUM, UPSI
The event took off with two welcoming speeches, delivered by the Associate Professor Dr. Zarina Othman which set a positive tone for the workshop. Representing Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) at the workshop were Dr. Fatimah Ali, Deputy Dean of Academics at the Centre for Modern Languages (CML), along with Nur Syafawati Sabuan and Marziah Ramli, Course Coordinators for the Department of English Language at CML, UMPSA. As part of Group 5, they worked alongside representatives from UTeM – Dr. Linda Khoo Mei Sui, Nur Hazlen Niza Hussein, and Fazidah Ithnin – and from UiTM, Dr. Zaemah Abdul Kadir and Julina Munchar.
Like other teams at the workshop, Group 5 collaborated closely to review and align their English courses with CEFR standards. Their collective efforts aimed to enhance the quality of English language education across their institutions, ensuring that course content and assessments met the necessary international benchmarks.
This workshop marks another significant step towards standardising English language education across Malaysian public universities. By aligning courses with international benchmarks such as the CEFR, the initiative seeks to improve the quality of language education further and better prepare students to meet global standards of English proficiency.
Prepared by: Marziah Ramli, Dr. Fatimah Ali & Nur Syafawati Sabuan
