1.OPENING CEREMONY (Conference Hall)

13:00 – Gathering at the Conference Hall   

13:05 – Greetings and sharing of agenda 

13:15 – Opening speech

            2. PLENARY SESSIONS (Conference Hall)

13:30 – Data-Driven Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Enhancing Institutional Effectiveness and Student Learning

(Ben Knight)

Head of Language Content Research and Pedagogy, OUP

14:00 – Seeing the Forest and the trees: Looking below the surface of the self-study process

(Asst. Prof. Dr. Donald Staub  

Director, SFL, İzmir University of Economics) and  

Özge Coşkun Aysal, PhDc. 

Assistant Director, SFL, İzmir University of Economics) 

(BREAK:10 min.)

14:50 – Quality Assurance in Language Programs: Quality Standards and Exemplary Initiatives

(Didem Mutçalıoğlu)  

Chair, DEDAK 

(BREAK: 10 min.)

EAQUALS

15:30 -16:10(Conference Hall)

Dr. DONALD STAUB

This session aims to provide participants with a real-life process related to the accreditation organization in question. Speakers share their experiences with participants, spanning from the decision-making phase to pre-process, during, and post-process stages, in an effort to provide them with insights into this journey. At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to seek clarification and address inquiries.

DEDAK

1st Session- Z16 (15:30-16:10)

2nd Session- Conference Hall (16:20-17:00)

TURGUT TURUNÇ

This session aims to provide participants with a real-life process related to the accreditation organization in question. Speakers share their experiences with participants, spanning from the decision-making phase to pre-process, during, and post-process stages, in an effort to provide them with insights into this journey. At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to seek clarification and address inquiries.

CEA

1st Session - K214 (15:30-16:10)

2nd Session - K214 (16:20-17:00)

This session aims to provide participants with a real-life process related to the accreditation organization in question. Speakers share their experiences with participants, spanning from the decision-making phase to pre-process, during, and post-process stages, in an effort to provide them with insights into this journey. At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to seek clarification and address inquiries.

INPUT SESSIONS  

Moderated by Teacher Trainers

(Ground Floor)

1. Quality Matters in Curriculum  

10:00-10:50 

11:00-11:50

İlkay BÜLBÜL

Curriculum is considered a core standard in establishing quality in educational programs. Without a quality curriculum, other program components such as assessment, faculty, administrative structure, facilities and services in the program are likely to be dysfunctional or face challenges establishing quality within their scope. Given the critical role of curriculum, the session aims to explore the quality standards in the area of curriculum design and implementation within the context of language teaching programs through the lens of national standards and renowned international accrediting agencies. As the common curriculum standard requirements across the accreditation schemes are addressed, another aim is to share insights, experiences, and examples of good practice from a language program that has been through numerous self-study processes and from a peer reviewer’s perspective

2. Testing and Assessment 
10:00-10:50 

11:00-11:50

Dr. Merve SELÇUK (Altınbaş University) 

Given the growing recognition of the importance of implementing and overseeing quality assurance measures in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) field in higher education, schools need to establish robust assessment and evaluation systems. This highlights the significance of implementing comprehensive assessment systems to monitor student progress and achievement in tertiary-level foreign language education. The session will clarify reasonable expectations for assessment practices within the context of EFL at the tertiary level. It will also briefly focus on aligning assessment systems with course learning outcomes, provide guidelines for creating effective assessment tools, introduce the six language assessment qualities within the Test Usefulness framework (Bachman and Palmer, 1996), and emphasize the importance of considering learner feedback. Furthermore, we will analyze and contrast the assessment practice requirements of the leading accreditation agencies, namely DEDAK, CEA, and EAQUALS.

3. Professional Teacher Learning 

10:00-10:50 

11:00-11:50

Turgut TURUNÇ

The main objective of this session is to inform the participants of ways to make the professional teacher-learning process more effective, engaging, and ongoing to support teaching excellence and to create a community of learning within the ‘quality assurance, accreditation and standardization in ELT’ framework.

 By the end of this session, the participants will:

·       share, discuss, suggest & generate ideas on their institutional context regarding

 professional development implementations,

·       analyse, discuss and generate ideas about the ‘performance assessment and

 supervising system (PASS)’ experience implemented at a foreign language school of a Turkish university

·       discuss, share, suggest and generate ideas about the experience focusing on the

 strengths and areas of development in terms of practicality.

4. Educational Leadership and Management  

10:00-10:50 

11:00-11:50

Sinem ATAMSOY KOŞAR

This session is designed to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of educational management, focusing on both theoretical frameworks and practical applications. Knowing that the pursuit of accreditation drives significant organizational change, this session will explore how such transformations impact all stakeholders involved. Participants will be introduced to various leadership and management models, including transformational leadership, agile leadership, and contingent leadership, offering various strategies adaptable to their unique educational settings.

The session will also address critical issues in educational leadership and management, such as effective change management, strategic delegation, and comprehensive strategic planning. Enhancing communication, fostering cooperation and collaboration, increasing student involvement, improving decision-making processes, managing crises, and ensuring sustainability will be key focal points. By integrating these topics, the session aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of educational change effectively.

This holistic approach will not only broaden participants' theoretical understanding but also offer practical ideas through case studies to enhance their leadership capabilities, driving positive change and fostering a culture of excellence and sustainability within educational environments.

5. Are you eligible? A guide to help you get into the club

10:00-10:50

11:00-11:50

Ian S. Collins (Yaşar University) 

Eligibility has a technical definition for most leading accrediting agencies. However, being ‘eligible’ is only the barest of starting points for a successful accreditation process. This workshop will start by identifying relevant eligibility criteria for the CEA, DEDAK, and EAQUALS schemes but then move on to concentrate on factors that are much more challenging for many Turkish intensive English programs in achieving success. It will cover aspects such as how to demonstrate the length and structure of the program is appropriate; validating placement and achievement assessments; and putting in place a strategic planning and review system. Participants will be invited to work through practical exercises using case study materials based on real examples to help them grasp some of the issues that they will need to work through during their own institution’s accreditation journey. This will include considering what processes may need to be put in place, together with the types of data and analysis that will be necessary. Before closing, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and discuss some of the important challenges raised during the session.