Delegates at last week’s annual EAQUALS conference were the first to see a new logo that reflects the association’s ambitions to broaden its horizons and influence in the sphere of language education. Along with a new version of its accreditation process, the 13-year-old association is now gearing up to welcome new members from outside the European Union (EU).
Rolling out this year, the new logo dispenses with the motif of stars seen on the EU flag as Eaquals drops the “Europe” from the original name (European Association for Quality Language Services) which now stands for Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality in Language Services.
“The design update highlights that EAQUALS accreditation is relevant to those wishing to deliver quality language education wherever they are”
In recent years membership of the association has swelled to over 115 accredited and 27 associate members, including institutions in the Middle East, Africa, Russia and East Asia.
Over 30 countries were represented at the three-day event in Budapest, five of which were outside Europe.
Sarah Aitken, EAQUALS Executive Director, said that the new logo signifies the association’s “evolution not revolution”.
“It continues to use our strapline, “Excellence in Language Education”, along with the colours blue and yellow and the star, signalling that we retain strong links with European quality and educational principles,” she said.
“At the same time, as our membership and influence grows globally, the design update highlights that EAQUALS accreditation is relevant to those wishing to deliver quality language education wherever they are.”
The newly-unveiled accreditation scheme – now in its seventh iteration – also reflects the organisation’s “new, more widely diverse membership”, Susanna Dammann, Director of EAQUALS Accreditation and Consultancy Services, told The PIE News.
“One of the drivers for Version Seven was to get it to produce something which could be applicable to all language learning contexts, so online, cyberspace, classroom-based; in universities, kindergartens – wherever learning is taking place,” she said.
Walter Denz, EAQUALS Vice-Chair, said that the workshop enabled tangible professional development around language education: “The level of interaction is quite impressive. The exchange of best practices happening inside the workshops – you learn from how other schools are dealing with it, and you get a lot of good ideas out of this.”
“I think the variety of sessions we had – academic and non-academic topics side-by-side – means there’s something that’s good for everybody,” he added.
“The level of interaction in the workshops is quite impressive”
Victoria Sanahuja Gimeno, CEO and Marketing and Educational Manager at Hispania Spanish language school in Valencia, said: “I used to read a lot about pedagogical things, but we don’t have a lot of background in management, so I really, really enjoyed the sessions on management and efficiency.”
Denz added that he hopes to expand the offering for people interested in learning more about marketing, management and business development as membership continues to climb.
“It’s EAQUALS for everybody: it’s for Directors of Study, teachers and managers, that’s the whole idea,” he said.
Members also elected a new board at the opening AGM, bringing in former Executive Director of EAQUALS and CEO of Bell Educational Trust Richard Rossner, as Chair. See a full list of board members here.