English as a Foreign Language Archives - 㽶Ƶ /tag/english-as-a-foreign-language/ Fri, 23 May 2025 08:39:32 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-cropped-OIEG_NA_FullColour_RGB-1-32x32.png English as a Foreign Language Archives - 㽶Ƶ /tag/english-as-a-foreign-language/ 32 32 Transforming Education in Cameroon: Key Outcomes from the PRELIM 3 Project /transforming-education-in-cameroon-key-outcomes-from-the-prelim-3-project/ Tue, 08 Oct 2024 10:19:14 +0000 /?p=50846 After the tremendous success of the PRELIM 1 & 2 projects in 2020/2021, and 2022, we are proud to continue developing tools, techniques, and knowledge for addressing and overcoming technological barriers to education and improving teaching and learning outcomes for students. The PRELIM 3 project marked a significant milestone in enhancing English language education in...

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After the tremendous success of the PRELIM 1 & 2 projects in 2020/2021, and 2022, we are proud to continue developing tools, techniques, and knowledge for addressing and overcoming technological barriers to education and improving teaching and learning outcomes for students.

The PRELIM 3 project marked a significant milestone in enhancing English language education in Cameroon’s Northwest Region. In partnership with the , 㽶Ƶ worked to develop and deliver resources tailored to the unique needs of local educators.

Through this collaboration, over 125 teachers were supported with training and materials designed to improve classroom practice and engage thousands of students in new and meaningful ways.

What is PRELIM?

PRELIM (Partnered Remote Language Improvement) is an initiative funded by the and run in partnership with the and , with NILE as the managing consultants. The project aims to improve English teachers’ language competence and boost their confidence in the classroom. By connecting UK-based institutions with English Teacher Associations (ETAs) across 40 countries, PRELIM facilitates the delivery of customised training programmes that address specific local needs.

Each year, selected organisations participate in this initiative, contributing to the global effort to enhance English language education.

Between January 2023 and April 2024, PRELIM 3 brought together expertise from 25 countries to develop and distribute tailored resources that align with local educational contexts and curricula. By partnering with ETAs (English Teacher Association) and focusing on effective teaching strategies, the project supported educators in delivering more engaging and impactful lessons, contributing to the overall improvement of English language education.

Innovative Resources

The collaboration between ad 㽶Ƶ aimed to equip over 125 teachers with resources designed to meet their specific classroom challenges.

This effort resulted in the development of a series of three books, each containing twelve 45-minute lessons focused on the themes of Global Citizenship, Critical Thinking, and English language & Digital Literacy. These resources were created to help teachers contextualise language, incorporate skills and pronunciation work, and use the materials flexibly to suit various classroom needs.

Screenshot of the cover and and pages of the Support Pack

Each book, accompanied by a detailed teacher’s guide, provides step-by-step procedural guidance, suggested timings, and differentiation tips, allowing educators to adapt the lessons based on student levels and classroom dynamics. Additionally, a digital Teacher’s Support Pack was made available, offering further methodological support, classroom management strategies, and creative solutions for resource-limited settings.

Screenshot of the three book covers

Engagement and Learning

The impact of these resources on students has been transformative, with teachers reporting more interactive classrooms where students actively engage and connect more deeply with the content. One teacher shared, “These materials have helped students practice critical thinking and express their ideas more confidently.” Another educator added, “The lessons are well-designed and cover a range of topics that keep students interested and motivated.”

 Participants at the Regional Induction workshop on the use of Prelim 3 Resources

Teachers also noted that the resources effectively complement the national curriculum while introducing modern topics like email writing and financial literacy, which are valuable for future skill development. “It helps learners master vocabulary and use it in different contexts,” said one teacher. These materials have even been utilised in professional development sessions, showcasing their versatility and broader impact.

Sustainable Change

One of the most significant achievements of the PRELIM 3 project has been its sustainable impact. The resources and training are now integrated into the local education system, supporting ongoing development for both teachers and students. This foundation will enable continued progress in teaching and learning long after the project’s completion. As one teacher expressed, “These resources are more than just textbooks; they are tools for long-term growth in education.”

Kamila Dolejsi, Academic Director at 㽶Ƶ, reflected on the project’s success: “This collaboration has shown the transformative power of education. The dedication of ELTS-CAMELTA and the local teachers has been inspiring. We’re proud to have been part of this journey and look forward to seeing these positive outcomes continue to grow.”

The collaboration between 㽶Ƶ and ELTS-CAMELTA under the PRELIM 3 project has had a profound impact on education in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. By equipping teachers with the tools and training they need, the project has created lasting change that will continue to benefit students and educators for years to come.


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Empowering Student Success: Oxford ELLT and TCYonline Join Forces /empowering-student-success-oxford-ellt-and-tcyonline-join-forces/ Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:56:00 +0000 /?p=49439 We are delighted to announce Oxford ELLT’s strategic partnership with TCYonline, a renowned assessment preparation and training leader.   The partnership with TCYonline brings a multitude of benefits to students, ensuring their journey to success is smoother and more rewarding than ever before:  TCYonline is equipped with a vast array of meticulously designed training and teaching...

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TCYonline join forces with Oxford ELLT.

We are delighted to announce strategic partnership with , a renowned assessment preparation and training leader.  

The partnership with TCYonline brings a multitude of benefits to students, ensuring their journey to success is smoother and more rewarding than ever before: 

TCYonline is equipped with a vast array of meticulously designed training and teaching materials that cater to every aspect of the Oxford ELLT. These materials are accompanied by accessible expert guides, providing students with the necessary tools to succeed and reach their full potential. 

Through these collaborative efforts, we offer comprehensive academic preparation and practice materials to equip individuals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to excel in the Oxford English Language Teaching test (Oxford ELLT). Our expertly crafted preparation materials offer valuable insights and practice opportunities, ensuring that candidates are fully prepared to achieve their best results. 

Lil Bremermann-Richard, Group Chief Executive Officer of 㽶Ƶ, expresses her excitement: “㽶Ƶ is thrilled to partner with TCYonline, a company that shares our values and passion for providing students worldwide with incredible educational experiences. This partnership equips our counsellor network and students with the tools to reach their full potential and gain access to higher education abroad.” 

Mukta Gogia, Vice President of TCYonline, reaffirms their commitment: “As we mark another pivotal chapter in TCYonline’s journey, our collaboration with Oxford ELLT stands as a testament to our dedication and leadership. Partnering with a globally renowned entity like Oxford ELLT validates our commitment and reiterates our promise to offer the best for partnering coaching centres. We’re excited for what lies ahead, and we remain, as always, devoted to learners’ success.” 

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Oxford ELLT: Leading the Digital Innovation Revolution in Education /oxford-ellt-leading-the-digital-innovation-revolution-in-education/ Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:47:59 +0000 /?p=49392 Oxford ELLT proudly announces that we have become a ‘Highly Commended’ finalist in the “Digital Innovation of the Year – Credentials and Assessment” category at The PIEoneer Awards 2023. This accolade underscores our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence within the field of education.   At Oxford ELLT, we are dedicated to...

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Oxford ELLT proudly announces that we have become a ‘Highly Commended’ finalist in the “Digital Innovation of the Year – Credentials and Assessment” category at The PIEoneer Awards 2023. This accolade underscores our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence within the field of education. 
 

At , we are dedicated to continuously enhancing the testing experience for our partners and students. To achieve this, we have invested strategically in an AI-driven platform through a collaborative partnership with our esteemed technology partner, AppDrawn, finalist for the prestigious ‘EdTech Company of the Year Award’ at the Global British Tech Awards 2022. The collective efforts of our teams have yielded substantial enhancements, which have effectively contributed to the welfare of our esteemed stakeholders. 

Oxford ELLT: Ground-Breaking Technological Innovation 

At 㽶Ƶ Digital Institute, we’re revolutionising education through digital innovation, providing boundless opportunities for students and partners across the globe. Our commitment to meaningful innovation, quality, and value for money drives us to deliver exceptional educational outcomes. 

Our ground-breaking English Language Level Test, , has received international acclaim. It’s more than just a language assessment; it’s a secure solution for gauging a candidate’s reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills, facilitating their progression into higher education. Trusted by over , Oxford ELLT stands as a beacon of excellence in language assessment. Thoroughly evaluated by Ecctis, a renowned provider of international education, training, and skills solutions, Oxford ELLT is found to provide a sound English language proficiency test, reinforcing its credibility and reliability.

Two Exceptional Offerings: 

  • This fully online version of our test has been a game-changer, especially in a post-pandemic world. Our latest AI security measures and human proctoring provide students with a flexible and secure way to demonstrate their English proficiency. 
  • : Our test centre-based solution offers a fully invigilated environment for regions facing internet challenges. It ensures universities receive accurate assessments of candidates’ language skills while providing students peace of mind. 

Key Advantages: 

  1. Rapid Results: We take pride in delivering results within 48 hours, allowing for efficient decision-making. 
  1. Enhanced Flexibility: Our platform accommodates diverse learning needs, enabling students to complete sections at different times. 
  1. Top-notch Security: With advanced AI proctoring, including facial recognition, audio recording, plagiarism checks, and more, we prioritise the integrity of the assessment process. 
  1. Increased Accessibility: Our platform caters to a wide range of learning requirements, ensuring inclusivity. 
  1. Streamlined Process: The Oxford ELLT partner portal empowers universities to manage candidates, download certificates, and verify results swiftly, enhancing efficiency. 
     

Join the Oxford ELLT Revolution: 

As we continue our journey of innovation and growth, we remain committed to improving the Oxford ELLT experience for everyone involved. By working with top industry partners and continuously enhancing our platform, we are determined to offer our partners and students an unparalleled testing solution that combines efficiency, reliability, and inclusivity. 

To learn more about the Oxford ELLT and its merit as a trusted English language proficiency test, visit our  

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Oxford ELLT goes from strength to strength: Further Testaments to Success, Validation, and Expansion in English Language Testing /oxford-ellt-goes-from-strength-to-strength-further-testaments-to-success-validation-and-expansion-in-english-language-testing/ Tue, 13 Jun 2023 12:10:27 +0000 /?p=48740 In the past two years, 㽶Ƶ Digital Institute has achieved remarkable growth and success. Our flagship English language level testing product, Oxford ELLT, has gained significant popularity, attracting over 25,000 students in 2022 alone. We are proud to share that Oxford ELLT, has undergone an independent evaluation by Ecctis, a renowned provider of international...

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In the past two years, 㽶Ƶ Digital Institute has achieved remarkable growth and success. Our flagship English language level testing product, Oxford ELLT, has gained significant popularity, attracting over 25,000 students in 2022 alone.

We are proud to share that Oxford ELLT, has undergone an independent evaluation by Ecctis, a renowned provider of international education solutions. This evaluation has validated the Oxford ELLT as a sound English language proficiency test, reinforcing its credibility and reliability.

Our Partnership with Ecctis for Benchmarking the Oxford ELLT & Key Findings 

As an organisation committed to excellence in education, we recognise the importance of external validation to instil confidence in our products with our current and prospective partners.  Ecctis – trusted for managing official recognition services on behalf of the UK Government, including the UK ENIC national recognition agency function –, conducted a thorough external assessment of the Oxford ELLT in early 2023. The objective of this evaluation was to establish the test’s reliability, inform our efforts for continuous improvement, and provide reassurance to our valued partners. 

Ecctis’ comprehensive review covered various aspects of the Oxford ELLT, including grading, certification, marking, moderation, and test construction.  

The evaluation concluded that the Oxford ELLT provides a sound assessment of English language competency in listening, reading, writing, and speaking at CEFR levels B1 to C1. 

Transforming Efficiency and Accessibility in English Language Testing

 In 2023, we proudly unveiled the new Oxford ELLT portal, revolutionising the experience for university partners and students alike. This cutting-edge platform encompasses a comprehensive suite of features, including streamlined candidate management, seamless certificate downloads, and efficient result verification. By integrating these essential functionalities, we have  enhanced transparency throughout the candidate management process, while making it more efficient. 

At the core of our platform lies an advanced AI-powered proctoring engine, leveraging facial recognition, audio recording, plagiarism checks, screen recording, and offline handling capabilities. Moreover, the Oxford ELLT partner portal empowers university partners with direct access to student data and results, eliminating delays associated with certificate handling. With our automated scheduling system, we have also paved the way for seamless coordination across various time zones, benefitting both students and examiners with unparalleled flexibility. 

Enhanced accessibility is a fundamental pillar of the Oxford ELLT platform. We are dedicated to accommodating learning requirements through test adaptations and live examiners. Through the implementation of test adaptations and the provision of highly skilled live examiners, we ensure that each student’s unique needs are met.   

Oxford ELLT is being nominated for awards  

Finally, the Oxford ELLT has been shortlisted as a finalist in The PIEoneer Awards 2023 for the category ‘Digital innovation of the year – assessment and credentials’, recognising excellence and innovation in English language proficiency testing.   

We have invested in an AI- driven platform, developed with our technology partner AppDrawn  to significantly improve the overall testing experience for partners and students alike. As such we take great pride in the recent recognition of AppDrawn’s role and them being shortlisted for ‘EdTech Company of the Year’ Award at the Global British Tech Awards for their work in developing our new Oxford ELLT platform. 

Oxford ELLT Expansion 

And the good news doesn’t stop here. We are pleased to be constantly adding new university recognitions including the University of Bristol, University of Winchester, University of Chichester, University of Kent, and many more.  

As we continue our journey of innovation and growth, we remain steadfast in our dedication to enhancing the Oxford ELLT experience for all involved. Through collaboration with industry-leading partners  and ongoing focus to refine our platform, we are resolute in our mission to provide our partners & students with an unrivalled testing solution that combines efficiency, reliability, and inclusivity. 

To learn more about the Oxford ELLT and its merit as a trusted English language proficiency test, visit our .


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㽶Ƶ Selected for PRELIM 3 /47608-2/ Wed, 11 Jan 2023 10:14:19 +0000 /?p=47608 We are excited to announce that 㽶Ƶ’s teacher training division has been selected by the British Council, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) and English UK to be part of PRELIM 3 (the Partnered Remote Language Improvement Project). After the tremendous success of the PRELIM 1 & 2...

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We are excited to announce that 㽶Ƶ’s teacher training division has been selected by the , the and to be part of PRELIM 3 (the Partnered Remote Language Improvement Project).

After the tremendous success of the PRELIM 1 & 2 projects in 2020/2021, and 2022, we are proud to continue developing tools, techniques, and knowledge for addressing and overcoming technological barriers to education and improving teaching and learning outcomes for students.

The Partnership

For the PRELIM 3 project, we have partnered with the English Language and Literature Teachers’ Society Cameroon (ELTS – CAMELTA), a national body created in April 2001 whose primary goal is to improve the quality of English Language teaching and learning in Cameroon. Together, we will work on developing and delivering teacher support resources designed to be used by teachers with their learners in the region.

Unlike PRELIM 1 & 2, which ran over six months, the delivery of our PRELIM 3 project will begin in January 2023 and the finding of our investigation will be published in April 2024.

We are excited to partner with ELTS – CAMELTA and their network of teachers for PRELIM 3. This project will help us identify and deliver teaching and learning resources that will provide access, delivery, best practice, and teaching outcomes for teaching association and students.

The Project

Funded by the  and run in partnership with  and , with  as managing consultants, PRELIM funds the delivery of tailor-made training to improve the English teachers’ language competence and increasing their confidence in the classroom across 40 countries. 

Each year, select organisations are chosen to take part in the project and submit a throughout report on their findings. These findings help improve outcomes across the TESOL and online teaching industry.

Using the expertise of major English language organisations across 25 countries, we are proud to be one of the English UK member centres selected for the project.

Kamila Dolejsi, Academic Director at 㽶Ƶ, comments:

”Working on the PRELIM projects has been incredibly rewarding experience. I believe it is a great example of how small and medium-sized businesses can make a global impact. Helping teachers in distant parts of the world achieve their potential has not only been very gratifying but it has also allowed us and our teachers, to grow professionally and personally from the experience. We are very excited to now embark on the PRELIM 3 journey and start working with English Language and Literature Teachers’ Society Cameroon. We have no doubt that the coming PRELIM will be just as inspiring and just as fun as the previous two.“

㽶Ƶ’s Previous PRELIM projects

PRELIM 1

In 2021, 㽶Ƶ’s UK English Language division was selected to be part of PRELIM 1. 㽶Ƶ partnered with the Society of Pakistan English Language Teaching (SPELT), an organisation for teachers in Pakistan with over 600 members, to pilot a language development programme with selected groups of teachers from Pakistan.

Together, we have investigated practical applications that could be later used to access remote learning in rural areas of Pakistan with limited access to bandwidth or technology to improve their communicative language. We have combined online sessions with mobile mentoring, and as a result, we have successfully increased the confidence in registered teachers and explored solutions to negate the technological barriers remote communities face to help improve teaching and learning outcomes for remote students.

The most significant improvement was in how confident the teachers felt when expressing ideas on various topics (41% increase). In terms of teaching skills there was a substantial improvement in confidence shown in setting up receptive skill activities (54 per cent increase), followed by improvement in giving feedback (38 per cent increase) and giving instructions (31 per cent increase).

The project was delivered from January to March 2021. 

The findings of our investigation were published in April 2021.

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Prelim 2

Last year, between January and March 2022, 㽶Ƶ was selected to participate in PRELIM 2.

For the PRELIM 2 project, we have partnered with LaoTESOL, to develop and deliver online teaching and best practice across Laos and the region. 

Due to the increased demand for online learning delivery that appeared after the Covid-19 pandemic, the programme focused on improving teachers’ digital skills and technology to become more confident and learn how to teach online more effectively by utilising Google Classroom & Google Meet.

As a result, the teachers benefited from the course in several ways:

  • the use of online tools in Google Classroom and Google Meet
  • the experience of combining asynchronous and synchronous content 
  • the practicality and relevance of the content to immediate classroom use. 

“I think my online teaching skills are improved. I can say that because I can observe my students are enjoying my class and they are enthusiastic about studying and doing homework on Google classroom” (PRELIM 2 participant, PRELIM 2 Country report – Laos, 2022).

The most significant improvement for the teachers was in confidence level. The confidence in English language use increased by 53.05%, the use of basic teaching methods increased by 56.3%, and the use of Google tools increased by 63.8%.

One trainer commented: “I am now confident about teaching via Google Meet/Classroom. It has given me a more well-rounded skillset and knowledge when it comes to online teaching platforms. I am also better able to deliver lessons which combine language teaching, teacher training and technology training.” (PRELIM 2 Country report – Laos, 2022).

The finding of our partnership and investigation were published in June 2022.

Kamila comments: “I am truly excited about the new format of the PRELIM 3 project. In the previous years, the timeline for the project delivery was at times challenging and limiting, I feel that PRELIM 3 will be different and will allow us to get to know our partner better and help colleagues in Cameroon even more effectively. 㽶Ƶ has a long history in material development, whether it be the various editions of our Junior Syllabus, or our digital content. Our team is creative and experienced, and I feel like the new PRELIM project format has been designed for us. We cannot wait to get started.”


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