EUROPE

Language accreditation up in universities

Europe’s leading quality monitoring organisation in language education, EAQUALS, has seen growing interest from universities keen to accredit courses in foreign languages as they aim to internationalise campuses, writes Sara Custer for The PIE News.

EAQUALS, or Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality in Language Services, Executive Director Sarah Aitken said that universities now make up about a quarter of total enquiries to the organisation which has traditionally served private language education providers. Currently just three universities are part of EAQUALS’ 25 accredited members and 26 associate members.

“Our members have been doing quality assurance for years, but formal education everywhere including universities are now playing catch up,” she said. At the organisation’s recent conference in Malaga in Spain, EAQUALS signed a memorandum of cooperation with CercleS – the European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education.
Full report on The PIE News site