Photo by Johnny Bagels

Through consultation with stakeholders, this diverse inter-institutional team of Applied Linguists and language teaching experts investigates the range of language educator competences needed in higher education (HE).

The purpose of HELECs is to develop an empirically informed framework of competences.

This framework will be integrated within the National Professional Development Framework for Staff who Teach in Higher Education as well as the criteria for Disciplinary Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment (DELTA) awards.  

The framework of competences for language educators in higher education will:

·        establish a framework of reference for the professionalisation of the field of language education in higher education;

.        enable the diverse population of language educators in HE to identify and articulate their competences; and

·        provide relevant examples of resources and initiatives which can support the development of specific competences.  

To find out more about HELECs, see the presentations and publications, below.

Higher Education Language Educator Competences (HELECs)

Riordan, E., Earls, C., Furlong, Áine, Flynn, C., & Benini, S. (2020).
Higher Education Language Educator Competences (HELECs). TEANGA, the Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics27, 193–203. https://doi.org/10.35903/teanga.v27i.225

ABSTRACT

Higher Education Language Educator Competences (HELECs) is an inter-institutional project which investigates the range of language educator skills needed in higher education (HE). The purpose of the project is to develop an empirically-informed competence framework which is aligned with the National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’s National Professional Development Framework for all Staff Who Teach in Higher Education (2016). The framework will provide individual language educators and programme developers with a reference point and practical tools, based on a comprehensive profile of language teaching skills, to ensure that all HE language educators are appropriately supported in their professional development. The project is funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’s enhancement fund.