Conference helps share English Language knowledge

By Jenni Coster

On Melbourne Cup day, as everyone was donning frocks and fascinators, MUELC staff headed to the City Campus to participate in the first University Quadrella.

The mini-conference brought together 250 teaching and support services staff from English Language Centres across Melbourne, including La Trobe Melbourne; Hawthorne Melbourne; Deakin University English Language Institute; the School of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics at Monash University as well as Monash College Diplomas and MUELC, to share ideas and research in an aim to address the current issues in language learning.

Directors of Studies from the four language centres formulated a program for the day and, as the event fell on Cup Day, it was important to create a balance of stimulating workshops with a festive atmosphere. Consequently we agreed on seven workshop streams with a number of opportunities for staff to mingle and discuss ideas throughout the day.

Jessica Buntine was deployed to the project and over the weeks leading up to the PD day, worked with the caterers, AV suppliers and staff across MCPL to create a professional, smooth running event. Due to limited budgets, Jessica contacted key companies that MUELC and many of the other language centers do business with on a regular basis to see if they would be interested in sponsoring the event in return for the opportunity to profile their business. Snap Nottinghill, IELTS, Cambridge Univesity Press, Oxford University Press and The Bookery all expressed interest in the event and gave generously.

University Quadrella was a huge success and there was a great buzz throughout the day. Feedback following the event has been very positive with a 100 per cent of responses from the follow up survey requesting that the day becomes an annual event. 

A big thank you to Jessica Buntine who made the day a huge success and a lot of fun. I would also like to acknowledge Fiona Kneen, Graham Down, Renata Chylinski, Craig Wattam, Vanessa Fortyn, Janice Cook, Meg Wyatt, Lucy Price, Molly Bonnefin, Naomi Hobbs and Kimie Tomida for all of the help they provided leading up to the event and on the day. Finally, I would like to congratulate all staff who presented on the day, the feedback from your sessions has been very positive and I do hope that you seriously consider taking your workshops further by submitting an abstract to next year’s English Australia Conference.