SESSION 3D

Lauren O’Hern
Enhancing the student experience

Abstract
Quality ELT Centres provide quality teaching but do students always feel that they have had a quality experience during their period of enrolment? In the hustle and bustle of day to day teaching and management, the importance of the students’ broader experience in the language centre and beyond can be overlooked.

Helping students have a positive experience while they are enrolled with you need not be a costly exercise. There are various simple and inexpensive strategies you can implement to improve the student experience, if you know what your students need and/or are likely to value.

In this session, participants will gain an insight into some of the feedback that NEAS has collected from students as part of its stakeholder-driven feedback model. They will then workshop a number of ideas that they may be able to take back to their own centres and start implementing without having to spend too much time or money.

Bio
Lauren O’Hern has worked in ESL, international and higher education since 1998 and currently works with NEAS, the Australian ELT quality assurance organisation, as a quality assessor and conference coordinator. She has taught English in Australia, Vietnam, Singapore and Turkey and held coordination and management roles for 11 years in Vietnam and Australia. In her work with NEAS Lauren has conducted quality review visits across Australia as well as in Cambodia and Vietnam. She holds a Master of Applied Linguistics, BA in English and Trinity College TESOL certificate.