Designing quality assessment in English language teaching: NTTU and NEAS Australia in partnership
(NTTU) – In order to keep pace with new trends in assessment system design and to enhance the expertise of its teaching staff, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, in partnership with NEAS (Australia), successfully held the workshop “Designing Quality Assessment in English Language Teaching.” This is a strategic step taken immediately after the milestone of NTTU being the only Vietnamese university invited to attend the NEAS International Conference 2026 in Australia.
Amid the global trend of educational internationalization, building a scientific and objective Assessment System is the most accurate measure of training quality. Recognizing this importance, Nguyen Tat Thanh University (NTTU) recently partnered with NEAS (National ELT Accreditation Scheme) — Australia’s leading English language teaching quality accreditation body — to deliver an intensive training program.
Attending the program, NEAS was represented by Mr. Richard Stevenson, Head of Quality Assurance and Professional Development. Representing Nguyen Tat Thanh University were Dr. Phan Thi Viet Nam, Vice President of the University, together with a large number of staff and lecturers working and teaching at the University.
Dr. Phan Thi Viet Nam exchanges a token of appreciation with Mr. Richard Stevenson at the workshop
NEAS: Global Voice for Quality in ELT
Founded in 1990, NEAS Australia is a leading independent authority on quality assurance in the English Language Teaching (ELT) community. It sets and upholds standards across universities, vocational providers, secondary schools, and private ELT centers, working through a structured Quality Assurance Framework that provides quality endorsement, professional development, and specialized services such as NEAS Assist.
With more than 200 endorsed centers across Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, the NEAS quality mark is an internationally recognized symbol of excellence valued by students, educators, and governments.
Internationalization Strategy and Commitment to Output Quality
In her opening remarks, Dr. Phan Thi Viet Nam, Vice President of the University, emphasized that education quality is always one of NTTU’s top priorities. Guided by its commitment to continuously improving training quality in line with national and international standards, the University has to date successfully accredited about 80% of its training programs.
Dr. Phan Thi Viet Nam noted: “This workshop is regarded as an important step toward further improving the quality of English language teaching, promoting continuous improvement, and providing learners with a training environment that meets international standards. It is an opportunity for our staff and lecturers to access and update new knowledge in assessing teaching effectiveness, thereby helping to enhance the foreign language proficiency of both teachers and students.”
Mr. Stevenson presents the core principles of designing and evaluating English language tests
At the intensive training session, Mr. Richard Stevenson personally shared the core principles to help NTTU lecturers optimize their language assessment tools based on international standards:
- Constructive Alignment: Aligning learning outcomes — based on reputable reference frameworks (CEFR/GSE) — with classroom teaching activities and assessment formats to accurately reflect learners’ true abilities.
- Construct Validity: Ensuring that tests accurately and scientifically measure the actual knowledge and skills that learners have been exposed to.
- Optimizing Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs): Quantifying question quality through two key academic indices — Item Difficulty and the Discrimination Index — to eliminate subjective or chance-based factors.
- Integration and Digital Transformation: Discussing flexible assessment solutions that anticipate the trend of applying technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning.
Realizing the Goal of Making English a Second Language
Staff and lecturers of Nguyen Tat Thanh University attend the workshop
Partnering with a reputable international organization such as NEAS to raise the standard of its assessment system closely follows the spirit of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on breakthrough development in education and training. This is a practical activity demonstrating NTTU’s commitment to continuously improving training quality and accelerating the internationalization of education.
Through these systematic steps, Nguyen Tat Thanh University is progressively pioneering a multilingual academic environment that applies modern technology, ready to supply high-quality human resources with outstanding competitiveness in the global labor market in the new period.
Photos: Media
Author: Global Engagement Department
