As economies in Asia-Pacific continue to flourish and develop, countries like Thailand and Vietnam find themselves in need of a larger cohort of competent, qualified professionals. According to global recruiter ManpowerGroup, Thailand lacks enough skilled workers to meet growing demand in the sales, information technology, engineering, business administration, accounting and manufacturing sectors.
Through its alignment with the expanding knowledge economy, Pearson is primed to offer educators and policymakers in the region the right tools to innovate their pedagogy and, for their learners, the skills required to thrive in today’s world.
The key is developing its Global Scale of English and professional qualifications: Pearson “really understands what the needs of the learner are, particularly in terms of the progression in their careers,” says Phil Myers, Pearson’s Head of International Product.
“It's incumbent on us to be absolutely clear in terms of what that progression and opportunity are, what the skills, knowledge and understanding are, and to make sure that we're really embedded with the employers in understanding what the elements of that progression route, so that we can make sure the courses are fully purposed.”
Tapping industry experts for insights
Pearson works with a pool of pedagogic and industry experts who are trained to understand course design and be responsive to their own research on a continuous basis. Alongside this specialist input, “a key priority for us is working in partnership with employers,” Phil says. Employers are, almost by definition, crucial to how vocational courses are structured, given that the skills learned are dictated by what they are looking for.
For this reason, Pearson has cultivated strong industry relationships to enhance the way its courses and qualifications are crafted, says Phil. “I think that partnership approach to designing courses is absolutely essential and it means that we can work very deeply with an employer and really make sure that employer needs are being met in course design.”
Jason Gregory, Pearson’s International Director, UK BTEC & Apprenticeships, agrees with that approach and underscores the role of education experts in bringing vocational training to the classroom and online. “We take all the information from the employer and interpret it and convert it into a course. That's an important part of what Pearson does with its partnership with employers.”
Practical, hands-on and career oriented
One of the main factors that sets Pearson’s qualifications apart is the emphasis on preparing learners for the world of work. As Phil explains, when designing coursework, the creators draw on their understanding of occupational standards from a range of international jurisdictions to better evaluate where best practices happen.
“We can help, advise and support employability from understanding that best practice and bringing best practice to bear in our courses. That's something which gives us a real advantage and they [learners] like that it’s available to them. It’s one of our core strengths,” he notes.
Welcome to episode 8 of the Art of Learning podcast.
We’re joined by Dr Rose Clesham, Director of Academic Standards & Measurement (English Assessment) at Pearson, to explore the intricacies of eAssessment and the fairness of algorithms, as well as the efficacy of computer-based testing.
We discuss Dr Clesham’s experience developing national curriculum tests, as well as diagnostic and formative assessment materials (0:57), the foundations of understanding the validity of assessments (3:46), the latest developments of artificial intelligence in eAssessment (8:11), the cross-cultural challenges of developing and implementing standardised, unified assessments (14:43), the challenges of ensuring that algorithms don’t entrench the biases of human programmers (17:07), reducing learner fears among computer-based testing (23:11), and more.
While the idea of using ‘big data’ can seem daunting, it is increasingly asserting itself in the classroom as one of the best ways for teachers and their students to get the most out of course materials, and to customise the learning process like never before. This is especially so in the fast-growing knowledge economies of Thailand and Vietnam, where students are “success-driven and have the goal of better professional opportunities,” Kayo Taguchi, Pearson Asia’s ELT Portfolio Manager, said on a recent episode of Pearson’s Art of Learning podcast.
The two countries’ governments and educational institutions are also highly receptive to technology-assisted study, especially in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT). This allows the collection of pedagogical data on each individual student – while considering the genuine privacy concerns that surround the collection of personal data in any field – through an ongoing teach-and-test environment. This, in turn, produces learners who are highly motivated and open to constantly evolving teaching methodologies.
By combining Pearson’s unique offerings, such as Global Scale of English, educators can use technology to create a holistic program that connects infrastructure, instruction and assessment, innovates the way they teach, and provides a measurable impact on student learning and success.
Building on a tried and tested approach
Numerous studies have pointed to the efficacy of providing both learners and educators with data that can be collated and analysed to enable individualised learning.
According to a study on using big data to enhance learning, data can produce intelligence that can be useful for self-regulating learners and for teachers to adapt instructional designs. Further, advances in data analytics technology allow information to be marked and evaluated in real-time, giving educators the opportunity to customise the experience for each student – and ensure that the learning process is smooth and effective by tracking development and success rates.
Pearson has pioneered an efficient and holistic approach that prioritises:
identification of issues
constant monitoring through testing
sharing of the data, while ensuring privacy, to identify and further refine a learner’s progress
Enabling access to granular, actionable intelligence
The data provided by tests help educators to understand students’ strengths and weaknesses, and other behaviour patterns. This is because tests present the data in ways that teachers can immediately put to use by adjusting their teaching styles, classroom environments and approach to individuals.
Experts typically categorise measuring student learning into two buckets: Summative assessments, which include a range of graded activities such as tests, provide a shared and consistent understanding of students’ achievements. Formative assessments include day-to-day classroom practices that help teachers and pupils understand what has and has not been learnt, and implement actions to address this on an ongoing basis.
“What has evolved is the concept of why you are testing and what purpose is the test serving,” says Stuart Connor, Pearson Asia’s Qualifications & Assessment Director. “The best assessments help teachers focus their testing, manage mixed ability classes, and identify and correct student mistakes more easily.”
There are a number of factors that have allowed this more data-driven approach to the classroom – an increase in training, coupled with the advent of new technologies which allow educators and administrators to move seamlessly between resources and tests, and the implementation of common standards.
This allows them to connect the dots between “assessment-of-learning” and “assessment-for-learning” – essentially the difference between learning for the purpose of testing, and testing for the purposes of improving the learning process.
For instance, tools such as in-classroom online polls enable teachers to gauge in real time students' engagement levels and their grasp of the concepts being taught. And as remote learning applications have taken off in the age of the coronavirus, these apps are incorporating such polling features to allow instructors to continue gathering data on student performance despite the lack of physical interactions.
The “game changer” is that by using technology, teachers and students are able to “do something with the results,” says Kayo. “We’re able to answer the question: ‘What steps should I take next, what should I do?’” This can be explicit, she says, pointing to a specific skill, or more subtle, such as a change in teaching style. “Learning becomes a bit more focused when you link the courseware and assessment together.”
Educators are also acquiring the ability to impart training, gather data and analyse performance remotely, something that is increasingly becoming important. “We're having to completely change our teaching methodologies due to the coronavirus pandemic, as we move at unprecedented speeds towards remote and online learning,” says Stuart.
Monitoring success at all levels
The gathering and assessment of data happens at multiple levels. “Data analytics become very important to drive quality,” says Stuart. “From a learner’s perspective…just to see where you are, how you’re performing, against the KPIs, the goals you set yourself – how much additional work you’d need to do and what specific activities you’d need to carry out to reach your goals, to be able to click a button and see that, in number form or in graphs, is really impactful.”
Similarly, it allows teachers to understand whether they’re on track compared with their lesson or semester planning. At a macro level, a department head can see how different classes are performing, giving more control and ability to measure quality and drive improvements, ensuring no individual, class or even educator falls behind.
“For an institution, if they’re looking to make an investment in technology, in resources or assessments, this tells them if there’s a return on that investment because they can measure how well their learners are improving their English, so the data is extremely powerful,” says Stuart.
Harnessing data for the power of learning, to make sure that every student is given the chance to capitalise on their strengths and have their limitations acknowledged and addressed, is a key development in the way teachers teach, and can have lasting impact on how ELT classrooms are designed and implemented.
Welcome to episode 2 of the Art of Learning podcast, brought to you by Pearson Asia.
We're joined by Lê Thị Phượng Liên, Deputy Director of International Education - BTEC at the American Polytechnic College in Hồ Chí Minh, to discuss the power of vocational education and the importance of linking qualifications to jobs.
We introduce the American Polytechnic College (1:23), we discuss why Pearson's BTEC qualifications stand out (4:34), the importance of guidance from your education partners (6:39), student feedback on hands-on learning (9:07), and Lê Thị Phượng Liên offers her advice on implementing BTEC qualifications in your institution (10:53).
In Thailand, the high-end manufacturing sector is booming. Aided in part by the government’s support, there is real enthusiasm for specialised engineering learning, and many young Thais are looking for careers in what is becoming an increasingly competitive field.
In response, the country’s higher-education institutions, such as King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), are catering to this increase in interest.
With many younger, aspiring engineers focused on advanced fields like nanotechnology, undergraduates in the STEM disciplines are looking for additional courses to give them much-needed practical knowledge, and ultimately, an edge in the job market.
In schools like KMITL, this heightened interest in specialised education has led to an increased adoption of high-quality, practical qualifications like BTEC.
These courses, which are highly experience-based and geared towards the skills that make graduates attractive to employers, allow students who value hands-on experience and practical learning to get tangible qualifications that can really make a difference when entering the workforce.
What is BTEC?
For over 30 years BTEC qualifications have offered an engaging alternative to more academic, traditional learning models.
Based on real-life work skills and knowledge, these qualifications are more attractive to students who have a career path in mind and want the relevant experience related to their chosen field – in STEM, health, sport, business, IT, the creative industries, and more. Because the courses are focused on “learning by doing,” BTEC students work on assignments set in real-life scenarios and can put their learning into practice straight away.
Employers benefit just as much, secure in the knowledge that new graduates from BTEC programs have the relevant skills – and experience – to hit the ground running. It’s a proven strategy – according to global data, some 90% of BTEC students are employed full-time after graduating.
The courses have developed as a way to unify English with technical and vocational qualifications, giving educators a framework around which to experiment and innovate in the way they teach, and offering their students the range of skills needed to thrive in today’s competitive job market.
KMITL – a Thai educational innovator
KMITL, a research and educational institution in Bangkok, has a heavy STEM focus and its reputation for imparting high-quality vocational training makes it an ideal partner to pilot BTEC Higher Nationals, internationally recognized vocational qualifications equivalent to the first two years of a university degree. KMITL has long been an innovator in Thai education, including awarding the country’s first doctoral degree in electrical engineering, and is associated with the Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (SEED-NET).
While BTEC programs have been known at the high-school level in Thailand for some time, KMITL is pioneering its application for tertiary-level learners through new courses in Manufacturing Engineering and Management & Leadership.
The KMITL selection process for inclusion in its BTEC program is exacting, with only nine successful applicants for every 100, according to Dr. Chatrpol Pakasiri, a BTEC instructor at the institution. Students studying science, technology or engineering bachelor’s degrees are encouraged to apply.
Why BTEC?
Dr. Chatrpol has been teaching at KMITL for six years and helms the institution’s BTEC course on the principles of electrical engineering.
He says that while the BTEC curriculum is similar in many ways to the coursework he previously taught, his students benefit greatly from the practical experience, noting that those in his program directly “learn about manufacturing,” which will help them find jobs after graduation.
He adds that the new methodology, with a greater focus on self-starting and engaging learning, allows his students to “take responsibility for themselves,” which is a quality highly attractive to potential employers. He says that the course is ideal for motivated students who are prepared to work hard and many of his BTEC students are so involved in the course and value the practical aspects so highly, a simple passing grade isn’t enough for them: they are aiming, instead, to graduate with distinction.
He adds that the course is a hugely valuable additional qualification, which can be taken concurrently with their undergraduate degree courses. “It’s like having a second degree – usually if you want to have two degrees, it’s difficult to do so in different fields. Either [the students] would have to go back and get another bachelor’s degree and spend more time doing it – so in that respect it’s very good.”
Road to success
As the higher-level BTEC qualifications are relatively new to Thailand’s universities, their benefits are – for now – somewhat unfamiliar to the hiring departments of the country’s manufacturing and engineering industries.
But Dr. Chatrpol sees the qualification as having a bright future in Thailand. He is confident that as class after class of BTEC students graduate and enter the workforce, their worth will come to be known and valued by employers. “Awareness of BTEC will improve as students start to graduate and get their certificates. Then industry will get to know their capabilities,” he says.
Dr. Chatrpol says that KMITL plans to introduce additional BTEC courses into its current rotation across hospitality management, management and leadership, and business. He hopes that expanding the course options will further establish his institution as a BTEC leader in Thailand and attract top talent from across the Southeast Asian nation and beyond.
As demand for English language learning continues to grow in popularity across Asia, innovations in learning technologies are changing how educators in the region are approaching the challenge of equipping non-native speakers with the proficiency required to succeed in academia and the professional world.
The increased functionality of tech-assisted study, which allows teachers to collect and analyse student performance in near real-time and use that data to customise the learning experience, is having a profound effect on how teachers and students are approaching English language teaching (ELT), and some of the region’s most enthusiastic language learners are benefiting.
Emerging economies such as Vietnam and Thailand have an especially “huge demand and appetite for language learning,” driven largely by the recognition that being able to comprehend and converse in another language, particularly English, is a powerful driver for, primarily, career advancement, says Stuart Connor, Pearson Asia’s Qualifications & Assessment Director.
The governments of both countries are recognising this demand and are shaping their English language and vocational curriculums to give their citizens the helping hand they need to prosper in the global economy. They are “acutely aware of how important English is going to be to future prosperity, to driving a growing economy, and to attracting more foreign direct investment,” says Stuart.
Of course, preparing learners of English for a successful future call for the right course materials, learning environments and qualifications. This includes setting high benchmarks for success, such as using materials based on international ESL (English as a Second Language) standards and aiming for a level of B1, or intermediate, level as measured in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), according to Stuart.
Deep dive into data
As commendable as these ambitious targets are, the following questions remain:
At what level are students starting their language-learning journey?
Is there enough time to get students to the level expected by the time they graduate?
Are teachers sufficiently qualified or skilled to be able to teach the skills that need teaching?
Do teachers have the resources they need to be able to drive improvements?
To that end, gathering and analysing learning and proficiency data is increasingly becoming part of an educator’s toolbox. Each student has their own needs, and it's important to have individual learning pathways, points out Kayo Taguchi, Pearson Asia’s ELT Portfolio Manager. Knowing exactly what a learner’s true level is, and having clear goals for progress over a specific period of time, are key to managing their language development.
“Everyone learns at a different pace. In the same class, you could have slow learners as well as fast learners,” says Kayo. “Each of them has different strengths and challenges and these need to be addressed.”
This is made possible by the continuous collection and analysis of data, which can identify strengths and weaknesses at a granular level. When this information is fed back into the learning process, it helps to create a feedback loop that enables the creation of a unique, customised and effective learning experience for the student. As Stuart notes, “The feedback cycle of teach, learn, assess – it's just ongoing.”
Having that level of insight, Kayo says, is key to keeping students enthusiastic and inspired to continue learning. “Being able to identify an individual’s strengths and challenges will help educators build student motivation,” she says, adding that tech-assisted learning environments can be invaluable to the process.
The future of language learning
So, how does technology assist educators in the quest to teach better? “Pearson uses a range of tools, including artificial intelligence, to gather and analyse data on the learning process in order to decipher patterns and create portraits of a classroom and its individual students at scale and at speed,” according to Stuart.
Pearson’s data-driven analytics abilities mean that it can capture highly specific details, and present the information quickly and in a way that teachers can understand. They can then use that knowledge to make better decisions around how they teach, and how they focus and curate each learner’s approach.
For instance, Pearson uses machine learning to rapidly and accurately score tests and break down each student’s performance by skill, even speaking skills. And if a learner has a specific weakness say, at a certain level of speaking in a certain context, there will be feedback and recommendations as to which particular sections of the courseware can effectively address this particular gap in their skill level, all powered by technology, all without human intervention.
Educators are also acquiring the ability to impart training, gather data and analyse performance remotely, something that is increasingly becoming important. “We're having to completely change our teaching methodologies due to the coronavirus pandemic, as we move at unprecedented speeds towards remote and online learning,” says Stuart.
Pearson is adapting to the new ground realities of an increasingly digital world by integrating assessments into courseware that can be accessed digitally through the company’s learning platforms.
Ultimately, it’s clear that however the world may look when we return to a “new normal”, the influence of technology and data on pedagogy is real and here to stay.
