Friday, 27 April 2007
The OET Forum: Present & Future
The third annual OET Forum was held on April 27th at the Novotel Melbourne on Collins. Over 60 attendees listened to six presentations on various aspects of the OET.
The Forum was opened and attendees welcomed by Ms Beverley Honig, member of the CAE Board and Chair of the OET Strategy Group. Ms Honig introduced the Forum theme, The OET: Present & Future, referring to changes she had already witnessed, including an increased number of test administrations, greater interest and trust from Regulatory Authorities, the new OET brand and the OET Centre’s move to a new, larger office. In conclusion she briefly listed the day’s speakers and their topics.
First to present was the Assessment Manager, Mr John Pill. His presentation set a clear foundation for presentations later in the day. Download John's presentation.
The next presenter was Professor Lesleyanne Hawthorne, the Associate Dean (Internationa) and Director of the Faculty International Unit. Drawing on a wide range of research conducted for and by government departments and regulatory authorities, Lesleyanne outlined the nature of Australia’s evolving medical workforce and the latest Australian migration developments. Download Professor Hawthorne's Presentation.
The third presenter of the day was Ms Fel Bisiani, the Manager of the OET Centre. She presented on the preliminary findings of a study done by Dr. Cathie Elder of the Language Testing Research Centre on OET-IELTS benchmarking. Fel explained how the research study came about, noting that the Regulatory Authorities themselves decide what level of result in each test they require in order for applicants to be accepted for the process of clinical registration - generally B grades on all four components of the OET and an overall average of 7 across these components on the IELTS. As the majority of health authorities accept both tests, the question of equivalence has arisen. We regret that as this study is as yet unpublished, we cannot provide the presentation for download.
The first presenter after lunch was Ms Margaret Proctor, Director of the Professional and International Recognition Unit, Department of Education, Science and Training. Margaret’s presentation covered three topics: First, she explained the role of AEI-NOOSR and how it fits in Government; then she outlined Australia’s method of Qualification Recognition; and finally, she described AEI-NOOSR’s role in professional mobility. Margaret concluded by saying that comparing different education systems requires flexibility and that AEI-NOOSR will continue to support professional mobility with programs and tools. She then invited visitors to the AEI-NOOSR website. Download Margaret's presentation.
Dr Carsten Roever, the Acting Director of the Language Testing Research Centre.Carsten’s presentation generated great interest as he demonstrated how the LTRC helps validate the OET through the development of materials for the Listening and Reading sub-tests and the analysis of all test results. Download Dr Roever's presentation.
Ms Sally Ling, Business Development Manager of the OET Centre, made the final presentation of the day, and fittingly, she presented on the Future Direction of the OET Centre. Download Sally's presentation.
The Forum concluded over networking drinks, giving attendees the opportunity to relax, mingle and discuss the day’s proceedings with others. The Forum’s list of varied and specialised speakers had provided them with plenty to discuss over a glass of wine.