Cambridge English Empower

WHAT IMPACT COULD IT HAVE FOR YOU? Find out how students’ learning improved with Cambridge English Empower cambridge.org/empower

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CAMBRIDGE IMPACT STUDIES Schools and colleges need to show that they are evaluating their language programmes. An impact study can help you understand how effective your programme is and also how you might improve it. This is done via a combination of language test results during the programme and questionnaires to teachers and students which highlight: Language proficiency

Effectiveness

How much students improved their English

How effective a teaching and learning programme is and how it might be improved

Motivation to learn How students’ motivation to learn English has increased

Behaviours that support learning

Potential areas for continuing professional development

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS “We started using the tests provided by the Empower LMS and the students started showing better results from the very beginning up till now.”

Anastasiia Nikulenko Director of Foreign Language Training Centre, ITMO University Saint Petersburg, Russia

“The students say that the course is very productive and very useful for them because they started to speak, which is the main aim.”

Asmik Grigorian, Academic Co-ordinator, Moscow Pedagogical State University

How teachers might continue to expand their range of teaching skills and knowledge

How students and teachers are working in ways that support better learning

Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment English work with schools, colleges and universities around the world, ranging from large universities to private language schools.

Impact studies for Empower have been carried out since June 2015 in various countries, including Russia, Brazil, Turkey, and the UK, with others to follow in 2018.

If you are using Cambridge English Empower and would like to take part in the impact studies: Please send an email to Simon Wright swright@cambridge.org for further details.

“Well there are so many adjectives to describe such a wonderful series but in my opinion it’s a very reliable series, practical and modern.”

Zenaide Brianez Director of Studies Instituto da Lingua Inglesa Cuiabá, Brazil

“The more we used the book and explored the online platform, the more we realised that this was far more than ‘just another new book’ and is potentially a game-changer.”

Tam Connors-Sadek Director of Studies, University of Sheffield summer programme 2016

Other participating institutions include Bilgi University (Istanbul) and the Russian State University of Justice (Moscow).

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MEASURABLY BETTER OUTCOMES MOTIVATION IN AND OUT OF CLASS

62

%

said the Empower online activities motivated their students to study more than usual.

“When we use the progress tests, when we use the writing assignments taken from Empower, we can also show them and give them informative feedback, and with the help of this feedback they can understand their progress.”

Teacher at MPSU

INCREASED CONFIDENCE AMONG TEACHERS WHEN USING TECHNOLOGY IN THEIR TEACHING

95

%

were confident in using technology after the course, compared to 74% before.

“The Online Workbook, students really like it because they can basically manage their time and can do the exercises whenever and however they want.”

Everything is so brilliantly and logically organised.

REDUCTION IN TIME NEEDED FOR MARKING

69

%

were spending two hours or less per week on marking at the end of the course compared to 51% before they used Empower.

“Teachers can work and check and also they don’t have to spend a lot of time marking homework and spend their time in better ways like planning their lessons better.”

Director of Studies, Instituto da Lingua Inglesa

Teacher at MPSU

“There is no doubt that it has improved motivation to perform tasks, especially in terms of setting a deadline.”

Assistant Director of Studies at Instituto da Lingua Inglesa

AN ONLINE PLATFORM THAT IS EASY TO USE

76

%

said the online system is easy or very easy to use.

“The LMS is also very nice and thoroughly planned and designed so the students have no difficulties to use it.”

Director of Foreign Language Training Centre, ITMO University

REDUCTION IN TIME NEEDED FOR LESSON PLANNING

42

%

of teachers were spending two hours or less per week on lesson planning at the end of the course, compared to 16% before they used Empower.

“As a teacher I can say this course has definitely helped me for planning the lessons, for managing students and for managing classes. It saves me time and it helps me to improve myself as a teacher and as a person.”

“We used to spend like 15–20 minutes correcting homework in class. With the new Empower material we can use those minutes for using communicative activities.”

Teacher at Instituto da Lingua Inglesa

A COURSE THAT’S EASY TO USE

89

%

think the Empower coursebook is easy to use.

“Everything is so brilliantly and logically organised.”

Teacher at ITMO University

Teacher at MPSU

These percentages are based on 122 completed teacher questionnaires.

Teacher at ITMO University

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STUDENT MOTIVATION, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIOURS

78

%

of students said Empower helped them to improve their overall ability, including in Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation.

“It has improved my listening and speaking skills because I’m not good enough at listening but now it’s really better, I can speak with people and now I can hear people.”

TECHNOLOGY

%

IMPROVED PERFORMANCE

96

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ASSESSMENT

71

%

said the Unit Progress Tests were helpful for improving their English.

66

feel that using technology helps them learn better.

%

said the Empower online activities motivated them to study more than usual.

25

%

more students were studying every day outside of class at the end of the course, than before (13%).

81

%

of students believe they can learn English well after using Empower, compared to 74% before.

“I feel more motivated after I started using Empower because now I feel confident to talk, to speak in English with other people.”

”

Student at ITMO University

Student at ITMO University

MOTIVATION AND CONFIDENCE

I had been studying English for 10 years before the university and you know I didn’t succeed, I didn’t manage, but now I can notice how my level of English has changed.

70

70

77

70

%

said tests motivate them to study harder, compared to 60% before using Empower.

%

said taking English tests helps them to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

“Empower helped me to recognise my errors and to improve my vocabulary, writing and listening” Student at Instituto da Lingua Inglesa

%

said the online system was easy to use.

%

said the Online Workbooks were helpful for improving their English.

“One more thing I adore is the Online Workbook… I really liked it because when you come home you can study too and it was very easy and very interactive.”

Student at ITMO University

Student at Instituto da Lingua Inglesa These percentages are based on 466 completed student questionnaires

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EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS UNIT PROGRESS TESTS

How do the Unit Progress Tests work?

The Empower Unit Progress Tests focus on the key lexis/grammar/functional language in the relevant unit of the Empower course.

Unit Progress Test attempt 1 is followed by personalised online practice to help with areas of weakness. In test attempt 2, students can focus on these areas and correct mistakes made in attempt 1.

They provide feedback on learning; students will get many items correct, with incorrect answers indicating areas which the learner should revisit before moving on to the next unit.

Each student’s Learner Profile (in the Cambridge LMS) shows them the regular improvements they have made, increasing their motivation.

How did students perform in the Unit Progress Tests?

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Students showed significant improvement in their areas of weakness between attempt 1 and attempt 2 of the Unit Progress Tests at every level.

The charts show performance for all Empower users globally and a smaller sample from Moscow Pedagogical State University.

When they do the progress test, they then get an individual report to help them focus on areas of language that they maybe didn’t understand quite as well as others.

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Teacher at Instituto da Lingua Inglesa, Brazil

All global Empower users

Moscow Pedagogical State University

100

100

90

90

80

80

70

70

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60

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50

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40

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30

20

20

10

10 0

0 A1 1st attempt

A2

B1

B1+

2nd attempt

Average 1st attempt score versus 2nd attempt score for the Unit Progress Tests.

In attempt 2, students retake incorrect attempt 1 answers.

Based on global students’ scores in the Unit Progress Tests from August 2016 to July 2017

B2

C1

A2 1st attempt

B1

B1+

B2

C1

2nd attempt

Average 1st attempt score versus 2nd attempt score for the Unit Progress Tests.

In attempt 2, students retake incorrect attempt 1 answers.

Based on Moscow Pedagogical State University students’ scores in the Unit Progress Tests from October 2016 to June 2017

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EVIDENCE OF ACHIEVEMENT COMPETENCY TESTS How did students perform in the Competency Tests?

How do the Competency Tests work?

Students showed significant improvement in their performance between the mid-course and end-of-course skills-based competency tests.

The Empower mid-course and end-ofcourse Competency Tests are designed to assess language proficiency, each learner’s progress over a period of time, and their level against the CEFR.

As this assessment measures improvement between the mid-course and end-of-course points, this improvement is in line with the learning goal of improving by a whole CEFR level across one whole level of the Empower course.

The average learner tended to improve by ten points, which represents half of a CEFR band as measured by the Empower assessments.

10% of learners were on courses without Online Workbooks. These learners tended to have lower mean gains, suggesting that the Online Workbooks were contributing to learning gains.

The Empower CEFR Report All global Empower users 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 A1

A2

B1

B1+

B2

C1

A1

A2

Listening

Mid-course test

B1

B1+

B2

C1

Reading

End-of-course test

Average score for listening, reading and writing in the mid-course test and end-of-course test.

Based on global students’ scores from August 2016 to July 2017.

A1

A2

B1 Writing

B1+

B2

C1

Concrete evidence of improvement in language proficiency level is shown to each student via their individual CEFR Report (after both the midcourse and end-of-course tests). This contributes to an increase in motivation and encourages learners to continue with their learning.

WHAT IS CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH EMPOWER? A general English course for adults from Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment English, featuring Learning Oriented Assessment and offering a unique mix of:

Content that informs and entertains

CEFR Report and Learner Profile

So students stay engaged in the classroom

So students are motivated by evidence of progress, benchmarked against international standards

Tests developed by Cambridge Assessment English, world-leaders in language assessment

Syllabus informed by English Profile & Corpus

So you know the results are reliable

So students get the most useful language at the right time

Personalised practice after every unit test

Complete learning and assessment cycle with auto-marking and follow-up activities

So students get the practice they need most

So you can save hundreds of hours a year

To find out more: cambridge.org/empower