Talking shop: professional standards in ELT

Recent years have seen the development of a number of professional organizations in the UK which have an interest in quality assurance, and are in the process of setting up or have already established procedures for the evaluation and accreditation of courses. They have emerged as a response to national concerns, but also reflect an increasing world-wide interest in professional standards in ELT. Christopher Brumfit, Professor of Education at the University of Southampton, and Hywel Coleman from the School of Education, University of Leeds, are both active members of one such body, and here they reflect on issues inherent in quality control at a national level.