- School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences

International Seminar
The CEFR, the ELP and university language centres: new perspectives and new challenges

CercleS CEFR/ELP seminar
Trinity College Dublin, 11-12 June 2015

Seminar Overview
Online Registration - now open
Timeline
Call for Posters
Venue and Accommodation
Contact Details

Seminar Overview

We are pleased to announce that the next CercleS CEFR/ELP seminar will take place at Trinity College Dublin on 11-12 June 2015. The seminar will explore a number of CEFR and ELP-related issues of relevance to language centres, including:

increasing the number of descriptors for some of the CEFR levels
linking CEFR descriptors to Bologna-type learning outcomes
integrating CEFR/ELP content with electronic portfolios, virtual learning environments, mobile learning, etc.
revising the structure/content of the CercleS ELP
extending the CercleS CEFR/ELP focus group.

The intended outcomes of the seminar are to initiate a plan for a CercleS CEFR/ELP toolkit and to encourage submissions from participants for possible publication in the CercleS journal Language Learning in Higher Education.

The plenary speaker at the seminar is Professor David Little. The first day of the seminar will be focus on use of the CEFR and/or the ELP in university language centres, including poster presentations on the issues of relevance described above or other examples of the CEFR and/or the ELP as used in European language centres. The second day will be devoted to workshops that will explore possible dimensions of the proposed CercleS CEFR/ELP toolkit. Consideration will also be given to ways of researching CEFR/ELP use.

Scientific committee

Gillian Mansfield
David Little
Fiona Dalziel
Lorna Carson (Seminar Convenor)

Timeline

Call for posters opens: 1st November 2014
Deadline for abstract submissions: 30 January 2015
Registration deadline: 31 March 2015

Call for Posters

The programme will include two interactive poster sessions on day one of the seminar, and we welcome poster submissions on the topics described above. Posters will remain available during the rest of the seminar.
30 January 2015 is the deadline for all poster abstracts. Notification of acceptance will be given by 30 February 2015.
Poster abstracts should not exceed 300 words (exclusive of references) and should focus on examples of CEFR and ELP-related practice.
Abstracts should be emailed in the form of a pdf document to clcsinfo@tcd.ie, with the subject title “CERCLES Seminar 2015”. Abstracts must be double-spaced, and submitted in Times New Roman, font size 12.
The maximum size of poster that can be accommodated is A0 size (841 x 1189 mm).
Please include the following information in your submission, in a pdf document:

Poster presenter’s/presenters’ full contact information. This will appear in the seminar programme.
Poster Title
Poster Abstract (maximum 300 words).
Poster Presenter Biography (maximum 100 words).

Venue & Accommodation

Trinity College is located in the centre of Dublin, with a 47 acre campus of cobbled squares, historic buildings and green playing fields alongside state-of-the-art modern facilities. Participants may wish to explore the TCD campus guide (www.tcd.ie/visitors), the Dublin Tourism website (www.visitdublin.com), and the national Discover Ireland website (www.discoverireland.com). The venue for the CercleS seminar is the Trinity Long Room Hub, the university’s research institute for the Arts and Humanities. A number of different accommodation options are possible, including hostels, campus accommodation and hotels with agreements with TCD. Seminar participants may wish to explore:

TCD’s on-campus accommodation options www.tcd.ie/accommodation/Visitors/RoomTypes (please note that on-campus accommodation books up quickly, we recommend that you contact the university accommodation office as soon as you are sure of your travel plans)
The O’Callaghan Hotel Group www.ocallaghanhotels.com & the Trinity City Hotel www.trinitycityhotel.com (preferred rates will be offered through the seminar website shortly).

Dublin Airport is situated some 10 km north of the city centre (there is only one international airport in Dublin). Ryanair and Aer Lingus provide reasonably priced options between most European cities and Dublin, in addition to the other European airlines. Below are suggestions on how to travel from the airport to the university below. The city centre is easy to navigate on foot, and the university is in the heart of the city retail and tourist areas. The Aircoach shuttle (www.aircoach.ie) runs 24/7 from outside the airport terminal, and provides a direct journey to the city centre and beyond, stopping beside Trinity College on Lower Grafton Street. Dublin Bus run a regular Airlink bus service from the airport to the city centre. There are also regular city buses which will take you from the airport to the city centre; these serve all bus stops, and will take longer. Details of these routes are at bottom of the Dublin Bus URL mentioned earlier. A taxi from the airport to the city centre will cost approximately €35 and takes about 30 minutes, although it may take longer depending on traffic. It can be advisable to get an estimate of the fare to your destination before you get in a taxi, and ask for a printed receipt when you pay.