Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) is a collaborative global partnership comprised of organisations, institutions, companies, and above all, people, which enables refugees, IDPs (internally displaced persons) and people from other marginalised communities to gain access to higher education. Lack of English skills can be a significant obstacle for many, but Loyola Idiomas' collaboration with JWL's Global English Programme will play a big part in breaking this barrier.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, Loyola Idiomas (Loyola School of Languages, Culture and Communication) from Universidad Loyola, Spain, an official University of Cambridge examination and training centre, has been providing support to the Global English programme (GEL) through the creation of a range of learning materials and self-study videos for students along with training sessions for the teachers on the GEL programme.
“Considering the many opportunities to collaborate that exist in the global Jesuit network and the difficulties that marginalised communities faced during the COVID-19 crisis, the team at Loyola Idiomas reached out to members of our network who really needed our support and expertise at a difficult time. Our collaboration with JWL is an example of how working together and sharing knowledge can have a positive impact on communities around the world. By using modern technologies and innovative resources we have been to support students at the margins.” Shane Martin Mcloughlin, Director Loyola Idiomas.
JWL students must prove their level of English through the Official University of Cambridge Linguaskill test as part of the admissions process to enter third level programmes. Building on the positive impact of the initial Linguaskill training sessions for teachers including lesson plans and self-study resources for students provided by Loyola Idiomas, which helped set JWL students up for success in the Linguaskill test, the academic writing materials will be instrumental in supporting these students in terms of their academic readiness.
In addition to taking the Linguaskill test, students applying for a JWL academic programme are asked to write an academic essay, so these materials will prepare them for success in this important component of the application process.
“The high quality of the Academic English Writing materials created by Loyola Idiomas, which includes seven videos on themes related to academic writing (including pre-writing, introductions and conclusions, presenting opinions, information and arguments, organisation, grammar and post-writing, along with reflection questions and answers) will help students to hone their academic writing skills. It will also serve them well throughout their higher education studies with JWL, as they will be expected to submit academic English essays on a regular basis.” Susanna Ablewhite, Director of the GEL programme at JWL.
The Academic Writing materials will first be made available to students in Iraq, Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Jordan, and Myanmar, who are applying for the Certificate in Liberal Studies (a one-year foundational course and prerequisite for the Bachelors in Sustainable Development). The same materials will also support JWL Global English Language students who aspire to pursue academic studies in English, and JWL professional course students who need a bit of extra support with their writing skills.
“In line with the mission of Universidad Loyola, the opportunity to provide support for those in need around the world in collaboration with our Jesuit partners is an extremely rewarding experience for the Loyola Idiomas team and we look forward to continuing to help students from marginalised communities around the world to reach their full potential in the future.” Daniel Joseph Ryan, Academic Coordinator Loyola Idiomas.
Jesuit Worldwide Learning collaborates with different Universities in the IAJU network including
- XIM University, Bhubaneswar, India
- Regis University, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Hekima University College, Nairobi, Kenya
- Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA