Executive Committee Roles

Chair

The Chair provides strategic leadership to the BALEAP Executive Committee and to the wider BALEAP community in line with BALEAP's mission and values. The Chair has oversight of various sub-committees and working parties as approved by the Executive Committee. The Chair is automatically a member of the BALEAP Accreditation Scheme Committee. The Chair, together with the Treasurer, has responsibility to ensure that the legal requirements for reporting of BALEAP activity to Companies House and the Charity Commission are followed. The Chair manages and maintains relationships with external bodies as appropriate.

Deputy Chair

Occupied by the incoming or outgoing chair, this role facilitates transitions to the Chair role and assists in carrying out the duties listed above. Elections are for a chair for a five-year term, with the first and last years in deputy role.

Treasurer

All Executive Committee members have an equal share of responsibility for the financial health of the organisation. To facilitate key decision-making, the Treasurer collates financial management data from online systems (currently Xero, Stripe and the BALEAP Bank Account) and provides the Executive Committee with financial information on a regular basis. The Treasurer is supported by the BALEAP administrator, who is the first port of call for membership, event and accreditation payment queries and who processes incoming payments. Additional duties within the Treasurer role remit are:

Processing invoice and expense payments from the BALEAP Bank Account and updating online and paper records accordingly
Overseeing the presentation of end-of-year financial data and liaising with the BALEAP accountant to arrange completion of annual (accruals) accounts
Reporting annually to BALEAP members at the AGM on the financial status of BALEAP.

BAS Chair

The BALEAP Accreditation Scheme (BAS) is designed to establish and sustain the standard required of specialist courses in English for Academic Purposes to enhance the student experience. The Chair manages the scheme and supports BAS assessors to visit institutions applying for accreditation and to write reports which assess the EAP provision against the agreed criteria for the scheme. Because of the complex nature of BAS the role of Chair is only open to BAS assessors with experience of the scheme.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing and overseeing the BALEAP Accreditation Scheme for courses within member institutions and working with the TEAP Officer to manage and oversee the TEAP Portfolio accreditation for individual members
• Actively promoting the scheme to attract new members through conference and workshop presentations
• Visiting institutions that are interested in seeking accreditation for the first time, to provide training and answer questions (can also be done by more experienced Assessors)
• Engaging with other accreditation/QA bodies, especially AUK/ British Council / Eaquals
• Managing the selection of Assessors, their training/ development and their allocation for assessment visits
• Scrutinising all reports, as part of the BAS, also acting as mentor for report writers
  Managing the quality and consistency of all reports
• Chairing at least 2 BAS Committee meetings a year (usually May and October) an assessors’ day and a ratification meeting to review and approve accreditation reports
• Running a BAS Assessors’ Day, and an associated Accreditation event once a year, in May
• Ensuring the Scheme is constantly reviewed and updated, using feedback following visits and the Assessors’ Day to develop the Scheme
• Revising the Handbooks every few years (as necessary) with the support of a working group of volunteers from the BAS
• Responding to queries about the Scheme and providing information for the BAELAP web pages
• Working with the BALEAP Administrator and Treasurer to set up meetings and visits, monitor finances and manage production of reports
• Providing support to Assessors, as required
• Providing advice to institutions, as required
• Attending and reporting to BALEAP Exec committee meetings

Events Officer

The main responsibility of the Events Officer is to organise three Professional Issues Meetings (PIMs) a year.  The Officer also provides support and guidance to the organisers of the Biennial Conference and liaises on other events that are organised by BALEAP providing a wide range of events to the EAP community.

Responsibilities include:

• Soliciting local hosts and topics for PIMs (three per year) and biennial conference
• Working together with local organisers on PIM/conference planning and administration, providing guidance on timing, costing, web information, etc.;
• Agreeing a budget with local event organisers.
• Updating and circulating as necessary:
  
  • Templates for Call for Papers; letter to publishers; registration form for publishers/exhibitors; late registrations form; Certificate of Attendance; feedback form
  • PIM checklist
  • Conference Handbook
• Liaising between BALEAP Administrator, Web Officer and PIM organisers during registration of participants; liaise with delegates, Administrator and PIM organisers where queries arise over registrations, exhibitor bookings, accommodation, etc.
• Liaising with Web Officer to ensure that registrations from website are working effectively
• Acting as main contact for queries about events arising from the website
• Working together with the Treasurer and Administrator to prepare a financial profit and loss report on every PIM or Conference
• With Chair, visiting prospective conference venues to ensure that they are suitable for the biennial conference (if deemed necessary)

Research and Publications Officer

The remit of the Research and Publications Officer position is to facilitate, support and give recognition to research within BALEAP for the benefit of the BALEAP membership as a whole.  The role aims to widen representation and showcase work from the UK and beyond. This involves facilitating members’ access to EAP research and scholarly activity and encouraging its application to practice and developing methods of supporting research within the BALEAP community. It includes stimulating and extending the research knowledge base amongst BALEAP members through initiatives that support members in conducting their own research, maintain networks for collaboration and data collection, and support the publication and dissemination of findings.

Responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the work of the Research and Publications sub-committee which includes the Book and Article Reviews Officer, Critical Friend network Officer, Web Officer and two additional members for projects and ad-hoc initiatives. 
• Organising the yearly, the MA Dissertation Award 
• Organising the biennal PhD Dissertation Award
• Planning the ResTES programme (which focuses on scholarship themes, methods, ethics..). ResTES are often collaborative and display expertise from various regions.
  Organising the yearly BALEAP Research Funding stream
• Calling for and encourage BALEAP members’ contributions to the initiatives above (i.e panel for Awards).
• Encouraging the development and use of valid, reliable and ethical research methods within the BALEAP community of practitioners through the ResTES workshops or similar style workshops
• Liaising with the treasurer and the events officer about the organisation and finances when planning ResTES or other similar events
• Curating the Research Website
• Organising the PhD Research Group meetings
• Proposing specific research projects to the Exec to obtain funding.
• Ensuring the delivery of conference proceedings which reflect the theme and quality of the biennial conference for distribution at the following conference
• Maintaining and extending research networks for both practising EAP teachers and researchers. The aim of such networks is to enable career EAP practitioners and post-graduate students to share good practice and experience.

SIGS officer

The SIGS Officer is responsible for liaising between the BALEAP Executive Committee and the BALEAP SIG Committee members, supporting SIGs to undertake appropriate activity on behalf of their members, and ensuring that SIGs follow the guidelines provided by the Executive Committee. 

Responsibilities include:

• Handling enquiries from BALEAP members interested in setting up a new SIG
• Supporting SIG Convenors to meet BALEAP requirements re governance and reporting
• Ensuring that SIGs are active organising events, activities, and resources for the benefit of its membership and that these are in keeping with the aims of the SIG
• Holding regular group meetings with the SIG Convenors and write up the minutes
• Ensuring that SIGs write an annual report each year
• Ensuring that SIGs hold an Annual General Meeting each year
• Keeping the Exec informed of matters relating to SIGs
• Providing a report on SIG activity for each meeting of the BALEAP Executive Committee 
• Collating information from SIG annual reports provided by SIG Convenors and Treasurers into an annual report to be submitted to the BALEAP AGM
• Providing support to SIGs, as required

TEAP Officer

The TEAP officer is responsible for ensuring BALEAP contributes to enhancing the student academic experience through providing leadership and support in developing teaching quality across the sector. Because of the complex nature of the TEAP scheme this officer role is only open to those with direct experience of the scheme.

Responsibilities include:

The TEAP Accreditation Scheme

• On-going development of the scheme
• Scrutinising all applications and assessment reports
• Coordinating assessments of individual applications and ensuring judgments are standardised and monitored
• Chairing application ratification meetings and coordinating communication around application outcomes 
• Recruiting, training and coordinating a team of TEAP Assessors
• Coordinating and supporting institutional TEAP Mentors
• Coordinating and supporting institutional TEAP observation scheme

The TEAP Working Party

• The work of the TEAP Officer is supported by the TEAP Working Party. The TEAP Officer is responsible for recruiting, leading, coordinating, supporting and facilitating the on-going work of the TEAP working party in developing the competency framework, the individual accreditation scheme and associated CPD resources. The TEAP Officer is responsible for monitoring expenditure of the working party to ensure it operates within annual budget.

The Baleap Accreditation Scheme Committee (BASC)

• Participating in the BASC to coordinate the TEAP portfolio accreditation assessment procedures and standards
• Ensuring the TEAP and EAP course accreditation schemes are effectively integrated
  
  

Communication

• Disseminating the TEAP competency framework and scheme to all EAP providers
• Promoting the TEAP CPD work of BALEAP to all relevant bodies across the sector and beyond
• Working to integrate the TEAP competency framework and accreditation  scheme with institutional EAP education and training provision.
• Developing BALEAP links with ELT education and training providers
• Developing the TEAP accreditation and CPD sections of the website in conjunction with the Web officer
• Updating the content of the TEAP section of the website and all documentation
  Responding to enquiries about the TEAP scheme, CPD and EAP education & training

Testing Officer

The Testing Officer is responsible for promoting assessment literacy among BALEAP members and BALEAP member institutions.

Responsibilities include:

• Promoting good practice in the use and development of assessments for EAP.
• Developing and maintaining links between BALEAP and assessment organisations whose work relates to HE entry and EAP more generally
• Representing BALEAP in meetings with assessment key stakeholders 
• Keeping the membership apprised of changes to testing practices related to Home Office Immigration requirements.
• Leading on bringing UK and international assessment specialists together to train EAP practitioners in assessment under the umbrella of BALEAP Assessment Roadshows  
  Leading on repurposing BALEAP Testing Guidelines which is a collaborative project in its initial stages on an international scale 
• Preparing quarterly reports on assessment activities and report during BALEAP Executive meetings Contributing to BALEAP executive meetings during which effective running of this organisation is discussed

Web Officer

The main aim is to maintain an overview of the functionality of all areas of the BALEAP website including the online shop for membership subscriptions and event registrations, and trouble-shoot as required.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing first-point-of-call for help, advice and guidance to content authors and users of the various sections of the site. This includes responding to technical queries by members and event delegates that go beyond the administrator’s remit.
• Liaising with the Administrator, Events Officer and local events organisers regarding registrations, and Administrator regarding membership renewals.
• Providing support to the administrator and the Executive in the use of BALEAP’s online systems.
• Researching, assessing the feasibility and managing the implementation of new systems and functionality where applicable.
• Creating, editing and developing content for the site in liaison with BALEAP Executive, event organisers and other content authors.
• Liaising directly with the web hosting company with regard to higher level troubleshooting and requests for added functionality.
• Participating on behalf of the BALEAP Executive in negotiations/meetings with the website provider in order to best meet the interests of BALEAP.

Ordinary Members

Elected Ordinary Members play an active role in supporting the work of the Executive Committee. They attend committee meetings and take on responsibilities as appropriate, aligned with their areas of interest and expertise.

Ordinary Members share responsibility for taking minutes at Executive Committee meetings and AGMs. They also contribute to communication and engagement by networking at conferences and PIMs, gathering feedback and views from the wider membership to share with the committee.

Ordinary Members may also shadow other Executive Committee positions, providing insight into potential future roles within the committee.

Annual Recharge of Hours

All BALEAP Executive Committee roles are voluntary. Executive committee members are named as trustees of the charity on the Charity Commission website. Certain officer roles may also claim an annual recharge of hours. This is a payment to their institution for the hours that they spend on BALEAP business while at work. These roles are: