Who are we?

SERMO, formed in 2006, is a nationwide association bringing together the academic centres involved with the teaching of foreign languages.

Our aim was to create an integrating organisation and one that represents the interests of Higher Education instructors. We are here to help disseminate our experience and good ideas between our members and to provide help in solving difficult problems in the changing academic environment. As part of our regular meetings, we raise our professional qualifications and develop valuable team-leading skills. Our priority is to raise the standard of teaching foreign languages and implement good practice.

To further cope with the growing demands of the authorities and students of HE institutions, we have begun work on the design and implementation of shared criteria for evaluating language competence in tertiary level studies, as well as the issue of SERMO-certified, subject-specific ACERT examinations for these institutions.http://sermo.cn.pl/stowarzyszenie/egzamin-acert/

SERMO represents Polish academic centres as part of CercleS: a similar international organisation of centres.http://www.cercles.org/

WE ARE BOUND BY THE DESIRE TO GAIN EXPERIENCE,

TO FIND NEW SOLUTIONS
AND MAKE A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

JOIN US – TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE!

 

An ordinary member of SERMO, in accordance with paragraph 10 of the SERMO statutes, may be any person from the management of a foreign language teaching centre (Head, Director, Vice-Director, Rector’s Proxy, Language Team Leader).

The aims of the association are as follows:

  1. to integrate the academic environments of foreign language teaching centres, and represent the interests of this environment at home and abroad, and as part of international organisations,
  2. to disseminate the criteria of good practice in foreign language teaching and to maintain the level of provision of educational services,
  3. to perform activities aimed at the following:
    • harmonising programmes of foreign language teaching,
    • standardising the certification of achieved effects of teaching,
    • raising the language and methodology qualifications of academic teachers of foreign languages.
  4. to maintain a high level of materials and a high standard of didactic resources in professional practice,
  5. to create a forum for the exchange of information and professional experience, and facilitate discussion regarding the aims and responsibilities of academic teachers of foreign languages,
  6. to enable the flow of information regarding learning and the improvement of teaching methods.
  7. to cooperate and exchange experience between academic teachers of foreign languages, between organisations associated with teaching foreign languages and between institutions concerned with foreign language training, both within Poland and abroad,
  8. to submit recommendations concerning the teaching of foreign languages to the authorities of public sector institutions (state and self-governing) in the HE sector and those of other levels of education and sectors.
  9. The ACERT certificate

ACERT is an academic certificate, accepted throughout Poland, which allows the bearers to confirm their general and specialised foreign language ability.

Since 2014, HE students in Poland have been able to sit foreign language examinations accredited by a certificate pegged to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The examination allows a language competence profile to be drawn up for various levels of ability.

The ACERT certificate is issued by member institutes of the Stowarzyszeniu Akademickich Ośrodków Nauczania Języków Obcych (SERMO). The high level of the examination is guaranteed by its design by experts from individual academic centres.

The ACERT certificate is a valuable alternative to internal examinations.