Innovation and Reform in Course Planning, Teaching, and Assessment - The CEFR in Canada and Switzerland, A Comparative Study

Oct 15, 2026

Education change and innovation require carefully reasoned procedures and time, supported by knowledge exchange across contexts and quality assurance (QA) processes. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a key reference for planning, teaching, and assessment, yet its innovation impact has been limited by insufficient impact studies and QA procedures. The QualiCEFR study compares CEFR implementation in Switzerland and Canada using mixed methods, analyzing over 40 interviews to identify promising practices and support an online tool.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background to the Project: Potential and Issues of CEFR Implementation

CEFR origins and purposes

CEFR descriptive scheme and modes of communication

Implementation challenges and QA culture

CJAL * RCLA Piccardo, North, & Maldina 103 Innovation and Reform in Course Planning, Teaching, and Assessment: The CEFR in Canada and Switzerland, A Comparative Study Enrica Piccardo OISE-University of Toronto Brian North Eurocentres Foundation Eleonora Maldina OISE-University of Toronto Abstract Change and innovation in education require carefully thought-through procedures as well as time, and benefit both from exchanges of expertise between contexts and from quality assurance (QA) processes. A key document that stimulates change in planning, teaching, and assessment is the Council of Europe’s (2001) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) . However, its innovation potential in language education has been affected by a lack of impact studies and QA procedures. This article reports on the QualiCEFR study, which aims to encourage a culture of QA in relation to planning, teaching, and assessment and to identify promising practices in those processes. The study compared CEFR implementation in Switzerland and Canada employing a mixed-methods design and a QA approach, thematically analyzing data from over 40 interviews. Results have helped to inform the development of an online tool produced in a sister project of the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) . Résumé Le changement et l’innovation en éducation nécessitent à la fois du temps et des procéduressoigneusement réfléchies. Tous deux bénéficient aussi d’échanges d’expertise entre différents contextes ainsi que de processus d’assurance de la qualité (AQ) . Le Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues (CECR) est un document clé qui est en mesure destimuler le changement au niveau de la planification, de l’enseignement et de l’évaluation (Conseil de l’Europe, 2001) . Néanmoins, son potentiel d’innovation dans l’enseignement des langues a souffert du manque d’études sur les incidences du CECR et de procédures d’AQ. Cet article rend compte de l’étude QualiCEFR, dont le but était d’encourager une cultured’AQ dans les processus de planification, d’enseignement et d’évaluation ainsi que d’identifier de bonnes pratiques dans ces mêmes processus. En utilisantun modèle multiméthodes et une approche d’AQ, l’étude a comparé la mise en œuvre du CECR en Suisse et au Canada à travers une analyse thématique de données provenant de plus de 40 entrevues. Les résultats ont fourni une base de départ pour le développement d’un outil en ligne produit au cours d’un projet parallèle du Centre européen des langues vivantes (CELV) . Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Special Issue: 22, 1 (2019): 103-128 CJAL * RCLA Piccardo, North, & Maldina 104 Innovation and Reform in Course Planning, Teaching, and Assessment: The CEFR in Canada and Switzerland, A Comparative Study Background to the Project: Potential and Issues of CEFR Implementation The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, Council of Europe, 2001), with its origins in the work of the Council of Europe since the 1970s, is a language policy document that was developed to serve as a comprehensive, transparent, and coherent tool to a) define levels of language competence in terms of practical real-world proficiency, b) encourage educational reform, and c) facilitate coherence between curricula, teaching practices, and assessment. The CEFR puts forward a rich, complex, multidimensional descriptive scheme to define aspects of language proficiency as a) general competences, b) communicative language competences, and c) communicative language activities and strategies, which are organized according to four modes of communication: reception, production, interaction, and mediation. These modes are in lieu of the traditional four skills. Aspects of the scheme are defined in descriptor scales (50 in 2001, 80 in 2018) in terms of what can be expected at the different proficiency levels. Users can consult these descriptors when analyzing needs and when en

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the QualiCEFR study described in the abstract?

It encourages a QA culture related to planning, teaching, and assessment and identifies promising practices in these processes.

How did the study compare CEFR implementation in Switzerland and Canada?

It used a mixed-methods design and a QA approach, with thematic analysis of data from over 40 interviews.

Why is the CEFR’s innovation potential in language education considered limited?

Because of a lack of impact studies and QA procedures evaluating its effects.

Oct 15, 2026

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