LANGUAGE NETWORK FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE Anca Greere

ABOUT Partners: 62 partners from 30 countries Coordinator: University of Southampton Duration: 3-years (starting 2008) Overall Aim: => European Higher Education Area

AIMS to produce a European quality benchmark for the area of languages, which will enable institutions and stakeholders to assure and enhance the quality of provision in higher education TOOLKIT: map of language issues in HE case studies (not necessarily viewed as ‘best’ practices) learning outcomes recommendations

FOCUS Why languages for QA? EHEA - multicultural and multilingual environment Skills Needs in 2020/Job Market scenerio – strategic competences: MULTILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL WRITTEN AND ORAL GENERAL AND SPECIALIZED COMMUNICATION COMPETENCES How do stakeholders cope? 1+2 principle of language learning BUT … When ????? Which 2 languages ????

!!! Anomalies FL-mediated programmes (EN, FR, GE)  NO (little) preoccupation for languages English as a lingua franca  NO preoccupation for languages Minority language of instruction  NO preoccupation for languages Specialists language programmes  NO preoccupation for languages

Structure 5 Thematic Subprojects: 1.Intercultural Communication 2.Language teacher education 3.Content Language Integrated Learning 4.Literature and Culture 5.Language Learning

Project steps Year 1: Mapping out Definitions (national specificity) Delivery (where, how, why) Evaluation of students Quality Assessment Mechanisms Year 2: Case Studies + Recommended Learning Outcomes Year 3: TOOLKIT

??? Preliminary Questions What are the reasons for implementing a language/culture- integrated approach? Is there a planned/staged-out approach to implementation? At what levels of education (e.g. BA, MA, PhD, CPD)? Are these full-size L2 mediated programmes or modules offered systematically? What subjects/domains are most likely to take up a new approach? Are learning outcomes specified for both language and content? Is there coordination between language-specialists and subject- specialists (e.g. joint planning of syllabus and learning outcomes, team teaching)? How are students’ needs dealt with vis-à-vis FL education? How are educators’ needs dealt with?

??? Quality Assurance Are there external Quality Assurance Mechanisms (national: QA bodies/agencies, international: ISO standards)? Are there internal Quality Assurance Mechanisms (e.g. institutional, faculty, programme level)? What are the areas of QA (e.g. staff competences, student competences, infrastructure, curriculum panning, etc.) Is there a coherent institutional language policy? Is it applied? Is evaluation by peers practiced? Is there any washback effect? Is evaluation by students practiced? Is there any washback effect? Do QA agencies consider the language issue?

Case Studies Stages 1.TemplateTemplate 2.Tested for feasibility amongst SPs 3.Detailed templateDetailed template  4. Embedded in the recommendations

Case Studies Delivery 1. Luxembourg, University of Luxembourg – multilingual context Student support (quality of thesis) 2. Finland, University of Jyväskylä - learning outcomes and assessment in the CLIL adjunct modelFinland QAM 3. Italy, University of Trento – support for content teachers QAM 4. Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj – internal evaluation of internationalized MA programmes

Learning Outcomes Stages 1.TemplateTemplate 2.BrainstormingBrainstorming 3.Final versionFinal version

Questionnaires Stages 1.PilotPilot 2.Pilot analysis 3.Final versionFinal version Function: Awareness raising

Q PILOTING: MANAGEMENT Q: Are there any aims for language and communication development for these courses or programmes? A: No Q: Are subject knowledge and communication/ skills both assessed A:'No, only knowledge skills are assessed explicitly. An assessment of communication skills would make no sense. '

Q PILOTING: TEACHERS We need TWO questionnaires: 1. for content teachers 2. for language teachers Q: Are there any postgrad programs or specialized seminars that would prepare instructors to teach their courses in a different language? Q: Should instructors be encouraged to travel and spend time in the nation where that language is spoken before they begin to use it in the classroom? Q: Do you think the quality standards (and outcomes) of your subject are going to be affected by the fact that you’ll be using a different language? If so, to what extent? Q: Are there any aims for language and communication development for these courses or programmes?

Q PILOTING: TEACHERS Q: In your experience, would it be beneficial for (local and international) students to have (additional) language support (before the course or at the same time)? A: Yes, that would be certainly the case. However, I noticed that the curriculum of the students is already very intensive and one should perhaps try not to overburden them with work. Q: How would you rate your didactic performance in teaching a course in a foreign language? A: Overall, I think my didactic performance was adequate. It took some time at the beginning for me and the students to get in tune. I had to modify my approach and method during the course. When teaching in Italian, I tend not use power point presentations and I allow much time to discussions with the students. Teaching in English I always went through a power point presentation so as to be sure that at least the words on the screen were understood by everybody. Q: If you have international students in class, does this affect your teaching? A: A multicultural/multilingual class makes it easier in that the teacher and the students are forced to use the vehicular language. The alternative would be a class of native speakers of Italian who speak English to each other. That's a bit awkward. All of the students, and myself as well, are constantly exposed to the temptation of reverting to the mother tongue. When foreign students are there that becomes impossible.

Q PILOTING: STUDENTS Q: What programme taught in a foreign language are you enrolled in? How do you find it? A:'In the general course the lector had to switch to German to explain difficult things in more detail, so he hadn´t good skills in the foreign language. The other course was a specific English course which was perfectly structured and performed.' Q: How do you describe your foreign language level in the language of instruction? A: I think my English is ok. I get the message every time and can communicate with everyone. When I didn’t get the right phrases I sometimes just go on with the German word and it seems to be no problem for the teacher and the other listeners. Q: Do you hold any language certificates? A: 'I am sorry no certificates. Once we had the chance in school but since that time no further offering.‘ Q: How do you find the language and communication skills of your teacher? A: The English skills of my teacher in my English course were very good. For me he talked like a native …The lector in the other course, I was enrolled, was weak. Everyone recognized that he had to teach in English for the first time. So it was hard to listen to the speech, but sometimes it was really funny! Q:. Do you think that teaching through a foreign language requires different pedagogical skills from teaching through the local language? Comment:'4.2 has to do with pedagogical skill that we students are not entitled to know and discuss about'

Who are we targeting? Everyone

What is the future? More awareness ‘Step-to-step’ Guidelines Better-focussed policies MAYBE we need a network of language and domain specialists