1. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 1 5 UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 Paris, 11 April 2008 Session Two Language & Mobility Language preparation for students Wolfgang Mackiewicz Freie Universität Berlin (DE)

2. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 2 Changes in mobility and affecting mobility  Erasmus – more states / languages than ever before  Erasmus Mundus  Internationalisation of higher education  International competition among universities  Credit accumulation  Joint degree programmes / integrated study abroad  Vertical mobility  Internships abroad  Principle of reciprocity observed by UK universities

3. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 3 Aims of student mobility 1)Overarching educational / political / economic considerations (i)Outgoing  Personal development  Preparation for life and work in an integrated Europe  Enhancing graduates‘ opportunities on the European / international labour market  Enabling students to observe and appreciate the added value of different academic cultures (=> flexibility of mind)  Understanding foreign cultures (=> intercultural skills)  Enhancing students‘ foreign language skills  Enhancing the university‘s appeal to students

4. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 4 (ii) Incoming  Promoting understanding between peoples and cultures  Promoting one‘s own national / regional culture  Promoting one‘s own national / regional language  Enhancing the European / international image / standing of the institution  Creating and maintaining a European / an international climate in course programmes and classes  Collaboration with prestigeous universities abroad  Raising additional revenue (degree students; especially, but not only 2nd and 3rd cycle)  Attracting talent from other countries  Strengthening the university‘s research base (international graduate schools etc.)

5. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 5 2) Through student eyes  Appeal of specific countries / regions / cities / universities  Direct relevance to subject / course studied (e.g. foreign languages)  General desire to learn / improve knowledge in the local foreign language / to live and study in a foreign country (intercultural experience)  Enhancing career prospects in general  Enhancing specific professional and / or academic career prospects (vertical mobility)  HOWEVER: NOT NECESSARILY ALL OF THESE TOGETHER.

6. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 6 How do languages fit into this? Some basic considerations  Increasing importance of English as an academic lingua franca  90% of all students in upper secondary education are learning English (Eurobarometer)  Inequality of languages  Increasing awareness of the relevance of multilingual competence to employability / career prospects / competitiveness (including proficiency in so-called small languages)  Language(s) of instruction – subject-related differences  Language proficiency – general, academic, subject specific

7. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 7 A BASIC DILEMMA  Language requirements for mobility differ widely, depending on the specific parameters and aims of a given programme or individual project  A few illustrative examples  A fee-paying MBA course offered in English by a university situated in a non-English-speaking country  A student of art history intending to spend an Erasmus year abroad at an Italian university, and required by his/her home university to obtain credits with a view to having these transferred to and recognised by home institution.  A BA student of history intending to spend an Erasmus semester at a Polish state university – with minimal knowledge of Polish and keen to learn Polish (with his home university being satisfied with this arrangement)

8. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 8 WM‘s fundamental conviction  Adequate language proficiency and cultural awareness are of overarching importance for the quality and success of horizontal intra-European student mobility  for academic integration and success at the host institution, including credit transfer  for social integration  for progression in language learning during study abroad  for achieving heightened cultural awareness and acquiring enhanced intercultural skills  students, by and large, are keen to learn and use other languages (study conducted at FUB: code-switching galore)

9. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 9 A few basic principles regarding intra-European horizontal student mobility (I) (for example, between UNICA member institutions)  Duties of / recommendations directed at sending institutions -Some language preparation – including cultural preparation – must be offered in all the languages relevant to partner institutions with whom mobility agreements have been signed (not necessarily to be provided by the university in question itself). -For the sake of transparency, the learning outcomes of the courses / modules provided should be related to the proficiency levels of the Council of Europe‘s Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).

10. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 10 Duties of / recommendations directed at sending institutions (cont.) -Along with the transcript of record, sending institutions should provide a clear statement on a given student‘s level of proficiency in the language of instruction at the host institution.This should also apply to language students. -Language competence must be a selection criterion. -If the language of instruction is a language other than the language of the region / state in which the host situation is based, would-be mobile students should all the same have more than a basic knowledge of the language of the region / state. -Would-be Erasmus students have to be informed about the language requirements laid down by the various partner insitutions.

11. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 11 Duties of / recommendations directed at sending institutions (cont.) -Universities should provide opportunities for returning students to continue learning the language of the host country. -If at all possible, students should receive credits for successful language learning potentially relevant to mobility. -Full use should be made of opportunities for non-formal language learning, especially of less widely used and less taught languages oself-learning materials olanguage tandems  Learning advice  Key factor: motivation to learn the language in question

12. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 12 Example One Languages as part of the 30-credit General professional skills strand of FUB bachelor programmes  Up 15 credits = 3 modules of 5 credits each  Credits only awarded upon successful completion of Module 2

13. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 13 LanguageNumber of consecutive modules Minimum exit qualification (CEFR) Maximum exit qualification (CEFR) Number of students enrolled in WS 2008-9 Arabic3A1.2-A2.1A2.2-B1.195 English3 non- consecutive modules at different levels B2.2-C1.1C1.2-C2.164 French7A1.2-A2.1B2.2-C1.1203 Italian7A1.2-A2.1B2.2-C1.1133 Dutch3B1.2-B2.1B2.2-C1.134 Polish3A1.2-A2.1A2.2-B1.126 Portuguese7A1.2-A2.1B2.2-C1.150 Russian5A1.2-A2.1B175 Spanish7A1.2-A2.1B2.2-C1.1337 Turkish3A1.2-A2.1A2.2-B1.141 Total1,015 Languages in General professional skills strand

14. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 14 Example Two Subsidiary subjects in FUB multiple-subject bachelor programmes Emphasis on practical language studies 60-credit subject: 42 credits in applied languages 30-credit subject: 24 credits in applied languages

15. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 15 LanguageTotal number of credits Total number of language credits Exit qualification Total number of credits Total number of language credits Exit qualification Italian 3024B1.1- B1.2 6042B2.2- C1.1 Portuguese Spanish Modern Greek 30246044 French (as of WS2008- 9) 3024B1.1- B1.2 6042B2.2- C1.1 Ab initio subsidiary subjects in multi-subject bachelor programmes

16. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 16 A few basic principles regarding intra-European horizontal student mobility (II)  Duties of / recommendations directed at receiving institutions -Institutions have to lay down requirements for the language(s) of instruction; these may differ between subject areas. These requirements should be expressed in reference to the CEFR or to internationally recognised proficiency tests. -WM: For humanities / social sciences, > level B2 of CEFR should be required for admission to seminars. -Host institutions should offer intensive pre-sessional courses in language of instruction at different levels (other than English). Ideally, these courses would lift students to level B2 CEFR. -Host institutions should provide linguistic support accompanying courses of study. If at all possible, credits should be awarded for successfully completed language study.

17. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 17 Example Three FUB pre-semester courses in German as a foreign language  Frequency: before semesters 1 & 2  Length: 6 weeks = 120 contact hours; 10 ECTS  Fee: 460.00 euro  Courses offered at the following entry levels: zero, A2, B1.1, B2.1, C1  Placement: on-line pre-test & on-site test administered on 1st day of course  Programmes tuned to semester programme  Students encouraged to use independent language learning centre  Number of participants a year: 260

18. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 18 Example Four FUB German-as-a-foreign language courses taught during semester time  Free of charge  On-line placement test administered before beginning of semester  ECTS credits  Thematic variety  Emphasis on different skills, including academic writing and oral presentation skills  SoSe 2008: a total of 19 courses catering for 420 students; total number of contact hours: 88  WS 2007-8: 500 participants => State of play SoSe 2008:

19. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 19 Entry levelExit levelNumber of groups Contacts hours p.c. ECTS credits A2.1B1.1112 A2.2-B1.1B1.1-B1.2188 B1 123 B1.1B1.2168 B1.2-B2.2B2.1-B2.2846 B1.2-B2.2B2.1-C1.1346 B2.2C1.1346 C1 146 Total19

20. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 20 A few basic principles regarding intra-European horizontal student mobility (III) -Mobile students should be issued with a certificate stating the level of proficiency reached in the language of instruction / of the non-academic environment. -Universities should consider the following measures:  Creation of environments for indepedent language learning  Creation of language tandem systems  Launch of local European / international projects accompanying academic study

21. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 21 Example Four FUB Language Tandem Programme WS 2007-8  Number of tandems formed: 302  Number of languages involved: 28 + German  Number of students unable to find a partner: 150  Tandems made up of DE + a European language: DA: 2; EN: 111; FI: 4; FR: 134; EL: 12; HU: 2; IT: 77; NL: 10; PL: 18; PT: 12; SE: 4, ES: 94, TR: 12 (number of students involved)

22. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 22 Internationalisation of European higher education The issue of languages revisited  It may be inevitable for universities based in countries with LWULT languages to offer courses / portions of courses in English. [=> Erasmus Mundus; joint degrees]  WM: portions of courses would be preferable.  Sending and host institutions should provide opportunities and incentives for learning the language of the host community. The crucial issue of motivation.  Continuing education / professional masters – a special case

23. UNICA IRO MEETING 2008 - Paris, 11 April 2008 23 Thank you.