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Languages in European Higher Education: The Future Agenda

Languages in European Higher Education: The Future Agenda. Dr. Thomas Vogel vogel@euv-frankfurt-o.de. Strategic Plans: 2009-2014. Trinity College Dublin Mention of Culture: 15 Communication: 13 Language: 5. University College Dublin Mention of Culture: 14

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Languages in European Higher Education: The Future Agenda

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  1. Languages in European Higher Education: The Future Agenda Dr. Thomas Vogel vogel@euv-frankfurt-o.de

  2. Strategic Plans: 2009-2014 Trinity College Dublin Mention of Culture: 15 Communication: 13 Language: 5 University College Dublin Mention of Culture: 14 Communication: 22 Language: 0

  3. Language Teaching and Learning inHigher Education: Reasons 1 • European integration and language policy • Employability and the global labour market • The cohesion of our societies: making the elites aware of language issues • Global migration • University traditions

  4. Language Teaching and Learning inHigher Education: Reasons 2 • Providing academic language learning opportunities for less widely taught languages • Ensuring the survival of LWT languages as academic languages • Internationalisation of higher education and exchange • Language Centres as didactic laboratories for other learning contexts

  5. European Language Policy and Higher Education Higher Education institutions play a key role in promoting societal and individual multilingualism. Proposals that each university implement a coherent language policy clarifying its role in promoting language learning and linguistic diversity, both amongst its learning community and in the wider locality, are to be welcomed. COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004 – 2006

  6. Plurilinguality: 1+2 EU language policy Communicative skills in more than one language in an academic context Language awareness and reflection on language use Intercultural sensitivity Strategies for life-long learning The aims of language education in Higher Education

  7. Curriculum development: A permanent process of adaptation Authentic communication and materials New forms of learning and teaching: Project work, tandem and blended learning Tandem teaching with teachers of degree courses Learning autonomy: language advising, tandem, portfolio, information technology Reaching out to the community: project work The Language Center in HE: profile

  8. The Profile of a language teacher in higher education • Representatives of languages and cultures: ambassadorial function • Experts in various fields for LSP teaching: from architecture to medicine • Applied linguists • Experts in testing and evaluation • Service providers for the university • Organizers of cultural events and extracurricular activities

  9. But… • With low status in the university hierarchy • Hardly any chance of promotion • With one of the highest teaching loads in the institution

  10. The quality issue: instruments • Common European Framework of Reference • Accreditation and certification • Benchmarking • Evaluation and testing • The Language Portfolio • Alumni feedback • International networking • Applied research

  11. Who defines quality in HE? • Self-image of university teachers • Stakeholders within the institution • Political decision makers • The future employers of our students • The global labour market • Students • Accreditation bodies: national/international associations

  12. The Wulkow Group • Set up in 2009 as informal network of directors of European language centers in HE • Under the auspices of CercleS • 34 Language Centres in HE • 12 European Countries • 2 meetings: 2 memoranda • The future: Quality handbook for languages in HE

  13. Requirements and standards are based on responsible negotiations between all parties concerned. The Wulkow Memorandum on Quality

  14. Language centres and language departments: worlds apart? • Language departments should see language centres as laboratory facilities. • Language department should encourage co-operation between researcher and language teachers. • Language centres should see the potential of language deparments for further education and staff training. • Both should aim for co-operation in research and development. There are so many unanswered questions.

  15. The Future Agenda 1 • The full integration of languages in all courses of study • Close interdisciplinary co-operation between language and non-language specialists in the areas of LSP and academic communication cultures • Close co-operation between language departments and language centres in the areas of research and quality assurance • Language centres as laboratories and incubators for multilingualism in society.

  16. The Future Agenda 2 • Language Centres as the didactic avantgarde in HE • Development of teacher profiles in HE and raising the status of teachers • European accreditation and quality assurance bodies for languages in HE • Global networks for languages in HE

  17. Ein jeder, weil er spricht, glaubt, auch über die Sprache sprechen zu können. Everyone, because he speaks, believes he can also speak about language. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  18. Vielen Dank! Thankyouverymuch!

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