Quality Enhancement in Literature and Culture

1. Quality Enhancement in Literature and Culture Maria Holmgren Troy, Sweden George Camilleri, Malta Ana Gimeno, Spain Ole Helmersen, Denmark

2. Literature and Culture This presentation will focus on case studies of literature and culture in foreign languages taught in European higher education institutions. These case studies address quality enhancement of literature and culture courses and programmes on a number of different levels and take into account a variety of aspects involved in the assurance of quality. The presentation will include examples of quality enhancement that deal with practices and initiatives on European, national, and institutional levels, as well as within specific programmes and course units.

3. Literature and Culture Two case studies with focus on competences discuss how to upgrade or go beyond the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in the areas of literature and culture in foreign language learning : • “Upgrading CEFRL to Include Competences in the Area of Culture and Literature,” Orlando Grossegesse with Joanne Paisana and Margarida Pereira, ILCH Universidade do Minho, Portugal • “Literary Competences,” Neva Šlibar, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

4. Literature and Culture The impact of a quality initiative related to the European Higher Education Area framework on the national level is investigated in the following case study: • “ANECA’s White Paper for Language, Literature, Culture and Civilisation: Guidelines for Promoting Quality Assurance and Enhancement within the EHEA Framework,” Ana Gimeno with Carlos Jiménez, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain

5. Literature and Culture ANECA  Spanish national agency for quality assessment and accreditation contribute to the improvement of HE through the assessment, certification & accreditation of university degrees, programmes, teaching staff & institutions White Paper: tool to adapt existing degrees in language, linguistics, literature, culture & civilisation to the EHEA

6. Literature and Culture The White Paper includes: study of current situation in other European countries & a proposal of adapted HE degrees for Spain a set of degree-specific as well as transversal competences that graduate students should acquire a proposal of quality assurance mechanisms & indicators for the new degrees

7. Literature and Culture Our case study aimed to: analyse the quality assurance criteria proposed explore how and to what extent these quality assurance mechanisms are being implemented in Spanish universities find elements that could be compared at a European level

8. Literature and Culture Questionnaire (ES & EN) based on all the suggestions in the WP regarding quality assurance mechanisms to be implemented only at “degree” level distributed among professors and senior lecturers holding managerial posts 10 public universities representing most regions in Spain

9. Literature and Culture 40 items divided into 7 sections study programme made available to students appropriateness of teaching-staff appropriateness of administrative staff appropriateness of resources and infrastructures implementation of the study programme follow-up mechanisms to analyse the graduates’ integration into the labour market quality assessment

10. Literature and Culture Conclusions of survey universities are making efforts to implement effective quality assurance mechanisms in line with the WP overall satisfaction with levels of implementation of quality assurance mechanisms lack of channels to coordinate efforts at different implementation levels most universities have both internal and external quality assessment schemes

11. Literature and Culture One case study identifies formal and informal quality assurance measures in literature teaching in an English department: • “Exploring Quality in Literature Teaching in a University Department,” George Camilleri, Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education, Malta

12. Literature and Culture Quality assurance measures: • Internal audits • Monthly staff meetings • Student feedback forms • External examiners • Staff seminars every semester • Detailed course descriptions • Staff qualifications • Exchange with foreign universities

13. Literature and Culture Other measures or conditions (informal) • High expectations of staff and students • Small size of the department • Frequent informal meetings • Good staff relations; effective leadership Advice to others: Informal measures or conditions should be acknowledged. They are often intangible and difficult to record empirically. But because they grow ’naturally’ and spontaneously in a given teaching community, they can be more powerful than those which are formal and statutory.

14. Literature and Culture Four case studies deal with quality enhancement within specific programmes and course units. The following case study gives examples of interactive learning in out-of-the classroom surroundings. One example has to do with field studies in folklore and the other with drama when studying Estonian as a Foreign Language: • “Living Culture and Literature,” Ingrid Rummo, Tartu University, Estonia

15. Literature and Culture Material collecting of folklore is carried out during one week in the summer by Russian students of Estonian as a foreign language at Tartu University. The other example discusses dramatizing a piece of Estonian classical literature. Comedies are often used for this purpose as it is effective to learn through having fun.

16. Literature and Culture Ways of integrating students’ experiences from their semester abroad, practically and theoretically, are practiced in a course called Culture, Economy and Organisa-tions in Context: • “How Do We Teach Culture?” Ole Helmersen, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

17. Literature and Culture • Cultural analysis through the use of students’ own experience from student exchange • Cultural analysis integrated in area studies in social science degree • Theoretical basis in theories of culture, self, identity • Negotiation of cultural differences • Logs of concrete experience abroad as basis for workshops and students presentations

18. Literature and Culture One case study shows successful attempts to move the focus from the teacher to the student as the provider of knowledge in the classroom in conjunction with integrating the use of the Internet in literature and culture courses in English at two Swedish universities: • “Quality Enhancement in Literature and Culture Courses,” Maria Holmgren Troy, Karlstad University, Sweden

19. Literature and Culture • illustrates the different stages of the quality model as presented in the LanQua Toolkit: context, purpose, organization of teaching and learning, review, evaluation of outcomes, and revision Student assignments presented in this case study: • ten-minute oral report tasks in pairs • different forms of group presentations • oral tests in groups of five

20. Literature and Culture Another case study is indicative of a group work approach with the aim to maintain quality assessment of students’ work in literature courses in English: • “Quality Assessment in Literature Courses in One Highly Rated English Department in Sweden” Maria Holmgren Troy, Karlstad University, Sweden

21. Literature and Culture Quality measures to ensure fair and equal assessment: • a half-day grading conference • course coordinators for courses taught by more than one teacher • a mentor system