The project responded to a perceived need for additional support in the development of oral language skills among some students learning a language with the Institution-Wide Language Programme. It took place within the context of the IWLP Language Learning Advisors’ peer advisory scheme. There were clear benefits in terms of the development of coaching skills and increased employability for the Advisors, and improved oral performance and confidence for the students they supported.
Objectives
To provide and monitor targeted support sessions in oral work and pronunciation
To improve student speaking skills and confidence
To work with and train selected Language Learning Advisors in this area
To create a body of material for use in future years
To disseminate the practice through student presentation within a School staff forum
Context
With the increasingly international nature of IWLP classes, it has become evident that some groups of students at beginner level find oral work and pronunciation more of a challenge than others, depending on their linguistic background. (For example, some Asian students may find European pronunciation challenging and vice versa.) The Language Learning Advisor scheme, which I have run since 2012 and which usually operates on a one-to-one basis, was extended to small groups of students to provide additional support in this area.
Implementation
As IWLP German Co-ordinator, I decided to set up these sessions with German beginner classes in 2016-17. I had already trained a cohort of Language Learning Advisors for the year. Advisors (students recruited from the Department of Modern Languages and European Studies and higher IWLP classes) normally offer one-to-one advice to IWLP and DMLES students on the acquisition of effective language learning strategies and independent learning. I invited three Advisors with relevant experience, ability and pedagogic commitment to run regular small-group sessions with the emphasis on oral work and pronunciation. I successfully applied for PLanT funding to pay the students for the sessions. During the year, I held feedback meetings with the Advisors in which they shared their experience and developing expertise. I also sought feedback from the IWLP students attending the sessions, and was able to perceive a clear improvement in oral performance and confidence in students in my own beginners’ German class. In June 2017 the Advisors and I presented the project to ISLI staff at the ISLI Learning and Teaching Research Forum.
Impact
The project worked well. The beginner students reported an improvement in pronunciation and increased class participation and confidence, and spoke of enjoyable learning sessions and friendly and helpful Advisors. The Advisors acquired intensive coaching skills which will benefit their future employability as well as the opportunity to present to University of Reading staff within a tutor forum. The Advisors’ reports on their activities and experience gained this year can be passed on to future Advisors.
Reflections
The enthusiasm and commitment of the Advisors were a major factor in the success of the project. They were willing to commit time and effort and enjoyed seeing improvement in ‘their’ students. They are all interested in teaching as a future career and so were doubly motivated in developing their teaching skills. We had some very useful meetings in which students’ needs were analysed, and ideas and activities were shared and their effectiveness evaluated. The students with whom they worked appreciated the help and the benefits to their oral performance. The only challenge was to maintain regular attendance at the small-group sessions at times when students had a particularly heavy workload; at times attendance decreased, which is perhaps unavoidable since the sessions were not compulsory.
Between 2016 and 2018 we have run a Tandem language scheme, whereby students studying a language with the Institution-wide Language Programme (IWLP) are paired up with a native speaker student, usually (though not always) a Visiting student. Once introduced, the students spend one hour a week at a mutually convenient time and place for independent language practice, speaking 30 minutes in English, and 30 minutes in the IWLP target language.
Tandem language scheme
In 2016-17, a pilot scheme was run, involving only IWLP students of French and French native speakers, and this was supported by an International Study and Language Institute (ISLI) project fund. 40 students, or 20 paired ‘buddies’ enrolled. In 2017-18, the scheme was rolled out to a further 6 languages offered by the IWLP (German, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Japanese) and around 100 students participated. This phase was supported by a Teaching and Learning Development fund. The scheme for this academic year has just been launched, this time to include Spanish, so 8 Tandem languages will be offered. Erasmus students were already enquiring about it in Welcome week.
Objectives
To increase the ‘resources’ offered by the IWLP to its students, at low cost to the University, thus improving the student experience of Home students
To improve the language learning of both Tandem ‘buddies’
To improve the student experience of international students by increasing their sense of belonging through linking them directly to ‘Home’ students
To increase intercultural awareness and competence of both parties
Context
The University of Reading has historically not been a particularly welcoming place for International students, falling in the bottom half of UK Universities for international students feeling at home, making friends with UK students and engaging with the host community, according to i-graduate International Student barometer research quoted by Vincenzo Raimo in his presentation on Global Engagement back in 2015.
Erasmus students are regularly dismayed at the low number of contact hours offered by UK universities; French students, for example, are used to classes from 9am to 5pm or even longer, so are actively looking for extra activities to keep them occupied during the day.
In student evaluations from IWLP students, extra contact hours are often perceived as a way of improving performance, and in the current climate, additional contact hours by staff are simply not an available resource for clear financial reasons.
Finally, in the UoR Curriculum Framework, global engagement and multi-cultural awareness are key attributes for UoR graduates to gain, and the Tandem scheme will help our students start to attain these desirable skills to enable them to become ‘global citizens’.
Implementation
Students enrol on to the Tandem scheme through a simple online form. The scheme is advertised to international students (for native speakers) through the Erasmus and Study Abroad Office in their Welcome Pack, through the Red Award magazine, and again through a short presentation in Welcome week. International students are also sent emails by IWLP tutors, informing them of the scheme and inviting them to enrol. Students studying languages through the Institution-Wide Language Programme (to form the other ‘half’ of the Tandem pair) are also invited by their tutors to enrol. The Tandem scheme is available only to IWLP students from Stage 2 (Post beginners) upwards, as it is felt that absolute beginners would find the idea of a one-to-one with a native speaker somewhat daunting.
Once enrolled, both the International students and the ‘home’ IWLP language students are invited to a short information session. Here they learn about the process of Tandem learning and about some resources made available to them (a Blackboard Organisation which includes some optional ‘tasks’, plus a website they can use for inspiration of what to talk about). Finally, with the atmosphere somewhat akin to Blind Date (for those who can remember that) or possibly Tinder, they are assigned their Tandem ‘buddy’. They are asked immediately to exchange mobile numbers and to fix the first Tandem meeting. It is recommended that this should take place within a week, and in a public place such as the Self Access Centre for Language Learning (EM230).
For the most part, Tandem buddies meet regularly and with no problems. Sometimes it is the start of a true friendship; occasionally, due to lack of time or (once) conflict of personalities, the pair only met on one occasion, never to be repeated…
My contact email is available to every Tandem student, regardless of language, and we offer to find a replacement partner if there is a problem.
Students are invited to occasional social events and once a term, to a meeting to discuss the scheme in order to discuss possible improvements. At the end of last year, a celebratory party was held where certificates were presented to students.
Impact
We sent out a survey to the students at the end of the Autumn and Spring term, so they could evaluate the scheme. In December 2017, the overall rating for the Tandem scheme was 8.14 out of 10, where a rating of 0 was ‘terrible’ and 10 was excellent. 86% would recommend the scheme to others. In April 2018, the number recommending the scheme stayed constant at 86%, and the overall rating improved very slightly to 8.18. 78% stated that their motivation had increased in December, which increased again to 90% in April! Speaking and vocabulary were the two aspects which were felt to have increased the most, closely followed by cultural awareness in December; in the April survey, speaking and pronunciation were felt to have increased the most, followed by listening, vocabulary and cultural awareness.
Most students completing the survey made positive comments. Here are two examples:
“Thank you for creating such valuable opportunities. Please do continue to operate this wonderful scheme in the next academic year so that more students could benefit from it.”
“I guess the scheme itself is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn different languages and cultures.”
Reflections
The Tandem scheme is limited by the number of native speakers available. However, as awareness of the scheme builds, hopefully more Home students who are in fact native speakers of languages other than English will also participate, rather than just Visiting students, so the scheme can expand.
There are of course other Tandem platforms available outside the University, such as online, but it seems that one of the main reasons for the success of this locally based Tandem scheme is the face to face relationships formed. According to Doug Parkin (2017: 208) in his chapter on leading engagement: “there are four foundations or dimensions that help to optimise the student learning experience… (these are) motivation, relationships, environment and resources”.
Students want relationships with fellow students. These fellow students (Tandem partners) are themselves a rich and accessible resource. They are flexible and available on campus; and they provide both extrinsic motivation (exam results might improve/English language might improve) and intrinsic motivation (naturally satisfying to form a good friendship just because it is enjoyable). Thus, in the four dimensions proposed by Parkin, Tandem can contribute in a small but significant way to the student experience.
This year Tandem has moved on from being simply a language learning exchange. Due to the imbalance between supply and demand, on occasion tandem pairs have been formed between for example Japanese-French; French-Chinese; and French-German. Some Erasmus students requested more than one ‘buddy’. In the first example, both students spoke good English, so they decided that instead of the typical French/English exchange, the Japanese student would teach beginner Japanese to the French student, and the French student would ask a lot of questions in French about Japanese culture. This became a perfectly satisfactory exchange but was not the initial objective. A flexible approach led to a successful mutual gain, certainly in terms of intercultural awareness.
Follow-up
In 2018-19, the Tandem scheme should be sustainable in terms of staffing resource, as most of the systems have been set up already. More work will be done on raising intercultural awareness amongst participants, by producing an explanatory screencast and some optional tasks which tandem ‘buddies’ could complete in their pairs. Last year’s students requested a little more input from staff, so two sessions will be offered this term, one to discuss how to handle error corrections and to recommend suitable discussion topics; a second session would be purely social. Some students thought that changing Tandem buddies for the second term might improve the scheme. It is important though that this scheme is publicised, for its success. Please direct any interested native speaker students to me at ali.nicholson@reading.ac.uk.
Students receiving Tandem certificates – June 2018
Bibliography
Parkin, D. (2017), Leading Learning and teaching in Higher Education (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge)
Alison Nader and Ali Nicholson, Lecturers, International Study and Language Institute a.m.nader@reading.ac.uk a.v.nicholson@reading.ac.uk Year of activity 2017/18
Overview
For the past 2 years UoR students taking IWLP French 20 credit optional modules have had the opportunity to undertake 2 weeks of intensive language study in France at CUEF, Université Grenoble Alpes.
Students arrange their own travel and accommodation with light touch support from IWLP staff.
They now have the possibility to take a credit module based on their experience, in the academic year following their return from France.
IWLP Students arriving at the CUEF, Université Grenoble Alpes, France
Objectives
To give students the opportunity to study and live independently in France for a short period of time.
To improve language skills, in particular speaking and listening in real world situations.
To offer the opportunity to use their real world experience on a credit bearing IWLP language module.
Context
In SSLC meetings and end of year module evaluations, students had been asking for the opportunity to spend a short period of time in France.
The placement needed to fit around the students’ core studies.
Recognition by UUki that outward mobility experiences are increasingly important for graduate attributes.
University of Reading’s ambitious outward mobility targets.
Implementation
Initially this experience was conceived of as a trip abroad, responding to student requests for recommendations of where they could go to take a short intensive language course. Two members of IWLP staff researched short language courses offered by French universities. Having identified CUEF, a part of l’Université Grenoble Alpes, as having a suitable offering, IWLP staff visited the Centre, met the French staff and observed teaching on the courses.
Before leaving for France, students are supported with briefing sessions given by IWLP French staff but have to organise travel, accommodation and where necessary visas, themselves.
The classes take place outside UoR term time and to date students have either chosen to go for two weeks during the Easter holidays or in early September.
In the first year 2016-17, 10 students took up the opportunity and this year the expectation is that numbers will increase, 10 have just returned and more will be travelling out in September. Students have to pay the fees, travel and accommodation. So far each cohort has received a small bursary from UoR but this is not guaranteed.
In 2017-18 students were offered the opportunity to select a credit bearing placement module on their return. A small number of students opted to take the module and the improvement in their ability to undertake an oral presentation in French was truly remarkable.
Impact
From the student perspective, their competence in speaking and listening in French demonstrably improved. The improvement for those who took the credit bearing module was measurable from comparative assessment results before and after the placement.
Students also acquired transferable skills and increased their independence, confidence and motivation. In feedback one of the students commented: “going by yourself from a country to another implies responsibility and independence” and another mentioned how the experience increased her general confidence.
These gains also came from practising in a real world situation and, for those who had not visited France before, a greater cultural understanding of the country where the language is spoken. Increased linguistic confidence and cultural awareness was cited in feedback by a student who commented on his motivation for going on the placement, to improve his French as well as to “really understand what it takes to learn French by understanding the culture”.
The mobility opportunity also contributes to the UoR Global engagement strategy and outward mobility targets.
Reflections
Quite apart from an increase in students’ linguistic competence, they gain in independence and heighten their intercultural awareness. The cohesive group that went to France this spring are themselves from eight different countries. This time, as a “bonus” they experienced at first hand strikes and blockades of university buildings: coping with all of this strengthened their group cohesion.
In general, on their return, students are enthusiastic ambassadors for learning a language.
Short-term mobility opportunities can attract students who would not be able to go abroad for longer periods, though Home students have said that even a small study abroad bursary or help with the travel costs would encourage more of them to take up this opportunity.
Follow up
Scaling up the offering may be challenging from the organisation and staffing point of view, however it is hoped to extend the opportunity to other languages in the near future.
As the IWLP modules are offered to students from Schools across the university, the mobility placements can contribute to the internationalisation of students university-wide.
Ensuring inclusion, finding sustainable ways of financially supporting students and resourcing staffing are top priorities for future development.
Alison Nader and Ali Nicholson, Lecturers, International Study and Language Institute a.m.nader@reading.ac.uk a.v.nicholson@reading.ac.uk Year of activity 2017/18
Overview
For the past 2 years UoR students taking IWLP French 20 credit optional modules have had the opportunity to undertake 2 weeks of intensive language study in France at CUEF, Université Grenoble Alpes.
Students arrange their own travel and accommodation with light touch support from IWLP staff.
They now have the possibility to take a credit module based on their experience, in the academic year following their return from France.
IWLP Students arriving at the CUEF, Université Grenoble Alpes, France
Objectives
To give students the opportunity to study and live independently in France for a short period of time.
To improve language skills, in particular speaking and listening in real world situations.
To offer the opportunity to use their real world experience on a credit bearing IWLP language module.
Context
In SSLC meetings and end of year module evaluations, students had been asking for the opportunity to spend a short period of time in France.
The placement needed to fit around the students’ core studies.
Recognition by UUki that outward mobility experiences are increasingly important for graduate attributes.
University of Reading’s ambitious outward mobility targets.
Implementation
Initially this experience was conceived of as a trip abroad, responding to student requests for recommendations of where they could go to take a short intensive language course. Two members of IWLP staff researched short language courses offered by French universities. Having identified CUEF, a part of l’Université Grenoble Alpes, as having a suitable offering, IWLP staff visited the Centre, met the French staff and observed teaching on the courses.
Before leaving for France, students are supported with briefing sessions given by IWLP French staff but have to organise travel, accommodation and where necessary visas, themselves.
The classes take place outside UoR term time and to date students have either chosen to go for two weeks during the Easter holidays or in early September.
In the first year 2016-17, 10 students took up the opportunity and this year the expectation is that numbers will increase, 10 have just returned and more will be travelling out in September. Students have to pay the fees, travel and accommodation. So far each cohort has received a small bursary from UoR but this is not guaranteed.
In 2017-18 students were offered the opportunity to select a credit bearing placement module on their return. A small number of students opted to take the module and the improvement in their ability to undertake an oral presentation in French was truly remarkable.
Impact
From the student perspective, their competence in speaking and listening in French demonstrably improved. The improvement for those who took the credit bearing module was measurable from comparative assessment results before and after the placement.
Students also acquired transferable skills and increased their independence, confidence and motivation. In feedback one of the students commented: “going by yourself from a country to another implies responsibility and independence” and another mentioned how the experience increased her general confidence.
These gains also came from practising in a real world situation and, for those who had not visited France before, a greater cultural understanding of the country where the language is spoken. Increased linguistic confidence and cultural awareness was cited in feedback by a student who commented on his motivation for going on the placement, to improve his French as well as to “really understand what it takes to learn French by understanding the culture”.
The mobility opportunity also contributes to the UoR Global engagement strategy and outward mobility targets.
Reflections
Quite apart from an increase in students’ linguistic competence, they gain in independence and heighten their intercultural awareness. The cohesive group that went to France this spring are themselves from eight different countries. This time, as a “bonus” they experienced at first hand strikes and blockades of university buildings: coping with all of this strengthened their group cohesion.
In general, on their return, students are enthusiastic ambassadors for learning a language.
Short-term mobility opportunities can attract students who would not be able to go abroad for longer periods, though Home students have said that even a small study abroad bursary or help with the travel costs would encourage more of them to take up this opportunity.
Follow up
Scaling up the offering may be challenging from the organisation and staffing point of view, however it is hoped to extend the opportunity to other languages in the near future.
As the IWLP modules are offered to students from Schools across the university, the mobility placements can contribute to the internationalisation of students university-wide.
Ensuring inclusion, finding sustainable ways of financially supporting students and resourcing staffing are top priorities for future development.
Alison Fenner, Lecturer, International Study and Language Institute j.a.fenner@reading.ac.uk Year of activity: 2016/17
Overview
The project responded to a perceived need for additional support in the development of oral language skills among some students learning a language with the Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP). It took place within the context of the IWLP Language Learning Advisors’ peer advisory scheme. There were clear benefits in terms of the development of coaching skills and increased employability for the Advisors, and improved oral performance and confidence for the students they supported.
Objectives
To provide and monitor targeted support sessions in oral work and pronunciation
To improve student speaking skills and confidence
To work with and train selected Language Learning Advisors in this area
To create a body of material for use in future years
To disseminate the practice through student presentation within a School staff forum
Context
With the increasingly international nature of IWLP classes, it has become evident that some groups of students at beginner level find oral work and pronunciation more of a challenge than others, depending on their linguistic background. (For example, some Asian students may find European pronunciation challenging and vice versa.) The Language Learning Advisor scheme, which I have run since 2012 and which usually operates on a one-to-one basis, was extended to small groups of students to provide additional support in this area.
Implementation
As IWLP German Co-ordinator, I decided to set up these sessions with German beginner classes in 2016-17. I had already trained a cohort of Language Learning Advisors for the year. Advisors (students recruited from the Department of Modern Languages and European Studies and higher IWLP classes) normally offer one-to-one advice to IWLP and DMLES students on the acquisition of effective language learning strategies and independent learning. I invited three Advisors with relevant experience, ability and pedagogic commitment to run regular small-group sessions with the emphasis on oral work and pronunciation. I successfully applied for PLanT funding to pay the students for the sessions. During the year, I held feedback meetings with the Advisors in which they shared their experience and developing expertise. I also sought feedback from the IWLP students attending the sessions, and was able to perceive a clear improvement in oral performance and confidence in students in my own beginners’ German class. In June 2017 the Advisors and I presented the project to ISLI staff at the ISLI Learning and Teaching Research Forum.
Impact
The project worked well. The beginner students reported an improvement in pronunciation and increased class participation and confidence, and spoke of enjoyable learning sessions and friendly and helpful Advisors. The Advisors acquired intensive coaching skills which will benefit their future employability as well as the opportunity to present to UoR staff within a tutor forum. The Advisors’ reports on their activities and experience gained this year can be passed on to future Advisors.
Reflections
The enthusiasm and commitment of the Advisors were major factors in the success of the project. They were willing to commit time and effort and enjoyed seeing improvement in ‘their’ students. They are all interested in teaching as a future career and so were doubly motivated in developing their teaching skills. We had some very useful meetings in which students’ needs were analysed, and ideas and activities were shared and their effectiveness evaluated. The students with whom they worked appreciated the help and the benefits to their oral performance. The only challenge was to maintain regular attendance at the small-group sessions at times when students had a particularly heavy workload; at times attendance decreased, which is perhaps unavoidable since the sessions were not compulsory.
Helen Hathaway, Library; Clare Nukui, International Foundation Programme; Dr Kim Shahabudin, Study Advice; Dr Elisabeth Wilding, International Study and Language Institute h.m.hathaway@reading.ac.uk Year of activity: 2012-13
Overview
The development of an Academic Integrity Toolkit for academic tutors to draw on, which collated evaluated teaching and support resources for supporting the development of independent learning practices necessary to avoid plagiarism, and offered guidance for adapting and using them in subject teaching.
Objectives
To conduct research into current practices and needs for supporting the development of independent learning practices.
To develop a toolkit to provide academic tutors with resources for developing independent learning practices necessary to avoid plagiarism.
Context
The fundamental academic principles of independent critical thinking, supported by appropriate and properly cited evidence from evaluated sources, lie at the heart of Higher Education in the UK. A proper understanding of these principles and the independent learning practices needed to achieve them is especially crucial in avoiding unintentional plagiarism. Despite the availability of a range of advice, both internal and external to the University of Reading, students continually stated that they did not know when and how to use citations, or how to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Beyond simply learning the mechanisms of setting out a bibliography or when to include a citation, students need to understand associated practices, such as where to find appropriate sources of information in their subject, how to keep proper records, and how, when, and why to use references in their academic work.
Implementation
Data was collected from a variety of sources on current practices and perceived needs to inform the production of the toolkit. Team members were able to draw upon their professional communities for information about practices at other institutions, and on contacts at the University of Reading for practices and perceived needs. A research officer was appointed, and was tasked with collecting further data from academic tutors and students in a number of selected departments at the University, using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. These were set against the wider context of general observations gathered through separate online surveys offered to all staff and students. Existing pedagogical research into student referencing practices was also considered.
The research questions during this stage of inquiry were:
What are the main (perceived and actual) difficulties that students have with understanding referencing and avoiding plagiarism?
How do associated independent learning practices impact on this?
Why do students fail to engage with current teaching and guidance on referencing?
What teaching resources are currently available (at the University of Reading and elsewhere), and how might they be made more effective for teaching staff and students across the University?
The research was used to inform the content and production of the Academic Integrity Toolkit materials. These were generated by team members using a template, before going through an iterative process of revision and evaluation by other team members. They were then edited by a single team member to ensure consistency.
Impact
The Academic Integrity Toolkit was successfully launched in June 2013 at an event attended by over 50 members of staff, with a visiting speaker presenting on the topic of student referencing practices. The Toolkit comprises:
17 handouts giving guidance on key learning practices;
8 exercise sheets with answers;
13 sets of PowerPoint slides for use in teaching;
Links to screencasts produced by members of the Study Advice team;
An annotated list of useful websites.
The Academic Integrity Toolkit has been made available through the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment, onto which staff can self-enrol. A paper version contained in a card folder was created for attendees at the launch event and to disseminate to key members of the teaching and learning community at the University of Reading.
The Toolkit has been a successful and well-used teaching resource. Departments and Schools have requested that their entire teaching staff get enrolled to the Toolkit through Blackboard. It was favourably received by the University Board of Teaching and Learning and the Sub-Committee for the Development and Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, with suggestions being made for its further development through a student-facing version in digital format.
There has been interest, both at the University of Reading and beyond, in the results of the project. Presentations were given at the Librarians’ Information Literacy Annual Conference, the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education conference, and the Association of Librarians and Information Professionals in the Social Sciences summer conference.
Reflections
While the project was successful, it was not without its difficulties. Difficulty was experienced with data collection at the University, particularly in recruiting students for focus groups, which may have been an unavoidable consequence of the necessary timing. Despite this difficulty, however, the data obtained by the focus groups that did run was supplemented by a good response to the wider University-wide survey, and by reported data from academic and support staff through their direct contact with students.
Another difficulty faced was the existing busy workloads of the team members. This was overcome by scheduling brief face-to-face lunchtime meetings once a month, and by setting up a wiki (using PBworks) to allow collation of data and joint working on documents, in addition to regular email communications. Despite the potential for difficulties caused by the project being a collaboration between the Library, International Study and Language Institute and Study Advice, the combined expertise and experience of team members proved particularly valuable, especially as it allowed the project to make use of team members’ involvement with various professional networks, and it was found to be very advantageous to have the different perspectives that were able to be provided by having a diverse team.
Follow up
It is planned that the resources developed through the project be adapted to be an Open Educational Resource, to allow them to be more widely shared for use in UK and global Higher Education teaching.
Guides to citing and avoiding plagiarism available on the Library website have been informed by the results of the project and updated appropriately.
It is hoped that more extensive resources will be developed, and that these will be mediated by members of staff.
As a result of the experience of collaborative working between different areas of the University, Helen Hathaway and Kim Shahabudin have had a chapter entitled ‘Terms of reference: working together to develop student citation practices’ accepted for publication within a forthcoming edited volume.
Alison Fenner, International Study and Language Institute j.a.fenner@reading.ac.uk
Year(s) of case study activity: 2012-13
Overview
The scheme provided training for students to act as Language Learning Advisors (LLAs) to Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP) and Modern Languages and European Studies (MLES) students, providing peer support for developing language learning strategies. The scheme is popular, and has benefited students receiving advice, the Language Learning Advisors, and tutors within the IWLP and MLES.
Objectives
Provide students with strategies for ‘learning how to learn’ a language.
Provide a supportive peer environment in which advice can be given which corresponds to the individual’s academic and cultural needs.
Encourage the acquisition of independent language-learning strategies and the development of specific skills.
Foster transferable skills such as self-evaluation, time management and goal setting.
Allow students within MLES and higher levels of the IWLP to develop coaching skills, enhancing their employability.
Provide a service to support tutors within the IWLP and MLES.
Context
The IWLP has about 850 students enrolled on its modules, with 24 tutors. The students are drawn from all schools and nationalities represented within the University of Reading.
It became clear to IWLP tutors that students needed to ‘learn how to learn’ a language, since many students have little experience of formal language learning and have therefore developed few language learning strategies. There are many simple techniques which can be taught and be of real benefit to the student. As most IWLP tutors are part-time, they often do not have the time or place to offer this level of support to students on an individual basis.
Implementation
The project followed the stages as detailed:
The scheme was discussed with colleagues in MLES in order to explain the benefits of their students becoming LLAs.
Applications from MLES undergraduates to become LLAs were invited. A further incentive was provided for participation, as students who did so would be eligible for the Reading Experience and Development (RED) Award.
As the personal approach of the LLAs was essential, applicants’ tutors were asked to give a reference before their appointment was confirmed.
A training session was held in which the LLAs were provided with materials to help their guidance. These included a questionnaire for LLAs to send to students before their first appointment to encourage reflection upon their learning and goals.
An appointment system was set up to allow students to schedule meetings with their LLA.
The scheme was presented to IWLP tutors so that they were aware of its advantages and could encourage their students to attend sessions.
Throughout the year the LLAs were in constant contact with the Project Leader so their activity could be monitored, and any issues could be addressed.
Impact
Students who received advice from the LLAs gained confidence in their abilities, and developed strategies to help themselves acquire language skills more effectively. Additional benefits were that students with access to an LLA were motivated to seek additional resources in the Self-Access Centre for Language Learning (SACLL) or elsewhere, and that having regular appointments with their LLA encouraged students to build in extra time for additional language learning activities.
LLAs found the experience of providing advice to students on IWLP courses rewarding, and they enjoyed the interpersonal nature of the work. LLAs reported that their own language learning techniques had improved as a result of the increased awareness they obtained through the work.
The scheme has provided a useful academic support service for tutors within the IWLP and MLES. As a result, tutors have been appreciative of the scheme.
Reflections
In its first year, it became clear that the scheme was of great value to both students on IWLP courses, and those who became LLAs. The success of the scheme was reflected in student feedback. Some feedback obtained identified ways in which the scheme could be improved. In the first year there had been less emphasis on matching students to LLAs specialised in the language they were learning. While sessions with LLAs were intended to focus on general language learning strategies rather than language-specific advice, some students expected to have an LLA specialising in the language they were learning, and were disappointed as a result, although most still found the sessions useful. Consideration was given to this, and the scheme was subsequently adapted.
Follow up
The LLA scheme has been expanded beyond its original remit in terms of the numbers of students who benefit from sessions with an adviser. A greater number of LLAs have been recruited from across MLES, as well as students on high level IWLP courses by recommendation of their tutor. The increased use of LLAs has been enhanced by having LLAs attend initial IWLP sessions in order to introduce themselves to students.
Since the pilot scheme was run, there has been closer liaison between tutors and LLAs so that advisers can be more aware of what advice their students require.
Where possible, students are now matched with LLAs who are specialists in the language they are studying, although the emphasis remains on the acquisition of generic, rather than language-specific, learning strategies and on providing students with a supportive peer environment in which they can develop effective autonomous language learning skills.
The scheme provided training for students to act as Language Learning Advisors (LLAs) to Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP) and Modern Languages and European Studies (MLES) students, providing peer support for developing language learning strategies. The scheme is popular, and has benefited students receiving advice, the Language Learning Advisors, and tutors within the IWLP and MLES.