Language Learning - Higher Education
8 March 2024 (BBC)
A strike by staff at the University of Aberdeen has been called off after the threat of compulsory redundancy was lifted from 26 employees.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) had planned to take six days of strike action throughout March.
The dispute centred on the university deciding to cut single degrees in modern languages.
The move had put the jobs of 26 staff at risk but the university said that was no longer the case.
In a statement, the university said it had been able to remove the possibility of compulsory redundancies after "receiving a strong set of proposals from staff in modern languages to grow income and reform the curriculum".
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30 January 2024 (The Gaudie)
As University bosses ponder the future of the modern language department, students have raised concerns about their lack of involvement in the process.
At a student welfare meeting held last week, nearly two dozen modern language students spoke of experiencing anxiety and stress due to ongoing uncertainty over the outcome of their degrees.
According to a written transcript of the meeting, Dean of Student Support Jason Bohan was told that many students have been operating at a “non-functional level” in recent months, lacking the capacity to concentrate on their lectures or meet deadlines.
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16 January 2024 (Aberdeen Business News)
Following cross-party support from more than 30 MSPs, a motion to stop the controversial consultation and save language degrees at the University of Aberdeen is tabled for discussion at Holyrood today (Tuesday 16th January).
The motion, submitted by Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart in December last year, and backed by additional SNP, Green, and Labour party members, references the widespread support for retaining language teaching at the University from students, staff, alumni, Gaelic organisations and even several international consulates.
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4 January 2024 (BBC)
Staff at the University of Aberdeen are balloting on potential strike action after the institution decided to cut single degrees in modern languages.
The University and College Union (UCU) said about 30 people were at risk of redundancy due to the changes.
From the next academic year, students will not be able to start single honours degrees in French, German, Spanish or Gaelic.
Those wishing to study them will have to do so as part of a joint degree.
The university court announced the decision in December, based on a recommendation from the senior vice principal, Professor Karl Leydecker.
Its management said low uptake of the courses meant the current model is not sustainable.
Read more...
Online workshops for senior phase language learners
12 December 2023 (King's College London)
King's College London are hosting a number of online workshops for A-Level and equivalent learners of languages during the Spring term.
As well as film discussion workshops offering students the chance to develop their language skills for film analysis, there are taster events to discover other options available to those considering language studies at university. Follow the relevant link below to find out more and to register for the event:
Controversial uni modern languages proposal to be discussed
11 December 2023 (BBC)
Controversial University of Aberdeen proposals which could see its modern languages degrees scrapped are set to be discussed.
The university has blamed a steep fall in the number of students studying modern languages for the move.
More than 12,000 people have signed a petition opposing the proposals, and a protest meeting was held on Monday evening.
The university court will meet later to discuss the future of modern languages provision.
11 December 2023 (Press and Journal)
It was a pleasure recently to visit Cults Academy and talk to S3 pupils about the horizons broadened by language learning.
We were joined by a final-year student from the University of Aberdeen, who enthused them with stories about her placement year in France. As many do, she had found her time abroad transformative.
Being part of daily life and culture in another country is a hothouse for language skills. And living on one’s wits in another language is ideal for building personal confidence and resilience.
With their passion for global languages and cultures, our students are ideal ambassadors. They can inspire the next generation of learners and remind them that all the hard work of “getting the grammar right” is worth the effort, because it unlocks the door to new ways of seeing the world.
In partnership with SCILT, Scotland’s national centre for languages, the University of Aberdeen has developed a new language mentoring scheme that pairs languages students with budding linguists in schools.
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4 December 2023 (Press and Journal)
Staff members have reacted with dismay after learning the future of modern languages at Aberdeen University is under threat.
The university is considering the future of modern languages provision, with a steering group outlining three options that have now been put to staff for consultation.
The university cited a “steep fall” in student numbers in modern languages, with high staff numbers relative to student numbers.
This means the department’s “income does not cover even the direct costs of staff”, leading to a projected deficit of £1.64m in 2023/24.
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4 December 2023 (The Herald)
A Gaelic language immersion year pilot at the University of Glasgow is being made permanent, it was announced today (Monday December 4).
The Gaelic with Immersion Programme has received a long-term funding commitment from the College of Arts & Humanities at the university.
This announcement will establish Gaelic with Immersion as an integral part of the College’s Celtic & Gaelic diverse programme offering.
In 2017, the College commissioned a feasibility study to consider an immersion experience in Glasgow and this revealed a demand for more intensive language opportunities amongst students and adult learners.
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27 November 2023 (The Herald)
The French, German, Spanish and Italian consulates in Scotland have written to the University of Aberdeen urging the institution not to proceed with proposed cuts to modern language degree courses.
A joint letter was sent ahead of the expected publication of plans this week which will outline the future of language courses at the university.
It is the second time in weeks that figures from European Union countries have intervened in the situation regarding the take up of languages in Scottish education.
Last week The Herald on Sunday revealed that the German Ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger raised his fears with the First Minister at the dramatic drop in pupils learning French and German in schools during a face to face meeting at Bute House at the end of October.
Responding to the article, the Scottish Government underlined its commitment to modern language teaching in schools.
According to a BBC report today it is understood the withdrawal of honours degrees courses at the University of Aberdeen is an option being considered with the university saying it had seen falling demand for language degrees.
Read more...
Related Links
Aberdeen’s language degrees at risk (The PIE News, 27 November 2023)
University of Aberdeen modern languages 'unsustainable in current form' (BBC, 30 November 2023)
The Nine (BBC, 30 November 2023) - hear SCILT Director, Fhiona Mackay's response to the language degree closures at University of Aberdeen, listen from 23:53 (note - only available until 10pm 1/12/23)
Scottish university considers scrapping all language degrees (STV, 1 December 2023)
28 September 2023 (SCILT)
Are you a student, or do you know a student, considering pursuing language studies beyond secondary education? Check out the Beyond School section of the SCILT website. The site lists university and college language courses here in Scotland, links to UCAS and university guides UK-wide, and help and advice on study abroad options and volunteering overseas.
It's a useful resource for teachers and Careers Guidance staff to highlight to students as the UCAS application process is now underway.
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10 January 2023 (Sutton Trust)
Every year the Sutton Trust partners with a number of UK universities to run a series of Summer Schools in each location. With a wide range of subjects to choose from, the summer schools are designed to give pupils a taste of studying at university.
The Summer Schools are a fully immersive experience. You'll live as a student staying in accommodation overnight and meet other students from across the UK. We’ll cover the full costs of your travel, accommodation, food and activities at any partner university, not just one local to you.
If you're a student in Year 12, S5 in Scotland or Year 13 in Northern Ireland visit the website to find out more about the scheme, eligibility criteria and how to apply. Application deadline is 10 March 2023.
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10 November 2022 (The Herald)
Respected Scottish writer and historian Professor James Hunter is calling for an internationally renowned college on the Isle of Skye to become Scotland’s first Gaelic University.
The move, which would require the backing of the Scottish Government and the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC), would give Sabhal Mòr Ostaig its own university degree-awarding powers for the first time.
It comes as ministers warned of a crisis in a bid to keep Gaelic alive because of a dramatic shortage of teachers.
Based in the Sleat peninsula, in the south of Skye, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, is currently a currently a college delivering both Further and Higher Education, and an independent academic partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
With the unique distinction of having Scottish Gaelic as the sole language of instruction on its courses, the college is regarded as having played a crucial role in the linguistic and cultural renaissance of the Gaelic language in Scotland.
Read more...
20 September 2022 (SCILT)
Pupils considering furthering their language studies beyond secondary education will find a wealth of information on the Beyond School section of the SCILT website. The site contains listings of university and college language courses here in Scotland, links to UCAS and university guides UK-wide, as well as help and advice on study abroad options and volunteering overseas.
It's a useful resource for teachers and Careers Guidance staff to be aware of and highlight to students as the UCAS application process is now underway.
Read more...
17 September 2021 (SCILT)
If you have pupils considering language study once they move on from secondary education, the Beyond School section of our website contains a wealth of information about university and college language courses, study abroad and volunteering opportunities overseas. With links to UCAS and university guides it's also a useful resource for careers guidance staff to be aware of and highlight to students as the UCAS application process gets underway.
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Online taster events: German language and culture
1 June 2021 (King's College London)
King's College London is running two online taster events next month for Year 12 students (S5 in Scotland) who would like to find out about studying German at university. These will include a short talk and Q+A, a language taster class, and a cultural studies session. Follow the relevant link below for further information about each event:
25 March 2021 (The Guardian)
One in five students at university say they were unable to study degree subjects that interested them because they didn’t receive good advice from their school on which A-levels and GCSEs to pick, a poll shows.
The students had been unable to study degrees such as medicine, dentistry, maths, economics and languages because these courses require specific qualifications.
Two in five of the 27,000 first- and second-year students at UK universities, including those from overseas, polled by the University and College Admissions Service (Ucas) said they would have made different choices if they had received better careers advice.
Read more...
9 March 2021 (THE)
Grim statistics on single-honours enrolments bely an explosion in joint-honours provision, says Katherine Astbury.
Languages are in decline in UK secondary schools. This is well known and barely counts as news these days. It started well before the Covid pandemic and Brexit piled on additional pressures.
This has had a knock-on effect on universities. The University of Hull is the latest in a growing list of institutions to announce the closure of language degrees. A Times Higher Education article last week with the alarming headline “Languages decline see numbers drop to zero at UK universities” added to a long line of pieces heralding impending doom.
But the figures initially quoted for the universities of Warwick, Southampton and Newcastle baffled colleagues at all three institutions because they bore no relation to the reality on the ground. Why then did the article – and the Ucas figures it was based on – suggest that acceptances had shrunk by so much?
The answer lies in a shift in student applications away from single-honours degrees and towards combining specialist language learning and a non-language subject. The figures took no account of the fact that students are now much more likely to study two or three languages alongside another discipline than to focus on one language alone.
Of course that term “alone” is itself misleading. Even a single-honours degree will involve the study of the linguistics, literature, film, politics, art and culture of the countries where that language is spoken.
(Note - subscription required to access full article)
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4 September 2020 (SCILT)
If you have pupils considering language study once they move on from secondary education, the Beyond School section of our website contains a wealth of information about university and college language courses, study abroad and volunteering opportunities overseas. With links to UCAS and university guides it's also a useful resource for careers guidance staff to be aware of and highlight to students as the UCAS application process gets underway.
Read more...
24 August 2020 (BBC)
Swapping Port Talbot for Paris was a big deal for Maia Evans. It was the first time she'd left home and the reason she chose to study French.
So you can imagine the 21-year-old's frustration when she had to abruptly leave her class, leave her adopted French family and leave France altogether when coronavirus took hold.
"I was loving it," recalled Maia. "The children were great, my family was lovely and my French was improving massively. Then France shut down overnight."
When Maia bid au revoir to Aberavon Beach she was excited to immerse herself in French culture - not just living with different people for the first time, but people who spoke another language.
It was going to be more Seine and Sacre-Coeur than the steelworks and Swansea Bay of home for Maia and she enjoyed every second in Paris' bustling suburbs.
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6 August 2020 (The Times)
A Scottish university is reviewing the future of its entire foreign languages department as it looks at how to cut its wage bill by £9 million over two years.
Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh, widely seen as Scotland’s centre of excellence for translation studies, has commissioned an external review into French, German, Spanish and Chinese classes.
Read more...
Taster events at King's College London
5 March 2020 (King's College London)
King's College London is running taster events over the next few months for students in Years 11&12 (S4&S5) who are interested in finding out about what it is like to study German/Modern Languages at university. We would be delighted to welcome your students at these events. Attendance is free, but places are limited so advance booking is required. Further details can be found by clicking on the web links below.
- Modern Languages Taster Day. 1st April 2020, 1pm-5.15pm.
- Modern Languages and European Studies. 4th June 2020. 10.30am-4.00pm.
- German Taster Day. 16th June 2020. 10.30am-4.00pm.
- Studying German from Scratch. 18th June 2020. 1.30pm-5.00pm.
5 December 2019 (University of Stirling)
Over the course of this Autumn/Winter semester at Stirling, we’ve continued to develop our work with secondary schools, sometimes focusing primarily on French, sometimes working in collaboration with our colleagues in Spanish, always underlining the advantages that come through studying languages. We’re hoping to post a few more updates about these activities over the coming weeks and, to start with, we’re pleased to be able to post the following article, co-written by Laura, who is in the final year of a BA Hons in English Studies and French, and Michael, who is in Year 2 of his BA Hons programme in Professional Education (Primary) with a specialism in Modern Languages. Laura and Michael’s day saw them representing French at Stirling as Language Ambassadors at Williamwood High School in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire.
Read more...
29 November 2019 (University of Oxford)
UNIQ Spring and Summer gives students in UK state schools and colleges an opportunity to sample the Oxford undergraduate student experience. Applicants will live in an Oxford college for a week, attend lectures and seminars in their chosen subject area, and receive expert advice on the Oxford application and interview process. The timetable also allows plenty of time for social activities.
For those unable to attend the Oxford campus, the UNIQ Digital programme provides comprehensive information and guidance on the university admissions process, and aims to provide a realistic view of Oxford student life through videos, activities and quizzes.
A wide range of courses are on offer, including several language study options.
Visit the UNIQ website for more information about the programmes on offer and to apply. Applications are open from 2 December 2019 to 27 January 2020.
Read more...
2 October 2019 (TES)
Private schools heads have warned of a possible “brain drain” if Labour were to introduce its proposed 7 per cent cap on university admissions from the independent sector, with pupils opting to study abroad instead.
Chris Ramsey, co-chair of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) universities committee, said some subjects like modern foreign languages could be severely impacted by such a cap.
“If you take a subject like MFL, our latest survey told us that 2,500 of our independently educated upper-sixth-formers were applying for modern languages courses," he said, speaking at the HMC annual conference in London.
"That’s one-fifth of the modern languages undergraduates that there are in the country.
"So if you just take that one subject, if only 7 per cent came in, where are the modern linguists going to come from, or are we just going to shrink the numbers of language students in our country?
(Subscription required to access full article)
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24 September 2019 (The Times)
Choosing what to study at university is perhaps more challenging in 2019 than it has been to date [...] The case for studying the humanities and social sciences — subjects such as English literature, history, languages, law, psychology, anthropology and economics — is indisputable. These subjects are about world-changing ideas, evidence-based research, relentless inquiry and rigorous debate, and are, therefore, enjoyable and rewarding pursuits in and of themselves. But crucially, they also offer a platform for a solid, varied and exciting career.…
Subscription required to read full article
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31 July 2019 (The Guardian)
Just after the first world war, the UK produced its most comprehensive review of languages provision, the Leathes report. In the Brexit era we’re now faced yet again with different ideological, cultural and economic battles that have us examining our languages capacity, and discovering it falls well short of what is required.
After Brexit we will need a strong language base for trade, international relations and soft power. Yet instead of a growth in languages, we’re experiencing steep decline: the number of modern languages undergraduates fell by 54% between 2008–9 and 2017–18. With fewer students applying, at least 10 modern languages departments have closed in the last decade (the University of Hull is the most recent casualty), and many others have shrunk in size or reduced their range of languages. By one estimate, the number of German units has halved from more than 80 in 2002 to fewer than 40 today.
Second, if Brexit and the debate over the Irish backstop have taught us anything, it is that we need subject specialists with language skills – lawyers, economists, geographers, engineers, and business graduates with the language skills to understand, negotiate, and argue the details.
Third, we urgently need more language graduates with at least two languages to degree level to teach in schools and rebuild and sustain primary and secondary languages. At present we risk most state schools offering pupils only one language to GCSE and many offering none at all to A-level, in a way that would never be tolerated for the sciences.
To win back students, a new approach is needed.
Read more...
1 November 2018 (Japan Foundation London)
We are delighted to announce that the 14th Japanese Speech Contest for University Students is open for applications!
This contest gives students the chance to make their voices heard in Japanese, and win some fantastic prizes! Finalists will all perform their speeches on Saturday 2nd March 2019 at King’s College London.
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21 September 2018 (SCILT)
As the UCAS application process gets underway, make sure any pupils thinking of continuing their language studies check out the Beyond School section of our website.
This section contains useful information to help senior pupils decide on the different language courses and options available once they have left school, at college, university or as part of a gap year. There are links to courses available in Scotland and across the UK.
Pupils, parents, guidance and careers staff should all find this section of our website useful.
Read more...
Posted in:
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Funding,
Immersion,
Language Learning,
Language Learning - Benefits,
Language Learning - Further Education,
Language Learning - Higher Education,
Promoting Languages,
Study Abroad,
SCILT news
30 May 2018 (Guardian)
Find out more about studying modern languages from around the world and their literatures, as well as linguistics.
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29 March 2018 (University of Oxford)
Applications are now open for St Anne's College, Oxford one-night Residential Study Visits in Geography, Music and English/Modern Languages!
These Residential Study Visits are designed to give students from backgrounds and schools with limited experience of Oxford a taste of what it’s like to live and study as an undergraduate at St Anne’s College and Oxford University.
The visits all take place during June 2018 and are open to Year 12 students from all UK state schools/colleges. Accommodation, travel and meals are included.
Visit the website for more information and to apply by 7 May 2018.
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12 March 2018 (Inside Higher Education)
Foreign language enrollments dropped 9.2 percent from fall 2013 to fall 2016, according to new data from the Modern Language Association. The drop is the second largest since the MLA started tracking such information in 1958.
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11 January 2018 (British Academy)
Following today’s publication by HESA of HE Student Statistics (2016/17), the British Academy has expressed concerns at a decline of student numbers choosing languages at undergraduate level.
Entries for full-time and part-time undergraduate students taking languages were down 4% and 9% respectively.
The British Academy is deeply concerned that this year’s decline will further reduce the already low supply of students who are qualified to go on to careers as language teachers in secondary schools.
Read more...
12 May 2017 (The Telegraph)
Competition for graduate jobs has never been more fierce. With tuition fees and living costs representing financial sacrifices for many, students reasonably demand degree courses that offer them the best value for money in today's tough jobs market.
Languages feature in the list of the top 12 degree subjects.
Read more...
8 March 2017 (The Guardian)
The top 50 universities in the world for modern languages, as ranked by higher education data specialists QS.
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17 February 2017 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française de Glasgow will be running a new translation course specifically designed for students who are currently studying French at University. This course will increase language skills and should greatly help prepare for exams where translation is involved.
This new 5-week course will take place on Wednesdays between 3.45-5.45pm starting Wednesday 1 March.
Visit the website for more information and to enrol by Saturday 25 February.
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19 December 2016 (UCML)
19 December 2016: UCAS published data for the end-of-year acceptances cycle for 2016. Although overall the trend for language acceptances continues to decrease (-8% overall on last year), there are some positive signals coming from some of the languages.
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22 September 2016 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française in Glasgow will be running a new grammar course specifically designed for students who are currently studying French at University. This course will increase students' language skills and should greatly help prepare for exams.
The 5-week course takes place on Wednesdays commencing 19 October.
Visit the Alliance Française website for more information and to enrol.
Read more...
3 May 2016 (University of Strathclyde)
S@S Accelerate is a one-week programme in July, held at the University of Strathclyde, for pupils at the end of S4, S5 and S6. It aims to provide a targeted focus on the pupils’ chosen area of academic interest, giving them a head start on the road to their chosen career.
One of the ten challenges on offer is the Languages Challenge. A team of academic experts has put together a week-long ‘Giga Challenge’ in the area of languages that will allow pupils to find out all about the area and the career opportunities open to them.
Enabling students to participate in group challenges that use their language skills, and see the role that languages play in the world, will make them feel much more enthusiastic about languages in the school classroom and going on to study them at University.
Further information about the Languages Challenge is available on the attached flyer.
For full details of all the challenges available under the S@S Accelerate programme and information on how to apply, visit the University of Strathclyde Accelerate webpage.
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31 March 2016 (British Academy)
Born Global is a resource for the languages community to use to help make the case for the importance and value of studying languages.
Born Global consists of quantitative and qualitative data on the complex relationship between language learning and employability. Each data set is accompanied by a booklet with background information and a summary of key findings. The data is open and free to use, it is available on the British Academy website.
The British Academy has used this evidence in a new publication Born Global: Implications for Higher Education. It offers reflections on the current state of play for languages at university, and can be downloaded from the British Academy website.
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20 January 2016 (Oxford University)
Would you like to spend a week with us this summer, living in an Oxford college, learning about a modern foreign language and its culture, and getting a taste of what it’s like to study here as a student? All entirely FREE of charge, food and accommodation included? (We’ll even pay for your train ticket to get here.)
If you’re currently in Year 12 (S5) of a state school, and have some free time in July this year, please do think about signing up for the course, or for one of the dozens of others on offer, including German, Spanish, or ‘beginner languages’ to give you a little experience of Russian, Portuguese and Italian languages and cultures.
The French summer school runs from 2-8 July this year, the German summer school and the Beginner Languages school both run from 16-22 July, and Spanish is 23-29 July.
Visit the website for more information and to apply by 3 February 2016.
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3 December 2015 (BBC News)
A new scheme to help reverse a sharp decline in foreign language learning in schools in Wales has been announced by four universities.
In June, a report found the number of children studying a language at GCSE fell by a third between 2005 and 2014.
Under the pilot project, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea undergraduates will be trained to coach school pupils on their language skills.
The scheme is funded by Welsh ministers' Global futures programme.
Prof Claire Gorrara from Cardiff University, the academic leading the project, said there was increasing evidence the drop in foreign language learning was limiting young people's educational, training and career opportunities.
Read more...
22 October 2015 (THE)
Further fears have been raised that language courses in the UK are becoming the preserve of the most selective universities after Northumbria University became the latest institution to draw back from provision.
Following a “languages review”, Northumbria announced last month that its “BA French and Spanish will be closed, there will be no further recruitment to this programme”.
A spokesman for the university told Times Higher Education that the move was one of various changes “to the way we deliver language learning” in response to “a fall in demand across the sector over the past 10 years”. Nevertheless, he added, the university “remain[ed] committed to the teaching of foreign languages”, for example through joint programmes and as part of its international business management degree.
The decision to close the French and Spanish BA went ahead despite a petition by alumni and interventions from embassies and academics across the world. The students’ union also strongly criticised plans to “abolish our only standalone foreign language programme”, which had “average[d] above 95 per cent over the past five years in the National Student Survey”.
Read more...
21 October 2015 (BBC News)
The vice chancellor of Ulster University (UU) has said demand for modern language learning in Northern Ireland can be met by further education colleges.
Professor Paddy Nixon was giving evidence to the Stormont Committee for Employment and Learning.
In September, UU said it would close its school of modern languages.
He said the university was "no longer funded to provide the degrees people might like."
Responding to a question from committee chair, UUP MLA Robin Swann, Prof Nixon said that FE colleges could teach languages at the level needed in Northern Ireland.
"The FE provision in languages is actually - particularly when it's about spoken languages as opposed to what a university should be doing, which is a different thing altogether - quite extensive."
"So there is an ability for the system in Northern Ireland to support language provision at the level we need it for business and industry."
Read more...
29 September 2015 (The Times)
Spoken language courses offered by universities to all undergraduates are in such demand that they have overtaken formal language degrees in popularity.
German, which has suffered a near collapse in schools, is among the chief beneficiaries.
Last year 7,937 students enrolled on non-specialist German courses at universities, up 20 per cent on 2013 and almost twice the number that studied it at A level.
(Please note this is a preview article, a subscription is required to view the full content).
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11 September 2015 (SCILT)
Do you have students looking to further or develop their language learning on leaving school? Make sure they know about the Beyond School section of the SCILT website. With useful information on different language courses and options available here in Scotland, there are also links to UCAS and language courses UK-wide to help their selection process and the transition from school.
The section includes advice and information on:
- The benefits of language learning for you and your career
- Undergraduate language courses at Scottish and UK universities
- Options for combining languages with other degree subjects
- Beginner and refresher language courses and modules at Scotland’s colleges
- The gap year – opportunities to study, work or volunteer abroad
- The student voice – blogs, advice, hints and tips from those who’ve been there
The site also outlines the support Scottish universities can provide to teachers and schools in their language teaching and staff professional development.
So please make your language teaching professionals, pupils and guidance staff aware of the ‘Beyond School’ website. It’s got their language needs covered!
Read more...
Posted in:
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Funding,
Language Learning - Benefits,
Language Learning - Further Education,
Language Learning - Higher Education,
Language Learning - Secondary - Post 16,
Language Learning for Work,
Promoting Languages,
Qualifications,
Study Abroad,
Transition,
SCILT news
26 August 2015 (THE)
Modern languages studies may have been harshly treated in the research excellence framework (REF) because it was assessed in the same subpanel as linguistics, academics have claimed.
With language departments already under pressure from declining student numbers, some scholars have complained that the structure of the panel used to judge their research has done little to help the subject area.
Under new arrangements adopted for the 2014 REF, modern languages research was included alongside linguistics in subpanel 28, rather than being assessed separately in seven smaller subject units, as in the 2008 research assessment exercise (RAE).
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25 May 2015 (The Guardian)
League tables of all 53 subject areas taught at UK universities, including Modern Languages and Linguistics, with listings of the courses available in each of those subjects.
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30 March 2015 (Huffington Post)
Please don't tell me how much my degree is worth. If you're being awkward, it is actually worth somewhere between £28,350 and £36,000 (I'm too afraid to do an actual run of the numbers), which is statistically more than you have ever paid or will ever pay if you are a student from the UK. But really, what is a language degree worth? At the end of the day, I'm paying all this money for something more than a certificate and a photo opportunity on graduation day... right?
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2 March 2015 (UCML/AULC)
Each year the Association of University Language Centres in the UK and Ireland conduct a survey to explore the take up of Institution-Wide Language Programmes (for credit and not for credit) in UK universities.
UCML co-publishes this report with AULC and support from the Higher Education Academy. The report from this year's survey (conducted in autumn 2014) is now published.
It includes analysis of various trends (by language, by balance of credit and not etc) across the sector.
It is clear from this report that the trend continues to be for increasing demand for language learning in HE alongside the study of other disciplines.
Read more...
19 February 2015 (The Conversation)
Out of nearly half a million students who enrolled on a degree course in the UK last year, just over 8,000 of them studied a foreign language. New figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) have crystallised the difficult situation facing university language departments across the country. Only one in every 65 first-year students chooses a modern foreign language degree, showing a decline from one in every 48 in 2007.
Most university subjects are recovering from the recruitment crash of 2012-13, the first year that universities could charge fees up to £9,000 – and some subjects are showing steady numbers of enrolments. Since 2007, the numbers of students starting degree courses in subjects allied to medicine have risen a meteoric 39% and there has been a 30% increase in biological sciences. The figures are no less impressive for the mathematical sciences and business administration, both with a 24% increase.
But this is not the case for modern foreign languages where there is little sign of post-fees recovery.
Read more...
14 February 2015 (The Telegraph)
The number of students taking foreign languages at university has dramatically declined over the past seven years, according to new figures.
Entrants for modern foreign language degree courses fell by 16 per cent between 2007/08 and 2013/14, Higher Education Statistics Agency's latest (HESA) data shows.
The statistics will spark fresh concerns about the future of language study, amid reports that some university departments are being forced to cut back or close down due to a lack of demand.
Read more...
23 January 2015 (UCML)
A summary of the current state of languages in HE in universities across UK. A report on the basis of a survey of contact hours, credit loads and progression routes through the main 'European' languages taught within named degree programmes.
Download from right hand column through the link below.
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6 January 2015 (The Guardian)
After a disappointing four year degree in Arabic, it was only in an immersion course that Fred McConnell discovered the magic of language learning.
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31 October 2014 (SCILT)
Do you have students who are thinking about continuing with languages when they leave school? As the UCAS application process gets underway, the Beyond School section of our website contains useful information to help them decide on the different language courses and options available:
There’s lots of information on…
- Languages – the benefits for you and your career
- Undergraduate language courses at Scottish and UK universities – what’s available where
- Enhance your degree – options for combining languages with other subjects
- The gap year – opportunities to study, work or volunteer abroad
- Student experiences – advice from those who’ve been there, done it and got the t-shirt!
Please make your pupils, guidance and careers staff aware of the ‘Beyond School’ website. It covers all their language needs - www.scilt.org.uk/BeyondSchool.aspx
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30 September 2014 (Alliance française )
The Alliance Française de Glasgow will be running a 5-week grammar course specifically designed for students who are currently studying French at University.
Between Wednesday 22nd October and Wednesday 19th November incl.
3.45-5.45pm.
Fees: £60 per student.
Please visit or contact the Language Office before Friday 17th October if you wish to enrol. Places are limited.
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31 July 2014 (The Guardian)
The government complains about a modern languages skills gap, but graduates often find they have to retrain to get a job.
When I chose to study French and Spanish at university, I thought I was taking one step closer to achieving my dream of becoming a spy for MI6. I had visions of taking down drug cartels in Mexico and combating bribery and corruption in the French-speaking parts of Africa.
If that didn't materialise (it hasn't ... yet), I thought I would waltz into a multinational corporation and command an excellent job with a great benefits package, based purely on the fact that I had a languages degree.
The reality was to prove quite different...
...But, do I regret my choice of degree? Not for a second. I get a thrill every time I get a chance to practise my languages, and being able to converse in something other than English never fails to impress.
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15 June 2014 (THE)
The University of Sunderland has joined a growing list of institutions who have decided to waive fees for language students on a study year abroad.
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3 June 2014 (The Guardian)
University rankings include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, south Asian, African, Australasian, modern Middle Eastern languages, and literature and linguistics.
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Related Links
Key to the university guide tables 2015 – what does each column mean? (Guardian, 3 June 2014)
How to use the Guardian University Guide 2015 (Guardian, 3 June 2014) - Our mobile-friendly guide can help you find the perfect course at a UK university.
UK Youth Employment to Worsen on Lack of Language Skills
22 April 2014 (International Business Times)
Britain's dire youth unemployment situation could worsen as Ucas figures show that there has been a 5% drop in modern language applications, says a leading translation and interpretation group. According to All Languages, the latest set of Ucas figures, which show a 5% drop in modern language applications despite the overall number of students applying for university places rising, will only exacerbate tougher competition for graduate positions due to the lack of language skills.
16 April 2014 (The Guardian)
The numbers of students studying languages degrees is at its lowest in a decade – universities must make their academic study more pertinent, argues Katrin Kohl.
The contrast between the plummeting number of undergraduates in modern foreign language (MFL) courses and the soaring number of students in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjectsgives an insight into the power of policy-makers to influence the fate of academic subjects. While the government has been pumping funding into Stem subjects, modern languages have suffered under successive governments from underfunding and a lack of joined-up policies.
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10 April 2014 (The Guardian)
The number of students taking a language degree is at the lowest level in a decade. A report released today from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) found the number of students being accepted onto full-time modern foreign language (MFL) courses dropped by nearly a quarter (22%) between the academic years 2010-11 and 2012-13.
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1 April 2014 (Linguist)
Nick Byrne on the increase in non-specialist language provision.
Next year, I will have worked as a language provider in the Higher Education sector for a quarter of a century. For the last ten years, in particular, I have monitored the rise in non-specialist language provision for the Association of University Language Centres (AULC), the Departments of Education and Business, Hefce (the Higher Education Fudning Council for England) and the European Commission.
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26 February 2014 (The Herald)
Edinburgh University has outperformed rival institutions in Scotland in a new higher education league table. The university came in the top five in the UK in 10 out of 30 subject disciplines - far more than any other Scottish institution.
Edinburgh University came top in the country for linguistics, beating both Oxford and Cambridge to the top spot. The university came 12th for Modern Languages.
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Related Links
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2014 - Modern Languages (Top Universities, 26 February 2014) University of Edinburgh is 12th in the list.
25 February 2014 (The Guardian)
University performance data for modern languages and linguistics in our sortable table.
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16 February 2014 (3 News)
New Zealand students are dropping foreign languages at university level at a rate so high some languages are disappearing completely from the education system. Experts are warning that a country that only learns its own language could face big problems down the track.
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14 February 2014 (The Conversation)
The drop in applications to European language programmes at UK universities will not have come as a great shock to anybody teaching languages. For at least the past 15 years, the number of students applying for modern language degrees has been in decline.
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11 February 2014 (UCML)
The report from the annual survey of Institution Wide Language Programme take-up in UK universities has now been published. The responses indicate an increase in numbers of students enrolled on such programmes nationally, even taking into account a slight increase in the number of universities responding this year.
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4 February 2014 (SCILT)
Along with her Spanish and Italian colleagues, Caroline Verdier, Teaching Fellow in French at the University of Strathclyde, challenged 3rd Year students to work in groups on a research project. The groups had 'carte blanche' to research any aspect of life or identity in a country where the target language is spoken. Subjects included independence movements in Spain and Scotland, the representation of Ancient Rome in cinema and on television and the status of Paris in the world of fashion. There were also some case studies about businesses such as of Renault, Zara and Veuve Cliquot.
Information about the rationale, the research process and the findings were distilled and displayed in a poster. The posters were very creative, many were interactive and had 3D elements. An exhibition to showcase all the posters took place in the McCance Conservatory in April 2013. During Spring 2014, posters and abstracts from this year’s 3rd Year students will be added to the blog.
This blog would be a good tool to support pupils involved in research for the IP strand of the Languages Baccalaureate.
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1 February 2014 (Guardian - The case for languages learning series)
In Northamptonshire police officers learn Polish, the ancient art of whistling lives on in Turkey and Disney is accused of ignoring African languages.
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31 January 2014 (Guardian)
Ucas figures showing falling applications for modern language degrees pose a real problem for Britain.
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Related Links
- University applications hit record high (Guardian, 31 January 2014)
[...] The number of applicants for European language courses fell by 5%, from 20,350 last year to 19,300. Applications for engineering are up from 127,000 to 141,000, and for computer science from 86,300 to 97,000. Wendy Piatt, director of the Russell Group of research universities, said: "We are worried by the continuing drop in applicants for both European and non-European languages. We need language graduates to meet the needs of our economy and society."
6 December 2013 (SCILT)
Our new ‘Beyond School’ section on the SCILT website offers help and advice to young people about the many ways they can continue to develop their language skills, whether by making the transition from school to a course at university or by studying, working or volunteering overseas. As well as general help and advice on making the move to university and courses available, there are links to potential career paths and opportunities and what support is available to schools to help promote languages as a subject choice at university.
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26 September 2013 (BBC News)
The Russell Group has been asked to produce research on what subjects teenagers need to get in to their universities, after a study cast doubt on so-called "preferred subjects".
The Russell Group's advice is in a document called Informed Choices which lists "facilitating subjects", saying they are sometimes "required more than others".
The subjects are maths, further maths, English literature, physics, biology, chemistry, geography, history and languages.
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25 June 2013 (PRWeb)
The University of the Highlands & Islands [UHI] this month hosted a lecture in Stornoway entitled “Gaelic in Education.” The keynote speakers were Mr. Iain Macmillan, Principal of Lews Castle College UHI and Dr. Frances Murray, Rector of the Nicolson Institute. The event was chaired by Mr. Matthew Maciver Chair of the UHI Court and retired Chief Executive of the GTC in Scotland.
Mr. Maciver introduced the lecture by stating that UHI was hosting the lecture in Stornoway to highlight the Gaelic Medium Higher Education courses which the university offers and that UHI had now been accredited to deliver a new Post Graduate Primary Teaching course in English and Gaelic.
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16 April 2013 (The Herald)
The demise of modern languages at Scottish universities and schools has been blamed on greater parochialism since devolution. The assertion is made in a major new report on the health of minority European languages such as Russian, Polish and Czech.
The report, by the UK-wide Higher Education Academy (HEA), follows the closure of a number of language courses at Scottish universities in recent years. The number of pupils taking Highers in some modern languages has also fallen.
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18 February 2013 (The Guardian)
Don't let poor school grades put you off studying a language. Years abroad and evening classes mean there are plenty of ways to learn.
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30 January 2013 (The Guardian)
The number of applicants to UK universities has risen by 3.5%.
Computer sciences had the highest increase in total applications (up by 12.3% at the same point last year). It seems social sciences, arts and languages are feeling the biggest decreases.
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22 January 2013 (UCML)
The survey, carried out by UCML, AULC and the Higher Education Academy, aimed to obtain a picture of the current availability and demand for Institution-wide Language Provision (IWLP) across the higher education sector in the UK.
The full report can be downloaded from the UCML website.
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15 January 2013 (The Independent)
It seems as if languages are not a popular choice of course at university nowadays. Once upon a time, learning a language and studying its literature was considered a solid choice of degree, but now there's a perception that they might be a bit of a waste of time.
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7 December 2012 (The Herald)
Expanding the study of languages at Scottish universities is proving difficult to achieve, a report by funding chiefs says.
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27 November 2012 (ALL)
Every year, Canning House runs an essay prize competition challenging language students from all over the UK to submit an essay which best displays their linguistic flair and capacity for free expression in their second language(s). The topic for discussion changes from year to year. This year the essay (of 750-1000 words in Spanish or Portuguese) is on the topic "What particular contribution does Latin America or Iberia make to the modern world?" Students of Spanish or Portuguese aged 17-19 are eligible, with prizes of £500, £200 and £100. Deadline: 31 January 2013. Further details are on the Canning House website.
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27 November 2012 (The Guardian)
Languages may be in decline at A-level and degree; but more young people are taking classes in their spare time – especially if they don't have to pay.
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Related Links
University students: How to learn a language for free (The Guardian, 27 November 2012).
See what's on offer at your university and find alternative ways to brush up on a foreign language.
20 November 2012 (Open University)
In a unique partnership arrangement with the Open University (OU), Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) have provided their postgraduate students and their staff with the opportunity to study an OU language module in French, German, Spanish or Chinese. 82 GCU students and staff began beginners’ language modules in October, and more will sign up for higher level language modules starting in February. The face-to-face element of the OU tuition programme is being delivered on GCU’s Glasgow campus at times that fit with GCU’s timetable.
Glasgow Caledonian University places importance on the fact that language competence enhances employability and international mobility and values the Open University’s proven track record in language teaching.
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HE,
Chinese,
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German,
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Scotland,
Language Learning - Adults,
Language Learning - Higher Education,
Language Learning for Work,
Language Skills,
Languages - Higher Education,
Multilingualism,
News from language & education organisations
15 November 2012 (THE)
Two UK language departments may be forced to close their degree programmes because they recruited too few students for 2012-13, a lecturers' association has claimed.
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8 November 2012 (The Independent)
Learning another language has many benefits apart from aiding research.
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12th October 2012 (LLAS news blog)
My Lords, I shall focus on what the report says about student mobility in relation to the Erasmus scheme and the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages.
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