LLAS: Centre for languages, linguistics and area studies

Professor Mike Kelly Director LLAS

LLAS: background and core activities

● Part of the Higher Education Academy○ support for academics: professional development, advice,

professional recognition○ support for insitutions: research (evidence-informed

practice), change management, PVC network○ funded by HE funding councils for 4 UK nations○ network of 24 Subject Centres (including LLAS): discipline-

based professional development, project funding, networking opportunities, advice, advocacy

www.heacademy.ac.uk

LLAS: background and core activities

● Key areas of our work to support HE teachers○ workshops, seminars, conferences○ information gathering and research○ project funding○ resources for teaching and promoting LLAS subjects○ networking opportunities○ publications written for and by practitioners○ working with and supporting professional bodies

www.llas.ac.uk

LLAS: background and core activities

● Other areas○ cross-sector collaboration www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk ○ support and training for the schools sector www.llas.ac.

uk/southeast ○ promoting languages to young learners www.

whystudylanguages.ac.uk ○ community engagement http://languagebox.ac.uk/1842/ ○ e-tools and online resources www.humbox.ac.uk , www.

languagebox.ac.uk , http://loc.llas.ac.uk ○ EU projects www.languagecafe.eu & www.lanqua.eu ○ resources for students www.studyinglanguages.ac.uk

www.llas.ac.uk

Languages: the policy context in England

● National Languages Strategy (2002)● An option in schools at age 14 (2004)● Primary languages (entitlement, not yet statutory)● Strategic and vulnerable subject (since 2004)● English baccalaureate in schools (2011)● Introduction of new fees structure for higher

education (2012) ● Higher Education White Paper (forthcoming)

Languages: policy in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland

● Education devolved ● Different fees arrangements at universities● Different language contexts in schools ( esp.

Gaelic/Irish/Welsh) ● Low take-up of Modern languages at 14-16 and 16-

19● Languages have come under threat in universities● Significant investment in Gaelic

Collaborative working within and across sectors

Liz HudswellAssistant Director LLAS (Operations)

Working together for languages

● Networking and bringing people together● Sharing good practice and resources● Fostering collaboration● Working with partners● Regional consortia● Promotional resources for languages

Language Network for Quality Assurance (LANQUA)

Alison Dickens Assistant Director LLAS (Programmes)

About

● Network: 61 partners from 29 countries● Duration: 3 years (Oct 2008 – Sept 2010)● 5 themes: language learning, intercultural

communication, literature and culture, CLIL, Teacher Education

● Outcome: LanQua Toolkit – Quality model for languages, practice examples, frame of reference for languages

About

www.lanqua.eu

Promoting languages and supporting learners

Heather McGuinnessProgramme Manager Routes into LanguagesDr Angela Gallagher-BrettSenior Academic Coordinator LLAS

Routes into Languages 2007-11

● £10 million Government funding to increase uptake of languages from 14-18

● Regional Consortia in England and Wales● National Network for Translation; National Network

for Interpreting● Research Projects

○ Enterprise; ○ Community languages; ○ International events

Routes England and Wales

● Universities work together● Collaborate with schools and colleges in the same

region● Share resources, ideas, expertise ● Current university students work with teaching staff

as student ambassadors● Business involvement and partnership

● Interpreting based at Leeds University ● Translation based at Salford University● Shortage of first-language English translators and

interpreters● Careers events to engage with students● Trial modules of cognate language in Masters in

Translation● Work placements

National Networks

Why Study Languages Aimed at 11-18 yearswww.whystudylanguages.ac.uk

Studying Languages Aimed at 18-25 yearswww.studyinglanguages.ac.uk

2 new websites

Languages and Employability

Dr John CanningSenior Academic Coordinator LLAS

Employability

● Widespread anxiety about the relationship between the subject studied at university and getting a good job on graduation

● Mixed messages: languages as skills vs. Modern Languages as a humanities discipline

● LLAS research on employability and entrepreneurship (A wider perspective and more options)

www.llas.ac.uk/publications/employability.html

LLAS: Website and resources

Dr Erika CorradiniLaurence GeorginAcademic coordinators LLAS

Resources

● Fostering good practice within the community○ Good Practice Guide http://www.llas.ac.

uk/resources/guidecontents.html ○ Materials bank http://www.llas.ac.

uk/resources/bankcontents.html ○ 700 reasons to study languages… http://www.llas.ac.

uk/700Reasons

Projects

● Collaborative projects with a community focus○ Language Box – an online space for storing and sharing

language learning resources www.languagebox.ac.uk/ ○ Language Café – community-based language groups

www.languagecafe.eu ○ Community café – co-creation of content with a group of

local teachers www.communitylanguages.wordpress.com○ Humbox – working with 3 subject centres and 11

universities to promote open education resources www.humbox.ac.uk/

Our website

● The LLAS website is an important communication tool for us – to publicise our events, resources and projects and also to offer materials and information of benefit to our community

● It receives an average of 20,000 unique visitors per month with around 48,000 page views

● Our top viewed items are our homepage but also articles in the good practice guide, events and news

http://www.llas.ac.uk