£9000 a year for what? Languages and area studies under the new fees regime in England

Date: 20 May, 2011
Location: Goodenough Club, 23 Mecklenburgh Square, London WC1N 2AD
Event type: Workshop

Location map | Programme

Deadline for registration is 13 May 2011

From 2012-13 universities in England will be able to charge fees up to £9,000 per year for undergraduate students. The possible impacts of the new regime on levels of recruitment are complicated in languages and area studies by the various regulations governing the ability of universities to charge for the year abroad. This discussion-based workshop will help colleagues to identify and respond to the challenges and opportunities the new fees regime may present.

Fees

  • There is a charge of £75 for employees and postgraduate students of publicly funded UK higher educational institutions and other institutions with a subscription to the Higher Education Academy to attend this event.
  • There is a charge of £85 for employees and postgraduate students of private institutions/organisations and non-UK institutions to attend this event
  • Please note that we reserve the right to retain the fee of £75 if you do not notify us at least 48 hours beforehand that you are unable to attend.
  • Lunch will be provided

Travel bursary

Travel bursaries are not available for this event.

Provisional programme for 20 May 2011
Time Session
10.30 - 11.00 Coffee and registration
11.00 - 11.15 Introductions and housekeeping.
11.15 - 13.00 More study, more recognition? The four year degree in the new fees regime.

A four year degree, but just a BA? A case for undergraduate masters degrees in languages and area studies

R J Ellis, University of Birmingham

Designing a four year undergraduate masters’ degree: The Master of Modern Languages (MML) degree at the University of Manchester.

Floriane Place-Verghnes, University of Manchester

Powerpoint Slides (PowerPoint,1.88 MB)
 
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch
14.00 - 15.00 What do I get for my £27,000- £36,000?

Facilitator: Vicky Wright, Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Universities will argue that the student fees merely offset costs which were previously met by government and will not increase income. However, this question about what students get for their fees is a perfectly legitimate one which academic colleagues will need to answer. Group discussions on the following topics will be followed by a plenary session:

  • Student contact time with staff. Students want more contact, but what sort of contact?
  • Online learning: new solutions and new problems
  • Student services. Campus bus services, accommodation, IT provision. Someone else’s problem?
15.00 - 15.30 Tea break
15.30 - 16.30 Thriving in very difficult times

Facilitator: Marie-Annick Gournet (University of the West of England)

Numbers of students taking modern languages and area studies courses have been on a downward course since the 1990s. Even where modest gains have been recorded these have not kept pace with the overall expansion of UK higher education.
Group discussions on the following topics will be followed by a plenary session:

  • Marketing and promoting languages and area studies
  • Widening access
  • Identifying opportunities for languages and area studies in the new fees regime.
16.30 - 17.00 Concluding plenary