Thriving for the public good
Date: 11 September, 2013
Location: The British Medical Association, London
Event type: Workshop
5th Annual workshop for Heads of Department and leaders in languages, linguistics and area studies
This event is supported by the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML).
Impact and public benefit are key priorities for the public funding of higher education. For example, the 2014 Research Evaluation Framework (REF) requires universities to demonstrate that their research has benefits outside the university as well as within the academic community. The strategies of AHRC and ESRC emphasise the commitment to interact with public life and bring benefits to the country. The Finch report has called for all publically funded research outputs to be open access so they can be read by anybody who wishes to read them without payment or library subscription. The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement promotes the free sharing and re-sharing of teaching resources without copyright restrictions and MOOCs (Mass Open Online Courses) attempt to reach new audiences all over the world. The public benefits universities provide to their local communities through outreach work, continuing education and public engagement is a key part of demonstrating impact outside academia. Universities also need to have access agreements in place to promote university study to groups who have traditionally found it difficult to access higher education.
Heads of departments of languages and related studies face some well known challenges and some new ones. Student numbers and staff-student ratios persist as a key concern. Tightened immigration policies have made the recruitment of (non-EU) international students more difficult and in England changes in the constraints on student numbers have added further complexity to recruitment process. Technological developments and school curriculum changes mean that student expectations change more rapidly than ever. Changes in student funding, demographics, and the school curriculum have introduced great volatility, and longer term shifts in the patterns of international political and economic relations raise existential challenges for languages and other studies dealing with the wider world.
- Impact and public engagement
Fees
STANDARD RATE :
£180.00 to attend the event
CANCELLATION CHARGE :
There is a cancellation charge of £180 if you cancel from Wednesday 28 August 2013 onwards
Lunch will be provided.
Final Programme
| 10:00- 10:30 | Coffee and registration |
| 10:30- 10:35 | Welcome and Housekeeping |
| 10:35-12.00 |
Session One: Strategy A strategic contextual overview of university modern languages. Major social and economic changes as well as policy shifts at UK and European level offer many new challenges and some new opportunities for modern language departments in the UK. Longstanding concerns about the sustainability of language programmes now exist against a backdrop of on-going austerity and the priority of jobs and growth. This presentation will consider the implications for languages and how languages can thrive in the present context. To view Jim Coleman's presentation, please click here.
This talk will present an example of the process and outcome of undertaking the development of an institutional language strategy |
| 12.05-13:00 |
Session Two: Leadership Leading a department of modern languages: Old and new challenges Successfully leading a university department requires a wide range of academic and interpersonal skills. Leading change and managing colleagues (who are often also friends) are particular challenges for new HoDs. Being aware of your institution's strategic priorities and building strong relationships outside your department are key to surviving and thriving in your own university. Click here for powerpoint presentation. |
| 13:00- 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-15:00 |
Session Three: Curriculum review (group activity) Facilitator: Alison Dickens, Assistant Director of the Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, University of Southampton Reviewing the curriculum is one of the main ways in which a department can address change. In this session we will work in groups to discuss issues and approaches, whether it is carried out as a collective task or in response to pressure from senior management |
| 15:05-16:30 |
Session Four: Impact Handling the media Jim Coleman, Professor of Language Learning and Teaching and Chair of UCML and Teresa MacKinnon Senior Language Tutor, University of Warwick and Vice Chair, External Engagement and Communications, UCML Refreshments Thriving for the public good (group activity) Facilitators: Michael Kelly, Director of Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies and Alison Dickens, Assistant Director of the Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, University of Southampton |
| 16:30-17:00 |
Review of the day This plenary session will bring together the points covered during the day and provide an opportunity to further raise questions |
