Archived April 2004 ebulletin

Register if you would like to receive future monthly e-bulletins

This bulletin contains information on the following:

1. Residence Abroad Workshop
2. C & IT Workshop: Microsoft Powerpoint 'Making your point in HE'
3. Workshop: Linguistics in Applied Linguistics MA Programmes
4. Seminar: Criticality and the contributions of Modern Languages degrees to student development.
5. Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies Conference 2004 Navigating the new landscape for languages
6. Residence Abroad: Call for Weblinks
7. Rethinking pedagogical models for e-learning: Questionnaire
8. External Examiners
9. Students and the Workplace: Call for employability case studies
10. EALTA Questionnaire
11. Collaborative Research training provision for doctoral students: Invitation to bid
12. UACE Student Support Network: Spring Event
13. UACES Conference: The Italian Presidency of the European Council in 2003

Subject Centre events

1. Workshop: Residence Abroad

07 May 2004, British Council, London
This event follows on from an expert focus group held in December 2003 and aims to promote good practice in preparation and support for RA. Further information and an online registration form can be found on the Residence Abroad event webpage.

2. C&IT Workshop: Microsoft Powerpoint 'Making your point in HE'

14 May 2004, Kingwood City Learning Centre, Fulham, London
This is a one-day hands-on course using Microsoft PowerPoint in language teaching in Higher Education. It is a collaborative venture between CILT and the Subject Centre. Bookings for this event are being taken by CILT. For more information and registration details please go to CILT's event page [www.cilt.org.uk/cpd/lo0504pph.htm]

3. Workshop: Linguistics in Applied Linguistics MA programmes

24 may 2004, CILT, London
The Subject Centre's Linguistics Group is organising a one day seminar on the general subject of the role of Linguistics in Applied Linguistics MA programmes, focusing particularly on MA programmes TESOL, TEFL and English Language and Applied Linguistics.

There is some national guidance (e.g. from the ESRC) about what taught Master's level courses of this kind should include in terms of knowledge and skills and it is interpreted rather differently from institution to institution. There is also a range of issues that need to be addressed, including :

• How can both 'postgraduateness' and vocational relevance be achieved?
• What differentiates postgraduate study from undergraduate study?
• What skills should be developed at postgraduate level and how are these best assessed?

This seminar will provide an opportunity for practitioners on MA Applied Linguistics courses to present their own approaches to these issues and discuss them with colleagues from other institutions facing similar challenges. The Subject Centre plans to publish a version of these papers in its online Good Practice Guide.
To register please go to the Linguistics in Applied Linguistics MA programmes event webpage.

4. Seminar: Criticality and the contributions of Modern Languages degrees to student development

28 May 2004, CILT, London
For the past two years an ESRC-funded project entitled the Development of Criticality in Two Academic Disciplines has been investigating the intellectual and social development of Modern Languages undergraduates. The researchers (Ros Mitchell, Brenda Johnston, Florence Myles and Peter Ford) will be presenting the provisional findings of this project at a seminar hosted by the Subject Centre at CILT in London. a panel of experts (Lid King, Naomi Segal, Hilary Footitt, Jim Coleman and Marianne Howarth) will discuss the ideas presented, provide discussants for papers and present their own ideas about the contributions of Modern Language Degrees to student development.

The seminar will be of interest to those recruiting from Modern Language degrees, to those managing Modern Languages degree programmes, and to those teaching on Modern Language degrees. Further information about the event and the online registration form can be found on the Criticality event webpage.

5. Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies Conference 2004 Navigating the new landscape for languages

Wednesday 30 June and Thursday 1 July 2004, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
This is the second biennial conference jointly organised by the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies and CILT, the National Centre for Languages. Application forms for places at the conference were sent out recently with the latest Subject Centre newsletter Liaison, issue 5, February 2004. If you have not received one and would like to please email llas@soton.ac.uk or download a copy from the confernce website [www.cilt.org.uk/navlang]

Other items

6. Residence Abroad: call for web links

The Subject Centre is currently developing and collating resources for Residence Abroad. We hope to produce a list of useful web links to post on the Subject Centre website and for uor workshop on Residence Abroad and we would be most grateful for your assistance. It would be really helpful if you could email us (llas@soton.ac.uk) with 3 suggestions of URLs you find useful in preparing students for RA (and which you are happy to share with colleagues in other institutions). Please could you tell us why you would recommend these websites. Do include your own institutions' web pages if appropriate.

7. Rethinking pedagogical models for e-learning: questionnaire

This is part of a research project based at the University of Sheffield, funded by the Subject Centre. The project is exploring the methodological and pedagogical implications of the developments of new technologies, one of the aims of the project being to compile a 'map' detailing the provision of e-learning. The questionnaire forms are an intrinsic component of the study. We would be grateful if you could take 10 minutes to complete it and return it by 7 April 2004.

8. External examiners

The Learning and Teaching Support Network is leading a research and development programme aimed at improving the support given to external examiners. An important part of the research programme is to commission up to 50 external examiners to produce personal accounts of their experiences using a simple framework of questions. Each person will be paid £100 for their short account. The accounts will be anonymous and analysed by an independent researcher. A synthesis paper will be produced from the results. If you have some expericence of external examining and would be interested in participating in this project, please contact the Subject Centre (llas@soton.ac.uk).

9. Students and the workplace: call for employability case studies

How do you prepare your students for the workplace? Do you run modules to prepare your students for the world of work? What else do you do to help your students prepare for life after graduation? Please contact the Subject Centre (J.Canning@soton.ac.uk) and let us know what you are doing.

10. EALTA questionnaire

ENLTA (European Network in Language Testing and Assessment) is a new, EU-funded project which is developing a European association for individuals and institutions interested in assessing language skills (www.ealta.eu.org). As an initial step the project is surveying the training needs of people most involved in language testing and assessment and has developed a questionnaire. On the basis of the findings of this survey, ENLTA will work on the development of materials and training events. If you are interested in taking part you can access the survey questionnaire from the EALTA website: www.ealta.eu.org/survey/intro.htm The results from the survey will be presented at the first EALTA conference in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, 14-16th May 2004. Any questions may be directed t the survey coordinator Dr Angela Hasselgren at the University of Bergen, Norway. Email: angela.hasselgren@eng.uib.no

Other events

11. Collaborative research training provision for doctoral students: invitation to bid

The new 'collaborative research training provision' scheme will provide pump-priming funds to support institutions in establishing new, or enhancing existing, specialist research training provision for doctoral students in the arts and humanities. The scheme is intended to support the provision of specialised subject- or discipline-specific research training to groups of students where it is not possible or cost-effective to provide the training for students in just one department or institution.
Bids are invited from departments in two or more collaborating institutions. The closing date for submitting bids is 28 May 2004 and further details and an application form can be downloaded from the website at: www.ahrb.ac.uk/university_staff/postgrad/collaborative_research_training_provision.asp

12. UACE student support network: spring event

The UACE Student Support Network invites you to a seminar: 'Supporting the Part Time Student: Why, when and How?', to be held at Warwick, Leeds and Newcastle on 20 May, 27 May and 04 June respectively. Fee: £15.00. For more details and a booking form please email m.j.h.morgan@leeds.ac.uk, indicating at which venue you would like to attend. Places are limited so please book early.

13. UACES conference: the italian presidency of the european council in 2003

UACES, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies, brings together academics involved in researching and teaching on Europe with practitioners active in European affairs. UACES offers an extensive range of events, among them the following conference, which may be of interest to you: The Italian Presidency of the European Council in 2003 to be held on Friday 21 May 2004 at the London School of Economics and Political Science. For more details of this conference please visit www.uaces.org/D410403.htm

We would be grateful if your would forward this bulletin to colleagues and relevant mailing lists. Please do not hesitate to contact the Subject Centre if you have any queries regarding this bulletin.

Jane Copeland
Subject Centre Secretary
Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
School of Modern Languages
University of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton SO17 1BJ

tel. 023 8059 4814
email ljc2@soton.ac.uk