Student Award 2005: What makes the best learning experience for students of Languages, Linguistics or Area Studies?

Are you an undergraduate in UK Higher Education studying Languages, Linguistics or an Area Studies programme?

Or are you an undergraduate studying a language on an Institution Wide Languages Programme?

If so, why not enter the LLAS student awards 2004-5!

What do you need to do?

Write an essay of 500-1000 words entitled 'What makes the best learning experience for a student in languages, linguistics or area studies?'. The winning essay will receive £150. All shortlisted essays will be published on the Subject Centre website.

More information for tutors and potential applicants

All essays will be judged following the closing date and a winner selected from a published shortlist.

Criteria for making decisions on essays

The criteria by which the essays will be judged are as follows. Each essay should:

• Answer the question 'what makes the best learning experience for a student of languages, linguistics or area studies?'
• Define and differentiate what is understood by 'good learning experiences'
• Include examples of good and/or innovative teaching, learning and assessment methods
• Give the reader an overview of the factors that comprise 'good learning experiences'
• Be sensitive to cultural, contextual and institutional differences (i.e it should not expose particular individuals or openly criticise an individual department)
• Be of sufficient quality to be exposed to a national audience (well structured, accurate use of grammar, spelling, punctuation and style)
• Provide an individual and honest account of the experience of learning.

What do you need to do

When you have written your essay, send it by email to the Subject Centre llas@soton.ac.uk. Please send it with a cover sheet (rich text format, 24Kb).

Assessment process

• The essays are assessed anonymously by the Subject Centre review panel, according to the criteria set out above.
• The Subject Centre team will select an overall winner across our subject areas.
• All applicants are notified of the outcome of the competition. All shortlisted essays and the winner's essay will be published on the Centre's website and receive a certificate.
• The prize will be presented to the winner at the Higher Education Academy Annual Conference in June 2005. A winner of the overall Higher Education Academy Student Award will also be appointed and will also receive a prize at this conference.
• An associated resource or journal paper will be developed using the information gathered in the competition.

Dates

Closing date Friday 18 February 2005
Notification letters sent to all applicants by Monday 16 May 2005