LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

The XML project: developing digital literacy in modern languages

The OpenLIVES Project

Community Café Project

E-learning project: Learning Object Creator (LOC) - an authoring tool for teachers to create online learning materials

Collaboration programme in Modern Languages in higher education

Facilitating language learning through social networking sites : Integrating advising into online teaching

Higher Education Academy Discipline-based workshop - Workshop news

The University of Hull, Department of Modern Languages
Tuesday 8 May 2012

CETL Survey in partnership with LLAS: Multimedia Language Learning in UK Higher Education
This report offers a baseline for future investigation in recent developments in the use of technology to enhance language learning. It also intends to establish extent of use and best practice within the Higher Education sector of the UK.

Call for bids: Materials development projects
The Subject Centre's Materials Bank has been set up to encourage and facilitate the sharing of teaching materials in Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. The Subject Centre is currently seeking to expand and develop this resource and is making some funds available for the development of additional materials for the Bank. We are inviting bids for small-scale projects (max £5000 per project) which will develop new materials that can be made available for sharing across the sector. Projects should, therefore, relate to materials that address an area of need (e.g. lack of good/available resources), a particular teaching issue/method/tool or relate to a core aspect of a discipline.

POSTPONED - E-learning : 6 Ps in a podcast, creating good quality audio resources for blended and distance learning
Event date: 8 November, 2011
Location: The Open Learning Centre, King's Building (marked A), Strand Campus, King's College London

Approaches to e-Learning
Event date: 21 September, 2011
Location: The Language Space, University College London, 1-4 Malet Place, London, WC1E 7JE

The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 20 May, 2011
Location: Wolfson Suite, Harold Cohen Library, University of Liverpool (no 431 on campus map, gridline D8))

RESCHEDULED FROM 1/12/10 - The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 19 January, 2011
Location: Irvine Building, University of St Andrews

Open educational resources in the disciplines: a joint academy subject strand conference
Event date: 26 October, 2010
Location: The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), 66 Portland Place, London

The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 14 January, 2011
Location: University of Durham, Room 150 (entrance no.1, first floor), Elvet Riverside Building (no 25) on map

The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 13 October, 2010
Location: Room: H104 in Hirwaun building, registration in H213 of the same building, Treforest Campus, University of Glamorgan

Experiments in OERs for the future: re-using and re-mixing in the lifecycle of a resource
Event date: 13 July, 2010
Location: Building 25, Highfield Campus, University of Southampton

The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 21 June, 2010
Location: Language Lab 0/11, Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh Napier University

The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 20 April, 2010
Location: Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands

IPR and copyright when sharing educational resources
Event date: 14 December, 2009
Location: University of Southampton, Avenue Campus

The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 21 October, 2009
Location: Tower Building, Perth Road, IT Lab Tower, IT Suite B (in the basement of the Tower)

Embedding online learning in current teaching practice
Event date: 18 September, 2008
Location: The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Christodoulou Meeting Room 15 (CMR 15)

Embedding online learning in current teaching practice
Event date: 6 June, 2008
Location: S block, Room 2S601, School of Education, University of the West of England

The LOC tool for teachers: authoring your own online learning materials
Event date: 14 May, 2008
Location: Open Learning Centre, King's College London, Strand Campus, Room -1.071

e-Learning and educational technologies
Event date: 9 June, 2008
Location: University of Bristol, School of Chemistry, Lecture Theatre 4

E-learning symposium
Event date: 25 January, 2008
Location: Avenue Campus, University of Southampton

Online education using communication tools (Manchester, 1 June 07)
Event date: 1 June, 2007
Location: Room 3.59, Williamson Building, University of Manchester

Online education using communication tools (London, 30 May 07)
Event date: 30 May, 2007
Location: Language Lab 2, Sherfield Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London

E-Learning symposium (14 Dec 05)
Event date: 14 December, 2005
Location: New College, University of Southampton, Avenue Building, Room A1077 (lecture theatre)

Using WebCT to support Language Learning (18 Feb 2005)
Event date: 18 February, 2005
Location: Coventry University, George Eliot Building, 6th floor, room GE614

Tips and tricks for teaching Linguistics with technology (17 Feb 2005)
Event date: 17 February, 2005
Location: CILT,

Resources Information Day: teaching languages through virtual learning environments
Event date: 4 December, 2002
Location: CiLT

Understanding Essay Questions

These learning object activities will help you to understand how questions are structured and give you practice in recognising key components of essay questions. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Umgangssprache in deutschen Liedern

This learning object activity is on the German language. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing, and is entirely in German.

Subordinating Conjunctions in German

In these learning object activities, you will consider how to recognise and translate subordinating conjunctions and will practise locating the verb in a subordinate clause. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Introduction to social networking and Web 2.0

After completing the tasks provided in thsi learning object, lecturers should; understand the basic concepts that make up Web 2.0, improve their knowledge of social networks, be able to evaluate different social networks for educational purposes, be confident in designing a task using social network. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Colloquial expressions with 'ser' and 'estar' (B2)

This learning object is on the Spanish language. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing, and is in entirely in Spanish.

Preparing for exams

In this learning object, you will learn;  to identify the myths and realities about taking exams, to gain practice in using your memory for revision; to investigate what to do before, during and after an exam. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Strategies for moderating successful online courses

After completing the tasks in this learning object, you should; understand what online education is about, increase your confidence in moderating courses online, improve your skills in designing online courses. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Managing your time successfully

In this learning object activity, you will learn to; practise ways of avoiding wasting time, Provide opportunities for improving your time management skills and look at ways of prioritising your time. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

What Is a Literature Review? An Introduction

In this learning object activity, you will have a closer look at a literature review chapter from a published journal article. The following tasks will introduce you to what content goes into a literature review, how you can structure it and what kind of expressions you can use in English, when you write your own literature review chapter (LRC). Examples and some tasks and references are oriented specifically at undergraduate business students for whom English is a foreign language.

Reading practice: Kaiser Karl der Große

These learning object activities are to be used for a Reading Class in German after you have completed approximately 30 hours of tuition. You will revise and practice past participles, and you will learn vocabulary relevant to a particular period in history. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Die Gleichberechtigung der Frauen in Deutschland

This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing, and is entirely in German.

German beginners - revision: meeting, greeting, getting to know each other

The aim of this exercise is to help you revise expressions you can use to greet someone, to introduce yourself and to ask questions about someone you have met for the first time. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Postcards from favourite places - reading and writing exercise (German)

In this learning object exercise you will read a postcard that was published by jetzt.de in June 2007, learn some new expressions that are typical for the region it was sent from, answer some questions and finally write your own postcard. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Recognising 'faux amis' (A-N) in German

This learning object aims to provide an introduction to False Friends. False Friends, Falsche Freunde or Faux amis (they are commonly known by the French phrase) are words that look or sound alike in two languages. However, they are not what they seem. In these activities, you will be made aware of the most frequently occurring German False Friends (A-N), and practise translating them correctly into English. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

Tips for lecturers using discussion boards

This learning object aims to provide an introduction to discussion board software and websites for lecturers. After completing the tasks provided, lecturers should; Have a better understanding of what a discussion board is, Increase their confidence in setting up a discussion board, Improve their skills in designing tasks for discussion boards. This learning object has been subject to peer review and editing.

VLEs: An introduction to online education using VLE (WebCT) communication tools
These resources were created for a Subject Centre 'Workshops to Go' by Marga Navarrete. These materials are from a series of workshops which aimed to introduce experienced f2f (face to face) lecturers to online education. A set of powerpoint presentations are available that are based on the content of two face to face workshops delivered in 2007.

OpenLearn modern languages courses
The Open University has published several online language learning material on its OpenLearn website. The French module 'En ville' will suit absolute beginners while 'Bien dans sa peau' will suit those with some previous knowledge. The Spanish modules are available for beginners ('Espacios públicos'), upper intermediate ('La historia piedra a piedra'), and advanced ('Perspectivas porteñas' and 'Con mis propias manos'). The German materials include a unit at upper intermediate level about family life in Germany ('Lebensumstaende'), and at advanced level about regions and political structures ('Regionen, Traditionen und Geschichte').

E-learning: Learning object creation checklist
A learning object is a particular type of online electronic learning material that is generally defined as a small, digital and self-contained unit of learning that can be broadly (but not exclusively) described as context independent, reusable and adaptable. A key quality of a learning object is that it contains a high level of interactivity, will have defined learning outcomes and specific tasks or activities for the learner. Although it may make use of other resources it will not depend on other resources or other units of learning and should be reusable in a number of learning situations. This tool is intended to help you to evaluate existing electronic resources for their suitability for repurposing as learning objects. Answering the questions in each of the 3 sections will help you to reflect on key issues for the design of online learning materials and give you guidance as to whether your materials are appropriate for use in learning objects.

Spanish: E-pack (sample)
These materials represent a sample of the interactive online exercises developed at London Metropolitan University for beginners in Spanish. The exercises combine sound, image and text in a single activity and provide instant feedback. They cover the main language learning skills of listening, reading, writing and grammar and involve a variety of activities, such as matching, reordering and games.

Italian: E-pack (sample)
These materials represent a sample of the interactive online exercises developed at London Metropolitan University for beginners in Italian. The exercises combine sound, image and text in a single activity and provide instant feedback. They cover the main language learning skills of listening, reading, writing and grammar and involve a variety of activities, such as matching, reordering and games.

Irish: Computer-Assisted Practice Activities for Irish Language Learners (CAPAILL)
CAPAILL is an on-line learning package to help Irish-language learners with some previous experience of the language. The aim of the package is to support students in improving their knowledge and understanding of the language by practising selected topics, with the main emphasis on points of grammar, usage and spelling that are known to cause problems.

French: E-pack (sample)
These materials represent a sample of the interactive online exercises developed at London Metropolitan University for beginners in French. The exercises combine sound, image and text in a single activity and provide instant feedback. They cover the main language learning skills of listening, reading, writing and grammar and involve a variety of activities, such as matching, reordering and games.

Spanish: for beginners and general Spanish grammar
Interactive exercises for Spanish created using 'Interactive Language Learning Authorware' designed by Steve Cushion, Guildhall University (also available for downloading from www.llas.ac.uk). The materials come in two files (A and B) which are compressed files that can be self-extracted by clicking on them. The programs run using a web browser and can be started by clicking on the 'home' icon.

German: for beginners and general German grammar
Interactive exercises for German created using 'Interactive Language Learning Authorware' designed by Steve Cushion, Guildhall University. The materials come in two files (A and B) which are compressed files that can be self-extracted by clicking on them. The programs run using a web browser and can be started by clicking on the 'home' icon.

German: Angelika's German webpages
Reading comprehension exercises for beginners, threshold and intermediate levels. They can be used to supplement the Themen neu course books, and are intended for independent study.The exercises are part of my website which, in part, is a portal to Internet resources.

French: Online language resources for intermediate/advanced learners
The French language exercises available on this site consists of sentences for translation, grammar and vocabulary exercises which were originally designed for students on a second year French language course at the University of Portsmouth. They contain grammar difficulties and a variety of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions drawn from articles studied in class. They enabled students to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. The external links are grouped by the following categories: Grammaire, Dictionnaires/Glossaires, Traduction and Liens Utiles.

Spanish: El problema del agua, de la seguía y el Plan Hidrológico Nacional
WWW material covering the topic "El problema del agua, de la seguía y el Plan Hidrológico Nacional" which includes personal photographs with texts, links to other www sites relevant or relating to the topic, and exercises aimed at year 2 students to develop reading/summary writing skills and to increase knowledge of this topic.

Spanish: Contemporary Language and Culture

This is a specialist online language and culture course for students who have achieved an advanced level in Spanish because they are in the final year of their University degree, have spent time in a Spanish-speaking country or are false native speakers. The course has been devised to reinforce and develop the language through reading, writing and speaking. The materials in the components follow each other closely and complement vocabulary expansion with development of linguistic structures. The contents of the course cover contemporary cultural issues such as TV, cinema, family and work, and linguistic minorities in the Spanish-speaking world. The cultural-linguistic diversity of Spain and Latin America is exploited through a selection of authentic materials showing different styles, accents and media. The course is structured to develop transferable as well as language skills through hands - on experience of IT use and language activities. The materials can be easily adapted to meet the requirements of students in secondary schools, sixth form colleges or Higher Education. The website also contains pages to help teachers to adapt their own materials or to produce their own courses.

Face-to-face and online interactions - is a task a task?
This study contrasts two different ways of analysing interaction and participation in language learning tutorials: Social network analysis of frequency and QSR analysis of type of interaction. One task from three German beginners' language tutorials (one delivered face-to-face, the other two online) is analysed. A description of the background and method of the study is provided together with some examples of the findings. As this is work in progress, only tentative conclusions can be provided at this stage.

Speaking across frontiers - promoting the independent use of synchronous voice conferencing by scattered groups of Open University language learners
During the past two years The Open University has opened its synchronous audio-visual conferencing system to language students for use in independent study partnerships. This paper explores the ways in which language students scattered throughout the UK and other European countries have received and are making use of this opportunity to speak to one another and share images independently over the Internet. It also considers the University initiatives required to promote and provide pedagogical support for these independent partnerships.

The Linguacast Project at the Open Access Centre and Schools' Enterprise Euromarch
This report describes firstly the process of setting up a language learning podcast site in order to demonstrate the use of web-hosted mp3 recordings for learning. The second part describes a multi-organisational school-based project that used the site and podcasts to deliver language learning material.

Developing online self-access materials for subject specific language courses at an advanced level (SAM Project)
The Language Centre at the University of Bristol is committed to providing students with up-to-date and innovative learning opportunities. Over the course of the academic year 2004-2005 the applied foreign language team developed a range of online language learning materials in French, German, Italian and Japanese for Engineers, Scientists and Social Scientists studying language at advanced and intermediate levels.

Online languages and reflective learning
This paper describes a programme of university language courses, delivered as a combination of both online and face-to-face teaching. The authors believe that the approach taken can promote learner reflection. Evaluation studies reported a good level of student satisfaction and focus groups indicated an increased quality of student work. Further work to foster greater reflection is discussed.

Collaborative writing in Russian with shared text editor
A shared text editor was introduced into a Russian class in writing skills and used over a period of four years. It was initially adopted for its potential practical advantages over a traditional classroom whiteboard. Its use has led to new language learning activities that have contributed to the whole language programme and the writing class has become more integrated into the language programme as a whole. Opportunities for sharing and collaboration have been greatly increased and the role of the teacher has changed.

The role of the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) in the development of a varied set of strategies to integrate ICT into language learning (a case study)

This objectives of this paper are to: present a case study of what an international organisation like the ECML can do to address current needs in language teaching and learning; outline the major issues involved in such an initiative.

Online teaching skills for language tutors

Online teachers need different skills than those normally employed by tutors trained to teach languages in a face-to-face classroom and they also require different skills compared to online teachers of other subjects. Research shows that the medium influences the form of communication and interaction (see e.g. Hutchby 2001). The asynchronicity of communication in written conferencing and the lack of non-verbal clues in audio-conferencing are examples of new challenges for online language tutors.

Case study: Supporting student learning at level 1 Linguistics
This case study evaluates the impact of an enhanced portfolio of learning support materials deployed in the LING 101:Introduction to Language and Linguistics module at Nottingham Trent University.

Relating linguistic theory to TESOL practice in a distance MA programme
This paper considers some of the issues involved in ensuring that a distance Masters programme is both academically rigorous and vocationally relevant. It will demonstrate that students are motivated not only by career concerns but also by their desire to deepen their understanding of theoretical aspects of Linguistics and language learning and show how one Department (at the University of Leicester) meets these demands in their distance MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL.

Library and bibliographic research skills in LLAS
A general view of the major issues faced by those teaching how to locate, retrieve and evaluate information in LLAS in the UK. The article gives examples of different kinds of practice, with a particular emphasis upon the use of online resources. The skills described are those required at both undergraduate and postgradute levels. A brief review is provided of training schemes and of the way techniques are changing in the area of bibliographic research.

Teaching linguistics via the web

This section lists different resources widely available on the web and can contribute to the teaching of linguistics. It also refers to customised web resources specifically developed to teach or test linguistics on-line, often with restricted access. Some urls are provided as examples. Different models of integration are considered as are issues related to quality control and assurance.