LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Supporting students' learning in modern languages (3 Nov 06)
Event date: 3 November, 2006
Location: Aston University

Modern Languages and the development of student criticality (28 May 2004)
Event date: 28 May, 2004
Location: CILT, London

Teaching philosophy and social theory in Area Studies (4 Feb 2004)
Event date: 4 February, 2004
Location: Scottish CILT

Study skills for university
This sample of online learning materials will help you to become familiar with and practise some important skills concerned with university study.

EAP: University Challenge: a short orientation and listening course for international students
The aims of these materials is to raise awareness of university life in the UK, to raise awareness of key study tasks and to provide listening and note-taking practice. The course consists of four short modules, each featuring a key study task: writing essays, understanding lectures, participating in seminars and tutorials, and reading/research skills.

Bridging the Gap: University of Manchester
The University of Manchester's Bridging the Gap project to help students transition between GCSE, As and A2 level is described. Various forums and committees were set up to identify gaps in their respective syllabuses and events days were run at a Language College to help fill these gaps. Feedback on the events was good and it is hoped that this type of event will encourage more students to take languages at university level.

An interim assessment of the introduction of accredited portfolios in introductory French courses
This paper reports on the introduction of accredited portfolios into an ab initio French language course at the University of Stirling. These were introduced to help students progress from a teacher-led learning environment into one in which a more autonomous approach was required. Student feedback was mainly positive, whilst a slight improvement in grades was also reported. However, some areas of difficulty would benefit from further development.

Spanish students in British universities: developing a support resource to improve their academic writing skills

A substantial number of Spanish students enter British universities each year. Those students, like other international students, have to adapt not only to a new academic environment, but also to a new culture and a new way of communicating in a language that is not their native one. This piece of PhD research has analysed the difficulties that Spanish students have to face when studying in higher education in Britain.