Languages & Enterprise Project

Patrick Sim and Pauline Kneale

University of Leeds

Project ContextA research project sponsored by the HEFCE/LLAS

‘Routes into Languages’ initiative.

Project Objectives1. An indicative assessment of enterprise learning

provision in HEI language departments2. Identify and describe instances of enterprise

learning practice3. Consider the barriers and obstacles to

enterprise learning provision4. Look at the synergies between language

curricula and enterprise learning

Enterprise Learning

What do we mean by ‘enterprise learning’?• Emphasis: not on producing entrepreneurs

but providing graduates with life & career skills

• Link with Employability• Adopt a holistic view of enterprise learning• Seek to ways of leveraging the particular

strengths of language degree curricula (e.g. year abroad)

Deep Learning

Transferable Skills

Business / Enterprise Knowledge

(Reflection, Self knowledge, Independent learning)

(General and Business specific skills)

(Work based learning,Enterprise exercises & exposure,Business processes)

Three dimensions of enterprise related learning

A Scheme for Enterprise Learning Assessment

Employability

Specialist Degree attainment

GeneralistIT skillsCreativityAnalytical ability

Problem solvingCommunicationPresentations

ConnectednessAbility and aptitudes for working with others(Teamwork, Inter-personal skills etc.)

Self ManagementReflection Time-management

Career management

The Association of Graduate Recruiters scheme for graduate Employability identifies four key attributes of graduate employability.

Using this scheme has the following advantages; it is holistic, relevant to graduates and provides a link with employability.

Enterprise Assessment Scheme

ENTERPRISE

Employability PLUS

Specialist Degree attainmentDegree related and / or core business

knowledge

Generalist

IT skillsCreativityAnalytical abilityProblem solvingCommunication skillsPresentation skills

Innovation/IPRProject managementWork related communication skillsMarketing/AdvertisingInterviewing Business planningFinance/Accounting Media communication skillsCommercial law

ConnectednessTeamworkingInter-personal skills

NegotiationIntercultural aptitudes

Self ManagementReflectionTime managementCareer management

Self RelianceSelf directed learningWork based learning

The assessment of enterprise learning is based on a modified AGR employability template which includes business and enterprise related elements.

Assessment CohortInitial research has identified a selection of HEI which involve a range

of enterprise learning strategies and methods.

• Birmingham University• University of Central Lancashire• Glasgow University• Lancaster University• Leeds University• Leeds Metropolitan University• University College London• Oxford Brookes University• Portsmouth University• Salford University• Sheffield University• Swansea University

Translation Cohort:• Bath University• Leeds University• Manchester University

Lancaster University German Studies BASpecialist (Option) Level 2, mainly for language assistants, the

University of Cumbria accepts students for two weeks teaching training and 4 weeks of paid teaching practice.

Skills The year abroad academic project often involves an analysis of the nature of the business (depending on placement type).

Connectedness Level 2 Online collaboration exercises with students at Graz University.

Self Management

Level 1 year abroad preparation involves a week training course, (teaching of English, studying abroad, project work, career development, finances, officialdom, cultural adaptation)

Level 2 Portfolio - eight pieces work with reflective summary of progress.

Year abroad involves a weekly reflective log and a final summative assessment essay (both in TL)

The LU VLE - module information and online tests, ‘MyPlace’ an online environment enabling collaboration and to record personal achievements (e.g. for CV).

University of Glasgow Russian BA

Specialist

Skills Level 2 writing workshop involves CV and job application

Connectedness Studying alongside Polish students and visiting students from Europe & US

Self Management

Weekly learning outcomes plan for in levels 1 & 2 aids independent learning through goal setting

Student feedback into teaching approachYear abroad financing and administration is much more

problematic than for placements in other countries, and Russia is generally a different and more demanding placement destination.

Pre 92 Institutions

General Observations Comment

Specialist Cognitive emphasis (typically literature and historical study in modern languages)

Work based communication

Transferable (Generalist) skills

Good coverage though typically not assessedNon-cognitive skills often not identified in the program

TeamworkProject ManagementInterpersonal skills

Transferable (Business) skills

Little, some HEI offer optional business related modules

Business communication

Connectedness Group work exists though not always assessed

NegotiationMeetings

Self management

Year abroad logs require reflectionStudent portfolios and formal self learning schemes exist on a few courses

PDPCareer development

Pre 92 SWOT

Strengths Weaknesses

Depth of content coverageFull year abroad development of self reliance and intercultural abilities

Transferable skills under emphasisedLimited depth of “working with others” and work based context in learning

Opportunities Threats

Greater use of business and work contexts for language development

Widening range of student abilityModularityLack of experience of formative assessment/supportMis-perception of ‘dumbing down’ of curriculum

Newer Institutions

General Observations Comment

Specialist Contemporary and vocational slant to curriculum

Transferable(Generalist)

skills

Some examples of assessment of abilitySome module titles make clear the skills that are being developed

Transferable(Business) skills

Generally more prevalent than in Pre 92 HEI

Business project

Connectedness More emphasis on group activitiesNegotiated outcomes in learning plans

Business related group projects

Self management

Generally structured portfolio or student learning plans

Post ’92 SWOT

Strengths Weaknesses

Greater emphasis and visibility of transferable skills

Shorter period abroad may curtail self reliance and intercultural awareness Career managementSkills learning developed through process use or project application rather than by transfer training

Opportunities Threats

Enterprise basis / context to learning

Analysis – (highlights)

Specialist language skills• Business and professional skills in the target language exist in

most of the core language programmes though in some cases these are only addressed through options.

Transferable skills• The languages curriculum teaches a number of skills which can

be classed as “for enterprise” rather than content “about enterprise”. Aspects which were represented on all courses include group work, IT use, presentation and all round communication skills.

• The majority of courses do not involve interviewing training or experience (either as interviewer or interviewee)

• The major problem solving skill developed on language degrees are related to translation

• CV production, job application and formal / business letters are valuable skills in target languages though not present in the core language teaching of most the courses.

Business skills

• A few courses specifically include business related communication (e.g. telephone skills, business register, business letter writing, working relations) in the core teaching.

• Some commercial awareness is included in the current affairs and cultural education, though mainly this has to be accessed through optional modules.

• Marketing and advertising in the target culture mostly exist in business related options.

• Negotiation skills in the target culture were absent from most courses, and not even being available in optional modules.

• Learning about enterprise in the target culture is not touched on by any of the courses.

Barriers & issues• The Year abroad. This valuable aspect of languages study

was often not sufficiently integrated into the overall curriculum.

• Modularity. Highly modular programmes did not always give sufficient attention to student progression.

• Staff expertise. Especially in small units, the availability of requisite staff expertise was not secure, resulting in significant failures in ability to deliver an adequate range of teaching, or discontinuities in what could be delivered from one year to the next.

• Dispersal of staff. Teaching staff were often located in units dominated by a cognate discipline, with risks of marginalisation, or in a number of units contributing to a particular programme, with risks of fragmentation.

Barriers & issues (cont)

• Specialisation. Staff tending to specialise in narrow areas of their discipline, with potential lack of overview and obstacles to communication between staff from different parts of the disciplinary area.

• Assessment. In some cases, the relation between the programme and means of assessment was underdeveloped, and procedures for feedback to students required more attention.

• Mixed teaching. Teaching to student groups of different attainment levels, different disciplinary backgrounds, or different personal backgrounds (non-UK, mature, part-time students etc) is widespread, and work was needed to address the difficulties to which this gave rise.

• Key skills. These were often advertised, but not always adequately embedded into programmes. In particular, there was sometimes inadequate provision for higher level skills, for example in final year research- or project-type work.

Thank you

• Expert Meeting Next week

• End of Project December 2007