This document discusses challenges and strategies for language programs in universities. The top five challenges are: 1) Keeping students engaged throughout their language courses, 2) Securing support and buy-in from university leadership, 3) Obtaining sufficient resources and funding, 4) Addressing logistical timetabling issues, and 5) Ensuring consistent teaching quality. Overcoming these obstacles will require partnership across different stakeholders, including governments, schools, employers, and students themselves.

1. LeeAnn Stone, Ed.D. Head, Custom Curriculum
Multiculturalism & LfA:
Addressing the
Challenges

2. Forward to Languages for All:
Languages for Life
Changing the country’s attitude to teaching and learning
languages will demand a huge cultural change. It will rely
on action from Government, schools, LEAs, colleges,
universities, employers, parents and learners. Partnership
is the key to making this strategy a reality. It is only if we
work together on the implementation of this strategy that
we will achieve real and lasting change for the future, for
our young people, for adults, for business and for our
society
Catherine Ashton
.

3. Represented Institutions
*
Aston University
Birmingham City University
Brunel University
Durham University
Cardiff University
King's College London
Lancaster University
London School of Economics
Nottingham Trent University
Open University
School of Oriental and African Studies
Southampton Solent University
University of Central Lancashire
University of Bolton
University of Bradford
University of East Anglia
University of Hertfordshire
University of Huddersfield
University of Liverpool
University of Manchester
University of Reading
University of Roehampton
University of Salford
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
University of Surrey
University of the Arts

4. A Range of LfA/IWLP Programme Forms
Free or fee?
Students,
Staff and/or
Community?
Self-paced or
scheduled?
Credit or not?
Teacher-guided or
independent?
Integrated with
Specialist Dept,
Stand-Alone,
Student Services?

5. Top 5 Challenges
*
CATEGORY
Keeping Students Engaged
Leadership Support
Resourcing
Timetabling
Teaching Quality

6. Challenge: Keeping Students Engaged
*
• Student engagement
• Drop outs
• Getting students to engage & complete their
modern FL courses
• Credits
• Get students to stick out the whole term or
year
• Integration of the programme: Extra
curricular? Certificate?

7. Challenge: Engaging Leadership
*
• Securing support from VP/Management/
Leadership
• VP thinks students “aren’t language-learning
types”
• Leadership unaware
• No way for me to communicate with/educate
leadership

8. Challenge: Resourcing
*
• Resources to deliver staff & infrastructure
• What do you put in the LC
• How do you budget/Politics of budgeting
• Lack of resources and money for language
learning
• How to fund it? Who will pay-Students or
university?
• No continued funding commitment by university
management
• Why would a research University invest in non-
specialist study?

9. Challenges: Timetabling and Teaching Quality
*
Timetabling classes
• Finite amount of slots in the timetable
• Timetabling so as not to clash with other classes
• Logistical difficulties- no rooms
Variability of teaching quality
• Associates or small fractional contracts
• Outside the London bubble there is a struggle to find
qualified instructors
• No continuity- no higher across degree course levels.
Language not part of a degree. They can take Spanish
in year 1 and year 2 it might be not offered.

10. Hierarchy of Challenges
Support from Leadership
Resourcing
Timetabling
Teaching Quality
Student Engagement

11. LfA/IWLP Strategies for Success Exchange
http://tinyurl.com/LfA-IWLP
*

12. Exchange Report
*

13. Questions?
LeeAnn Stone, Ed.D.
Head, Custom Curriculum
LStone@RosettaStone.com