31 st
March, 2006

Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 2
This report arises from a visit by a review Group to the Department of Spanish on the
8th-10th February, 2006. The Department of Spanish had already prepared and submitted a ‘Self Assessment Report’ that, with other documentation, was made available to the review team in advance of the visit.
The Review Group consisted of: Professor Alison Sinclair, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Cambridge (Chair); Professor Ciaran Cosgrove,
Department of Hispanic Studies, Trinity College, Dublin; Dr Gearóid Denvir, Scoil na
Gaeilge, NUI Galway; and Dr Martina Prendergast, Environmental Change Institute, acting as Rapporteur.
The report is structured to cover the following main topics:
•
Aims and Objectives
•
Strategic Plan
•
Organization and Management
•
Programmes and Instruction
•
Scholarship and Research
•
Community Service
•
The Wider Context
•
Summary and Concluding Remarks
•
Comments on the Methodology of the Review Process
The Aims and Objectives of the Department as outlined in their Self-Assessment
Report indicate a focus on research and teaching in the areas of Spanish language and literature, and Hispanic culture generally, studied within a broad geographical, historical and political context. Its vision for the future is that the Department will be bigger and more prestigious, recognized for its academic excellence both inside NUI
Galway and outside it. These aims reflect on the one hand continuity in the
Department’s commitment to providing effective courses for their students and on the other a shift in their activities to achieve a greater foregrounding of research.
The Department has been particularly successful in recent years in responding to the
University’s desire to increase student numbers, and has been valiant in coping with the stresses and challenges entailed in these increases. The increase has been predominantly in the number of ab initio students, posing particular difficulties because of the intense nature of teaching demanded. This in turn is made difficult by the fact that Spanish is only one out of four subjects studied in the first year (25% of student time) compared with the 50% or 100% that might represent student commitment to the subject in the first year in other universities. Nonetheless, the retention rates of students in this Department have not only not suffered, but are increasing. Although staffing levels have increased somewhat since the previous review, it is worthy of note that there are only four permanent members of staff, in addition to the Professor, and that there are four lectores . The contribution of the latter to language teaching is immense. The lack of continuity, however, given that the maximum length of stay is two years, means that entrusting much of the language
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 3 programme to them causes problems. In general, it seemed that there was some variation in practice between classes of the same type and level, in work set and marked, which indicates that there is need to establish clear guidelines for working practice as well as clear common course-structure, not only for good practice, but to assist in continuity and coherence of the language provision.
The Group notes that the January 2006 Strategic Plan of the Department gives first priority to the development of a stronger research profile, and then to the development of a more coherent and explicit view of the vision for each programme, in particular the BA programme, and that its third objective is to achieve an improvement in staffing levels in both permanent academic staff and administrative support. The
Department has been given a vote of confidence by the University through the recent appointment to the Chair of Spanish, and in this first year the Department is necessarily in the difficult stage of transition, with ever-increasing numbers of beginners, and no immediate alleviation of work-pressures. In this context it is understandable that the strategic objective relating to research causes some sense of stress. The Group believes that it is important that the Department understand that this is indeed a period of transition rather than a permanent situation, and that the shift towards research has as much to do with a shift of culture as it has to do with hours worked and students taught (see section on ‘Workload’ in Organization and
Management ). For the Department to bring about the shift towards a research culture the Group believes that a new appointment, while clearly desirable, is not the only element. A process of rationalization and clarification of management and organization structures is equally vital, and liable to reduce the current levels of stress experienced by members of the Department. The Group also believes that the development of non-language modules, particularly those intended for the final year, and the general development of thinking about the final year, need not be in conflict with research interests, and that the two activities could and should feed from one another. For the teaching members of the Department to communicate their evident enthusiasm to their students, it is of prime importance that the development of nonlanguage teaching and research be able to go hand in hand.
External Management
The Department of Spanish is one of 21 departments within the Faculty of Arts. The role of the Modern Languages Board is being strengthened and the Group’s perception from discussions with the Office of the Registrar and the Dean’s Office is that the Board may well provide a platform for more effective cooperation across disciplines. The strengthening of the Board is perceived by the Group not to pose a threat to the Spanish discipline. Changes in structures at a University level will impact on the strategic vision of the Department, but there is a desire by the department to engage in the process.
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 4
Staff Resources and Requirements
The University has recognised the strategic importance of the Department by appointing a Chair of Spanish. There are five permanent academic staff which include appointments above (1) and below the bar (2), and there is one Applied Language
Teacher (ALT). The Group were conscious that a large proportion of the departmental staff was on limited, short-term contracts or remuneration at an hourly rate.
Applied Language Teachers (ALTs)
The question of the roles of ALTs in Spanish and in other departments was raised. It is clear that in other Departments an ALT’s teaching is limited to one discipline.
There is an informal network of ALTs, but it is not clear whether there is a parity of workload across Departments. The Group understand that in the event of a new appointment of an ALT post, that the job description could be reviewed to reflect the shift of the department towards a more research-intensive culture.
Teaching Assistants (Lectores)
The Group notes that due to the temporary nature of the Teaching Assistant post that a loss of expertise occurs on an on-going basis. The Group felt that the management and co-ordination of the lectores need to be reviewed.
Administrative Assistant
The position of Administrative Assistant (AA) is on a permanent, half-time basis. The
Department undergraduate numbers are growing significantly each year, placing an enormous burden on the AA. The Group understands that based on the numbers of staff, the provision for administration will not be increased. However, the amalgamation of modern language departments could take advantage of pooled administrative resources.
Resource Requirement
The Department has made a case to the Registrar and the Academic Planning and
Resource Committee (APRC) for a new member of staff. The drafting of the
Department’s Strategic Plan has clarified to some extent the type of post required.
However, the Department needs to decide whether the requirement is for a member of academic staff who would engage in research activity, or whether the recruitment of a second ALT would be more beneficial to reduce the pressure of the first year teaching loads. Alternatively, the department could request a contract appointment (up to three years) with a view to revisiting the issue at a later date.
Workload
The Department has a staff student ratio of 18/1 which is higher than other modern language Departments. It was obvious from the outset to the Group that the question of workload is a major issue for all staff, who feel that they are heavily burdened in this respect and that the exigencies of language teaching at University level are perhaps not fully understood at management level. Because of this, the Group asked for a detailed breakdown of workload for all staff. This was provided and the committee finds it difficult to reconcile the view that the staff is necessarily severely overburdened from the figures provided. This statement is made in the context of the view of the Office of the Registrar that 6-8 hours teaching per week is normal for
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 5 academic staff and 15 hours for Assistant Language Teachers. The Group note, however, that the information provided pertained only to the current academic year, and that teaching loads for previous years may have been higher. We therefore suggest that a full audit of workload be made by the Department in order to arrive at a fuller picture of this fundamental issue for the Department going forward.
The Group were struck by the level and frequency of staff meetings. It was felt that there was a need for rationalization of meetings and to define the purpose of meetings.
A reduction in number of staff meetings is necessary and is acknowledged by the staff.
The rising numbers of second year students have placed an increasing administrative burden on staff in relation to SOCRATES placements. The International year abroad should perhaps be administered and co-ordinated through the International Office.
Collaboration
The Department is involved in a range of community activities both within the
University and in the wider community. Within the institution the most significant element of this service is undoubtedly their involvement in undergraduate interdisciplinary courses, and in particular the B. Comm. with Spanish, whose students are obviously very happy with the Spanish component of their course.
Health and Safety
The Department have completed a Health and Safety statement.
Undergraduate Teaching Programmes
The undergraduate teaching programmes comprise (i) Spanish BA/BA International;
(ii) Spanish for Commerce, Corporate Law and Information Technology. The firstyear intake is substantially and problematically ab initio . Heavy emphasis on intense language learning and teaching is evident. The required subdivision of the total cohort of beginners suggests that a common programme in language would be desirable, with equitable workloads in terms of exercises set, and with comparable methodologies and practices being implemented. The impression was received that diverse practice in the implementation of the language teaching programme was at times the case. There were also perceived inadequacies in the use of the language laboratory and in the amount of exposure to native speakers. However, all students at all levels have some contact with a native speaker.
Non-beginner entrants and beginners are examined as a single cohort at the year’s end, and this was felt by some of the students to be unjust. The Group feels that, especially with regard to beginners, exposure to a Spanish-speaking environment at an early stage is important, and that the first summer vacation is an ideal time for immersion in that environment. Therefore, the Department might seek to find even more ways to give active encouragement to students in this regard.
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 6
In the second year a variety of non-language modules is offered on a semesterized basis (two per semester). A concern was expressed with regard to the ‘difficulty’ of some subject matter (e.g. Borges, Ficciones ). Students also commented on the gulf between first and second year levels of Spanish.
The third year spent at a Spanish university was universally acclaimed, and was seen to serve as a fitting preparation for the fourth and final year. There were some queries regarding the final year taught language programme - particularly the 'redacción' slot
(essay writing, preparation of CVs etc) which was deemed to be overly emphasized and did not need to last for the whole teaching year. Two further hours of translation into and from the target language are imparted in the final year. It was noted that some felt that not enough time is dedicated to reinforcement of grammar. In the light of the Department's intention, stated in its key short-term objectives in Teaching in the Strategic Plan, to carry out a revision of the Final Year programme, the
Department might wish to re-visit its policy on language in this Final year, with perhaps a reduction of the emphasis on translation.
There was a feeling expressed that the non-language modules, of which six are chosen, were not sufficiently engaging, and that there was ‘over-examination’ of texts in some modules.
The Group was conscious of not having been able to see reports from external examiners, and felt that the absence of these reports was unhelpful to the Department.
The Group was particularly impressed by the way that students expressed themselves happy and content with the approachability of staff.
Graduate Teaching Programmes
At postgraduate level, there are two MAs (a) Spanish and (b) Translation Studies; and there is one PhD student currently registered. It was felt by some that uptake on the
MA programmes was somewhat slight, and that original hopes of multi-departmental participation in the MA in Translation were insufficiently realized.
The Group notes with approval the MA in Translation Studies as an innovative development in postgraduate studies. However, it is conscious that difficulties have arisen with regard to the interdepartmental inputs into the programme. This has negatively affected the successful operation of the programme. The Group feels that a review of this programme might be in order, especially in the context of other MA programmes in Translation, both in Ireland and abroad.
It was felt that postgraduate students, especially when few in number, need more departmental and collegiate support to enable them to participate more fully in the intellectual life of the university community. The Group notes also the present
University policy to increase the numbers of PhD students, and supports proposals by the Department to increase the number of PhD students in Spanish to one new student per annum over the next three years.
The 1999 review had reported that the recent publication record of permanent members of the department compares favourably with that of colleagues working under much more ‘research-friendly’ conditions. It also ‘noted with approval the
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 7 move to enhance the Department’s research profile by redressing the overdependence on short term appointments’.
The situation in 2006 is that progress has been made in this area in the form of the appointment to the Chair of Spanish, a sign that the Department’s intention to increase its research activity is supported by the Registrar and the Dean of the
Faculty. The renewed commitment to research is further indicated by the fact that developing a stronger research profile, ‘in terms of individual and research projects and in terms of increasing the number of postgraduate students’ is listed first among the general strategic objectives for the next three years. The detailed objective of having each academic publishing at least one article in a refereed journal by the end of 2007, and of having at least three research students registered in the Department by that date, could be seen as realistic rather than over-ambitious. The research-related objective of ensuring that members of staff have a weekly research day seems not only reasonable in the circumstances, but essential if there is to be a perceived and experienced shift towards a research culture.
The list of research projects under 4.2 of the Department’s Self-Assessment Report is evidence of intentions of ongoing research, but does not flag up the specific areas of future research in a way that would make them clear for staff. In relation to the objective of having each academic publishing in a journal by the end of 2007, for example, requires more detailed information and commitment at this stage, given the length of run-in time for publishing of this type.
It is clear that the experience of dealing with the overwhelming teaching commitments produced by the huge (and yearly increasing) cohort of beginners impinges on the perception of academic staff of how far they can enter further into a research culture. There is no separation of activities in this equation, and it is essential that further organization and rationalization take place in the planning of teaching
(particularly language teaching, and the administration of language teaching) in order to free time for research.
In relation to the Research Office, the Group feels that contact with the Department should occur. The Office is a source of expertise, and is willing to run workshops on applications for projects, and to give advice on how to draft applications for projects.
In relation to graduate students, there is a need for a framework of help and support both at the level of Department and Faculty. The establishment of a research seminar series as suggested by graduate students that could include both staff and graduate students would contribute to the creation of a research culture. Co-operation with cognate departments in this type of research context activity would also be likely to produce positive results.
In the wider community of Galway a particularly significant and successful development has been the Evening Diploma Course which has a present enrolment of
45 students. The Group believes that this area offers scope for further development should the Department feel that it has the resources to do so. It also notes the
Department’s participation in the University’s Outreach Programme, and in the context of the significant number of mature students now taking Spanish (30 in the current First Year) it is vital to continue this work. The arrangement by which
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 8 funding derives from this activity which in part comes back to the Department is evidently significant in providing some additional teaching funds.
The Group notes that the Department has a number of contacts with the academic community outside Galway, in participation in conferences and in research activities elsewhere, both in Ireland and Europe, and that it has made substantial contributions to cultural activities in the wider community. In the context of the strategic intention of raising the research profile of the Department, the Group believes that it is not only valuable but essential to continue and indeed to extend this type of contact.
We have commented on the Department’s collaboration with other Departments under the section on Organization and Management and under Programmes and
Instruction, and have noted under Scholarship and Research that more use could be made of the Research Office as a resource for information, advice and support. The
Research Office is willing to meet with the Department to explore ways in which they could assist, particularly with the time of transition towards a research culture that is foremost in the Department’s Strategic Plan. Meanwhile CELT exists as a resource for thinking on a wide range of topics including teaching methods, staff development seminars, and the Group believes that these could be explored by the Department. In addition to this, the Library is a further resource, not only of reading matter, but of training of students in the use, for example, of the MLA bibliography, and is willing to mount this for second-year students, in addition to offering assistance for fourthyear students in preparation of their final-year projects.
The Group found that despite evident difficulties facing it, the Department was in good heart, the teaching staff exceptionally committed to the students, and the students clearly appreciative of the work done with them by the staff. The
Department is currently negotiating a difficult period of change, in the light of exceptionally high numbers, and needs to put in train a series of measures to see it through this period and to enable it to carry out its strategic plan. The recommendations given below are made in the light of the Department’s Strategic
Plan. The first objective within the plan is to develop a stronger research profile, and the Group’s recommendations have this in mind, while being conscious of the difficulties faced by the Department because of its teaching pressures. The
Department’s aim, as stated in its Self-Assessment Report, stated that its focus was research and teaching in the areas of Spanish language and literature, and Hispanic culture generally. It is possible that this prioritization of language within the
Department’s aim might alter as the Department moves towards realization of its strategic aim which places research first, and as it moves towards development of its undergraduate courses in a way that is consistent with that aim. This, however, is a choice that the Department will be able to think about as it moves through the current period of transition towards its new profile.
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 9
Recommendations o a full audit of workload be made by the Department, in order to re-examine workload in the light of teaching hours, marking commitments, and administrative responsibilities o that the Department might wish to consider whether they might wish to adopt a policy of an optimum number of students for language classes o that the Department in its examination of courses for undergraduates pay particular attention to parity between classes, particularly but not exclusively for beginners, to ensure common practice and expectations o that the Department might wish to consider whether its practice of having one examination at the end of the first year for both beginners and advanced students is one which they wish to pursue o that the Department explore ways of streamlining its management structure, making provision to deal with the current lack of continuity for Language
Assistants, and rationalizing as far as possible responsibilities and meetings o that the Department might give thought to the development of its fourth-year provision, particularly in view of its aim of attracting more graduate students, and to second-year non-language modules in so much as they lead towards the fourth-year provision o that a review of the MA in Translation might be in order, especially in the context of other MA programmes in Translation, both in Ireland and abroad, and that the question of the involvement of other departments be re-examined o that the Department be encouraged to bid for a further post: this could be either a further academic post or a further ALT post to be used exclusively for the Department. The holder of which might take responsibility for the development and implementation of the various language courses. The
Department needs to consider this in the light of a review of its current teaching dispositions and careful thought about how they might be re-arranged if either of these posts were allocated to it o that the Department make use of resources within the University that are able to assist it in terms of development, teaching and research. In particular we believe that consultation with CELT would be of value. In addition to this there are opportunities offered by the Research Office, and the Library o that all staff be encouraged to participate in the staff training and development courses organized by the Human Resources Department
Finally, we have a recommendation that is directed to University authorities outside the Department, namely o that the University seek to improve the availability of the reports of external examiners to Departments, this being essential for the development of
Departments, and for recognition of the University in the broader context.
The Group experienced the Review Process as intensive but efficient. The complexity of the data presented provided a good basis for a bird’s eye view of the workings of
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Department of Spanish: Review Report 2005–06 10 the department. Given the current restraints under which the Department works, and its urgent request for an increase in the level of its staffing, it was felt appropriate to have recourse to some level of comparison with other departments. The Group appreciated that additional data were able to be provided in the course of the review, including the assessment of the number of teaching hours worked, and these data helped to clarify some aspects of the Department’s position. The Group welcomed the opportunity to meet the staff as a group.
The Group would like to express its thanks to Quality Office for inviting it to carry out this quality review. It is grateful to the Head of Department and his staff for the care with which they prepared the initial information, and their willingness to provide further information in the course of the visit. We appreciated the open way in which the staff involved were happy to engage with us in discussing the current position of the department and the challenges it faces.
We would also like to thank current and former students for their important contributions to our discussion. They spoke with confidence and interest and their commitment to the Department was evident, as was the sense that what they had derived from the Department was of value.
Professor Alison Sinclair (Chair)
Professor Ciaran Cosgrove
Dr Gearóid Denvir
Dr Martina Prendergast (Rapporteur)
31 st
March, 2006
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