Languages & Enterprise
Project
Patrick Sim and Pauline Kneale
University of Leeds
Project Context
A research project sponsored by the HEFCE/LLAS
‘Routes into Languages’ initiative.
Project Objectives
1. An indicative assessment of enterprise learning
provision in HEI language departments
2. Identify and describe instances of enterprise
learning practice
3. Consider the barriers and obstacles to
enterprise learning provision
4. 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)
Three dimensions of enterprise related learning
Deep Learning
(Reflection, Self knowledge,
Independent learning)
Transferable Skills
(General and Business specific skills)
Business / Enterprise
Knowledge
(Work based learning,
Enterprise exercises & exposure,
Business processes)
A Scheme for Enterprise Learning Assessment
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.
Employability
Specialist
Degree attainment
Generalist
IT skills
Creativity
Analytical ability
Connectedness
Ability and aptitudes for working with others
(Teamwork, Inter-personal skills etc.)
Self Management
Reflection
Time-management
Problem solving
Communication
Presentations
Career management
Enterprise Assessment Scheme
The assessment of enterprise learning is based on a modified AGR employability
template which includes business and enterprise related elements.
ENTERPRISE
Employability
PLUS
Degree attainment
Degree related and / or core business
knowledge
Generalist
IT skills
Creativity
Analytical ability
Problem solving
Communication skills
Presentation skills
Innovation/IPR
Project management
Work related communication skills
Marketing/Advertising
Interviewing
Business planning
Finance/Accounting
Media communication skills
Commercial law
Connectedness
Teamworking
Inter-personal skills
Negotiation
Intercultural aptitudes
Self Management
Reflection
Time management
Career management
Self Reliance
Self directed learning
Work based learning
Specialist
Assessment Cohort
Initial research has identified a selection of HEI which involve a range
of enterprise learning strategies and methods.
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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 BA
Specialist
(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 approach
Year 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 Work based
and historical study in modern
communication
languages)
Transferable
(Generalist)
skills
Good coverage though typically not
assessed
Non-cognitive skills often not identified
in the program
Teamwork
Project
Management
Interpersonal skills
Transferable
Little, some HEI offer optional business Business
(Business) skills related modules
communication
Connectedness
Group work exists though not always
assessed
Negotiation
Meetings
Self
management
Year abroad logs require reflection
PDP
Student portfolios and formal self
Career
learning schemes exist on a few courses development
Pre 92 SWOT
Strengths
Weaknesses
Depth of content coverage
Full year abroad development of
self reliance and intercultural
abilities
Transferable skills under emphasised
Limited depth of “working with others”
and work based context in learning
Opportunities
Threats
Greater use of business and work Widening range of student ability
contexts for language development Modularity
Lack of experience of formative
assessment/support
Mis-perception of ‘dumbing down’ of
curriculum
Newer Institutions
General Observations
Specialist
Contemporary and vocational slant to
curriculum
Transferable
(Generalist)
skills
Some examples of assessment of ability
Some module titles make clear the skills
that are being developed
Comment
Transferable
Generally more prevalent than in Pre 92
(Business) skills HEI
Business project
Connectedness
More emphasis on group activities
Negotiated 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
Shorter period abroad may curtail self reliance
visibility of transferable skills and intercultural awareness
Career management
Skills learning developed through process use
or project application rather than by transfer
training
Opportunities
Enterprise basis / context to
learning
Threats
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.
• Expert Meeting Next week
• End of Project December 2007
Thank you