The Linguist

The Linguist 57,2 – April/May 2018

The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology

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has become the norm to describe learning outcomes in the context of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), but there is an associated uncertainty as to how the formats of different courses allow each learner to develop their linguistic competency. In early 2016, a group of 16 universities formed a consortium (with another joining in 2017) 1 to look at the issue of learner 22 The Linguist Vol/57 No/2 2018 www.ciol.org.uk FEATURES As non-specialist language courses continue to grow at UK universities, realistic expectations and outcomes are vital, says Mark Critchley I n recent years, the number of students participating in University-Wide Language Programmes (UWLP) has been growing steadily, from just under 50,000 in 2012 to around 70,000 in 2016. These are non- specialist students taking a language course alongside their degree programme, either as an elective module for academic credit or as extracurricular study. As the number of registrations has grown, so have the flexibility and diversity of the courses on offer in terms of length and contact time. This brings challenges in relation to consistency of learning outcomes, and managing student expectations of achievement. In response to these challenges, a group of language centre directors conceived the Language Learning Framework (LLF) project to review the different course formats, and ensure that learning outcomes and expectations are being realistically expressed. Increasingly, it progression. With funding support from the British Academy, the project undertook a survey of current practice in terms of course delivery; reviewed requirements and objectives; and published the first version of the LLF. The resulting tables indicate the recommended input study hours to progress through each CEFR band via courses of different durations and intensity. A new standard CEFR band A1-A2 A2-B1 B1-B2 A2.1 A2.2 B1.1 B1.2 B2.1 B2.2 Easy-paced contact 40 40 50 50 50 50 Easy-paced self-study 40 40 75 75 100 100 In-depth contact 50 60 80 In-depth self-study 100 140 160 20-24 WEEK ROMANCE LANGUAGE COURSE

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