Integrated learner support through language advising: Initial experiences and considerations at Padova University Language Centre
-
Mariana Bisset
and
Barbara Gödeke
Abstract
The Language Centre at the University of Padova provides language courses for students of all disciplines and with a wide range of needs. Over the years, the number of students having to deal with a language requirement has increased exponentially, while the teaching personnel and general resources have struggled to keep up. Catering to all of the various needs, expectations, time commitments and background experience of the students poses quite a challenge. Fostering autonomy in learners by helping them to develop skills related to self-management, self-monitoring and self-assessment (Benson 2001) makes the challenge easier to face, both in practical terms as a way of “easing the strain” on the teaching potential of the institution, and, for the learners themselves, by enabling them to take their learning onto a more meaningful and long-term level (Holec 1981; Little 1995). To this end, the Language Centre aims to build up a Language Advising Service. As part of this service, language advisors would be available to support learners and help them to build awareness and make informed decisions about their own learning (Gremmo 1995). Three of the Language Centre’s language teachers (English, German and Spanish) participated in an online course provided by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México for language advisors in self-access centres. In this article we briefly describe our experience and the immediate effects of the training course on our work both in and outside the classroom, providing support and guidance for students. We also discuss some of the benefits and challenges of setting up a language advising service in our university context.
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Appendix: Questionnaire
Please answer the following questions in order to help us to improve the services the CLA offers:
Date: ___________
Are you: □ a student □ a lecturer □ a university employee □ an external user?
If you are a student:
Degree course: __________________ Date of matriculation : _________
Languages of study:
□ English □ German □ Spanish □ Portuguese □ French □ Dutch
□ Greek □ Russian □ Hungarian □ Italian as a foreign language □ Other:______________
How many times have you been to the multimedia library?
□ once □ 2 or 3 times □ more than 3 times
If you are a regular user, how often do you come to the multimedia library?
□ very occasionally □ once a month □ two or three times a month □ once a week □ two or three times a week
At what time of day do you usually prefer to come to the multimedia library?
□ between 9 and 11 am □ between 11 am and 1 pm □ between 2 and 5 pm
How did you come to know about the multimedia library?
□ leaflets □ teacher □ friend □ OPAC catalogue
□ website □ students’ office □ other: _____________
Why did you come to the multimedia library?
□ to study for an exam
□ to look for further resources for a course you are attending
□ to improve a certain competence (listening, reading, oral production, written production)
□ to use multimedia language learning resources
□ to study for a language certification (IELTS, TOEFL, CELI, DELE etc)
□ to learn or improve a language autonomously
□ to watch a film (DVD)
□ other reasons: _____________
What kind of resources did you ask for/consult?
□ textbooks □ exercise books □ grammar books □ magazines □ dictionaries □ audiobooks
□ films □ multimedia software □ other: _____________
What do you like most about the multimedia library?
____________________________________________________________
What do you feel is lacking in the multimedia library?
____________________________________________________________
What kind of academic support would you like to find in the multimedia library?
□ language adviser
□ conversation groups in foreign languages
□ information about language learning
□ information about materials and resources available in the multimedia library
□ workshop for written production
□ workshop for listening comprehension
□ other: ________________
Are there any other types of resources you’d like to find in the multimedia library?
For example:
□ games
□ a specific space for watching videos
□ more study areas (desks/chairs)
□ other: ______________
As regards resources, both printed and online, what topics would you be interested in?
| □ art | □ technology and computer sciences |
| □ business and economics | □ law |
| □ literature | □ tourism |
| □ sport | □ culture |
| □ fashion, cinema, music | □ other: ________________ |
How important are the following skills for you in the foreign language that you are studying? Tick the appropriate column for each skill:
| Not important | Important | Very important | |
| Writing articles/essays/papers | |||
| Reading and understanding articles and books related to your field of study | |||
| Listening to and understanding lectures and conferences | |||
| Speaking fluently | |||
| Passing a language exam (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) | |||
| Other: |
Would you like to receive information and updates via email about...?:
□ conversation groups
□ new films available in the library
□ new initiatives regarding language learning
□ other: _________________
If so, please give us your email address:______________________________
Other suggestions or comments:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Please put this questionnaire in the box by the entrance to the multimedia library.
Thank you for your help!
©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- The Common European Framework of Reference down under: A survey of its use and non-use in Australian universities
- C2+-DaF-Lernende reflektieren über eine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung – ist diese vor dem Hintergrund der postulierten funktionalen Mehrsprachigkeit in Alltag und Beruf künftig noch gefragt?
- The habitat factor in ELF(A) – English as a Lingua Franca (in Academic settings) – and English for Plurilingual Academic Purposes
- “Improvisation is not allowed in a second language”: A survey of Italian lecturers’ concerns about teaching their subjects through English
- What should be explicit in explicit grammar instruction?
- Approaches to assessment in CLIL classrooms: Two case studies
- Integrated learner support through language advising: Initial experiences and considerations at Padova University Language Centre
- Enhanced awareness and its translation into action: A case study of one learner’s self-directed language learning experience
- Language centre teachers as researchers: The case of Finland
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- The Common European Framework of Reference down under: A survey of its use and non-use in Australian universities
- C2+-DaF-Lernende reflektieren über eine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung – ist diese vor dem Hintergrund der postulierten funktionalen Mehrsprachigkeit in Alltag und Beruf künftig noch gefragt?
- The habitat factor in ELF(A) – English as a Lingua Franca (in Academic settings) – and English for Plurilingual Academic Purposes
- “Improvisation is not allowed in a second language”: A survey of Italian lecturers’ concerns about teaching their subjects through English
- What should be explicit in explicit grammar instruction?
- Approaches to assessment in CLIL classrooms: Two case studies
- Integrated learner support through language advising: Initial experiences and considerations at Padova University Language Centre
- Enhanced awareness and its translation into action: A case study of one learner’s self-directed language learning experience
- Language centre teachers as researchers: The case of Finland
