A8 - Bridging the languages divide for postgraduate researchers and early career researchers
Day 1 at 14:45 - The workshop began with a brief overview of the current ‘global researcher' agenda, policy developments and the strategic importance of languages, before providing an outline of the 'Bridging the Languages Divide for Post Graduate Students and Early Career Researchers' project, a collaborative Durham and Newcastle university project (March 2012-June 2013), funded by the AHRC.
From the initial identification of need and development of reading, listening, comprehension, speaking and writing skills delivered through face-to-face training in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian, to advanced and specialist bespoke support provided by a peer mentoring programme, the workshop explored the challenges faced when setting up and implementing language training for researchers. In particular, it will focus on the importance of capacity building and developing sustainable language programmes, and the models and strategies developed during the project to meet the diverse language learning needs of PGRs and ECRs. Strand - All Researchers (practice).
From the initial identification of need and development of reading, listening, comprehension, speaking and writing skills delivered through face-to-face training in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian, to advanced and specialist bespoke support provided by a peer mentoring programme, the workshop explored the challenges faced when setting up and implementing language training for researchers. In particular, it will focus on the importance of capacity building and developing sustainable language programmes, and the models and strategies developed during the project to meet the diverse language learning needs of PGRs and ECRs. Strand - All Researchers (practice).
| Day | Day 1 |
|---|---|
| Session | A |
| Start time | 14:45 |
| Strand | All Researchers (practice) |
| Code | A8 |
| Presenters | Dr Eleanor Loughlin - Academic and Researcher Development Officer, Durham University Ms Laura Leonardo - Lecturer in Postgraduate Skills Development, Newcastle University Ms Christine Bohlander - Teaching Fellow, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University |
The session covered:
- the linguistic needs of the global researcher
- the challenges of developing a collaborative and sustainable language programme
- feedback, outcomes and future developments.
Participants:
- gained a greater awareness of the linguistic needs of the global researcher
- gained insight into the challenges of developing a collaborative and sustainable language programme
- considered a range of strategies and models for meeting the diverse language learning needs of PGRs and ECRs.
Format:
Information, small and whole group discussion and interaction.
