News
RSS feedFrom 2014-15 onward, a new regulated fee limit will apply to ‘new-regime’ students (that is, those subject to the fee and funding regime introduced from 1 September 2012) who are taking a year abroad under the Erasmus scheme, or as a study (rather than sandwich) year abroad outside the Erasmus scheme. This will be set at 15 per cent of the fees chargeable to most other full-time undergraduates: this is equivalent to a fee of up to £1,350 (for students attending institutions where the higher tuition fee amount is permitted) or up to £900 (for those attending institutions where only the basic tuition fee amount is permitted). Tuition fee loans will be available to eligible students to cover these costs.
HEFCE has announced an additional £3.1 million to support a new programme of activity which will encourage more young people of all backgrounds to study languages at university.
From August 2013, a consortium led by the University of Southampton will deliver a three-year programme which builds upon the achievements of the Routes into Languages activities [Note 1] by stimulating new ideas and partnerships.
Follow the link below for the full announcement.
Nominate one of your colleagues today to take up the role of Treasurer on the UCML Steering group. Nomination closing date 14 June 2013.
Nominate one of your colleagues today to take up the post of English Language Teaching representative on the Executive.
Final date for nominations 14 June 2013.
There are 15 Awards of £4000 each available throughout the UK for projects which encourage learners to take languages into the Sixth Form and beyond.
Language Trends 2012 - showing trends in take-up of language learning in schools and impact on GCSE and A levels has been published. Also, a very useful report on Multilingual Britain.
UCML submitted a response to HEFCE as part of the consultation process.
19 Mar 2013
Princess Alexandra Hall, Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James's Street, London SW1A 1LR
14/02/2013: The British Academy's latest statement is published in light of the recent figures from UCAS demonstrating a further fall in applications to study languages in UK HEIs
UCML warmly welcomes the principle of Open Access for the research of UK scholars in all fields.
Nevertheless we raise a number of concerns. These include part-time and non-contract research staff and how they may be disadvantaged and also how publication in non-UK journals might be affected.
There is an issue of whether Languages as a vulnerable subject will reliably supported by HEIs.
UCML also questions whether the significant difference between scientific and humanities research has been sufficiently addressed.
UCAS has published the applications statistics for the 2013 round showing an increase on last year overall. However there is a continued (though slightly reduced) decrease in applications for languages.
Following Ofqual's consultation on A level reform in 2012, Michael Gove has written to announce his policy decisions. These clearly will have an impact on languages, as on other subjects and on recruitment and admissions into HE.
The physical meeting due to take place at Birkbeck College is cancelled due to inclement weather conditions and the advice from transport providers not to travel. The virtual meeting will be going ahead.
Those going to Birkeck will be able to participate in the online meeting.
The survey, carried out by UCML, AULC and the Higher Education Academy, aimed to obtain a picture of the current availability and demand for Institution-wide Language Provision (IWLP) across the higher education sector in the UK
The Higher Education Academy and the University Council of Modern Languages are holding a one-day event, hosted by the British Academy, to reflect on examples of successful collaboration within and beyond languages, and to explore possible models to support both teaching and research for the benefit of students and academics in UK university language departments.
UCML has responded to Government consultations on languages at KS2 and the reform of KS4 qualifications (EBacc replacements for GCSE). Please see our Languages Education page for more information and to view our responses
UCML is very pleased to announce that Mary Fischer is taking over as Chair of UCML Scotland, with the endorsement of the whole academic community in Scotland.
Mary has been involved with UCML for some years already, and we know she will take forward the languages cause expertly and enthusiastically in the new Scottish landscape.
We also want to thank most sincerely Margaret Anne Hutton for all the work she has put in, and which has built on past achievements to ensure that UCML is recognised as a representative and authoritative voice.
The agenda is now available for the January Plenary meeting (see further reading below). This will be an opportunity to discuss current issues in languages in higher education and gain up-to-date information on 2012 recruitment to language degree programmes nationally. The theme of the afternoon session is Open Access Publishing.
This meeting, at which Naomi Segal presented the work of UCML and the current situation of modern languages in higher education, introduced a variety of areas of best practice to new entrants to our profession. Forty people, working in a wide range of languages and linguistics, took part in active discussion.
For more information, see
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/detail/2012/academyevents/09_November_NTT_Languages_Linguistics
The Government consulted recently on a proposal to transfer the administration of PLR from the existing body to the British Library. 948 of 1015 respondents (including UCML) argued that the transfer should not take place.
Please find below the candidate statements. You will receive notification of the online voting system for each institution via email.
Jim Coleman, Chair of UCML, gave a plenary talk entitled Shaping the Future of Languages in Higher Education at Language Futures: Languages in Higher Education 2012 conference, co-sponsored by UCML and held in Edinburgh 5-6 July.
The outcome following our recent call for nominations to the Executive Committee
Please find below the candidate statements. You will receive notification of the online voting system for each institution via email.
UCML responds to the HEFCE consultation on the way in which it funds learning and teaching and manage student numbers in higher education (HE). These changes follow the Government's policy to fund learning and teaching through increased tuition fees while reducing the annual funding that HEFCE allocates.
UCML was represented by Naomi Segal, our Vice Chair, Research, at a meeting at the British Academy on 2nd May 2012 with Humanities and Social Sciences Learned Societies and Subject Associations.
We've been waiting for clarification from BIS about future year abroad funding arrangements and now have them
UCML is issuing a call for nominations for several vacancies listed below. The deadline for the return of nominations to the UCML administration c/o LLAS at Southampton is 1 June 2012.
On Friday 30 March the national Routes Director Professor Mike Kelly announced that HEFCE has agreed to continue funding for the Routes into Languages programme in 2012/13.
The 'Valuing the Year Abroad' position statement was launched at the British Academy on 27th March. The statement is a call to action for government, universities, employers and students. It contains numerous case studies gathered by the project partners: ThirdYearAbroad.com
17/02/2012
Ballots were counted today and Lesley Twomey (University of Northumbria) has been duly elected Hon Secretary of UCML, with immediate effect.
Ballot papers will shortly be sent to one named contact in each member institution and each member association during the week beginning 23 January.They are being asked to consult their constituencies before voting. For information on who will be sent the ballot paper in your HEI/association, please see the list below. The deadline for the return of ballot papers to the UCML administration c/o LLAS at Southampton is 17th February.
Following recent elections to the Steering Group and Executive Committee of UCML, and the election of the existing Hon Secretary to one of the Vice Chair positions, UCML is issuing a call for nominations to the Hon Secretary position.
09 December 2011:
Elections have been held for 2 Vice Chairs on the Steering Group and for 4 Executive Committee representatives and the results are published below.
Congratulations to all those successfully elected. But we would also like to thank all candidates warmly for their willingness to stand and to be involved with the important work UCML is doing on behalf of the sector. Thank you to everyone.
We shall be seeking nominations for the position of Hon Secretary on the Steering Group shortly.
With generous support from the British Academy, UCML is working on a project to demonstrate the value of the year abroad to UK graduates and to potential funding bodies. Working with ThirdYearAbroad.com,we are seeking to gather short reports from graduates – whether language specialists or not – on the importance that the year abroad has had for them, in terms of their skill set, their careers and their lives.
Ballot papers will be sent to one named contact in each member institution and each member association on Monday 14th November. They are being asked to consult their constituencies before voting. For information on who will be sent the ballot paper in your HEI/association, please see the list below. The deadline for the return of ballot papers to the UCML administration c/o LLAS at Southampton is 8th December.
07 Nov 2011: Following our recent call for nominations to the Steering Group and Executive Committee, UCML is proud to announce that it received a total of 20 nominations for vacancies in 9 constituencies! This demonstrates the depth of commitment and energy being shown by colleagues across the sector.
5th October 2011:
UCML has prepared and submitted its response to the latest HEFCE consultation on REF draft panel criteria and working methods. It was submitted by the Chair, Professor Jim Coleman, and prepared with considerable input from Dr Daniela La Penna (Executive Committee member) who has led UCML's REF working party and consulted widely with UCML's associate member subject associations.
10 October 2011: We are currently seeking nominations for vacancies on the UCML Steering Group and Executive Committee
The materials are now available on this site.
The 2011 survey, conducted by John Canning of LLAS on behalf of UCML, builds on the report conducted in 2010 and is available to download.
The Higher Education Academy has announced the winners of this year's prestigious National Teaching Fellowships. They include 2 linguists, one of whom is a member of the UCML Executive Committee
www.heacademy.ac.uk/news/detail/2011/ntfs_awards
This is your opportunity to inform the AHRC of your experience in International collaboration and feed into the on-going development of the AHRC's international activities.
1 April 2011: All UCML members are invited to comment on plans to change the UCML constitution. The new constitution will be adopted at the next plenary meeting and AGM.
UCML is lobbying about the issue of fees for study and work abroad in the context of the new fees being charged to undergraduates from 2012 entry.
A survey of non-specialist language learners in UK higher education 2010.
Peter Wilby of the New Statesman on the Danish TV thriller 'The Killing'
There are a number of consultations open, to which the wider public are invited to respond. UCML members are urged to respond to these to demonstrate engagement, whether as HE languages professionals, employers, parents, governors etc. Note the deadlines listed below.
University of Bristol, Friday 17th December, 1.30 to 4.30
University of Leeds, Friday 5th November, 1.30 to 4.30
Announcement 29th Nov 2010: the ballot papers have been counted and Prof Jim Coleman has been elected Chair of UCML.
Throughout 2010 Germany, Austria and Switzerland are running a major campaign to encourage young Britons to learn German. Under the motto Think German, the aim is to underline the value of German language skills through a number of high-profile events in
2010.
Supporters of the Diploma in Languages and International Communication have responded in a joint letter to comments made by Mike Tomlinson in the Times Educational Supplement, suggesting that Phase 4 Diplomas, of which this Diploma is one, would not offer enough subject knowledge for universities and that students were committed to A Levels.
The AHRC has now issued its call for bids under the scheme proposed a few months ago.
We are currently seeking a representatives for vacancies on the UCML executive for French Studies and Slavonic & East European Studies.
In 2009 a review was commissioned by HEFCE to investigate the health of modern foreign languages provision in higher education.
Congratulations to Pam Moores, Chair of UCML, who has been awarded the OBE for services to languages in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
The British Academy has recently commissioned a report from a team of external researchers at RAND Europe in response to concerns that UK-born and -educated researchers lack essential foreign language skills, which limits their ability to engage with research topics requiring advanced knowledge of languages other than English.
