CO-DISCOVERY – A STAFF/STUDENT COLLABORATIVE … · dissonance in their understandings of Broadening and in particular language learning 4. Exemplify to key stakeholders the possibilities

LEEDS INSTITUTE TEACHING EXCELLENCE

for

CO-DISCOVERY – A STAFF/STUDENT COLLABORATIVE EVALUATION OF BROADENING WITHIN THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT JOURNEY | The case for language learning

Project Report

Akeisha Brown, Caroline Campbell, Robert Irnazarow, Dr Karen Llewellyn and Chandni Pandya

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LITE creates a sector-leading community of excellence in teaching practice and scholarship.

Join the discussion: @leedsteaching teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk

Co-Discovery–astudent/staffcollaborativeevaluationofBroadening

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TableofcontentsExecutivesummary 41.Introduction 8 1.1Context 82.Methodology 10

2.1ResearchEvaluationapproach 10 3.Resultsanddiscussionoffindings 12

3.1Students 123.2Employers 17

4.Conclusionsandrecommendations 24 4.1Conclusions 24 4.2Limitations 25 4.3Recommendations 25References 27Appendices 30 AppendixA|Projectdissemination/impactactivity 30 AppendixB|RUFDATAtool 31 AppendixC|Interviewschedules 33Abouttheauthorsandacknowledgements 37


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Executivesummary

IntroductionFollowingtheBrowneReport(2010),theconsequentriseinstudentfeesandinternalandexternaldeliberationsonthevalueofauniversitydegree, theLeedsCurriculum (LC)wastheoutcomeofalarge-scale curriculum transformation project (2010-2016). The project aimed to demonstrate thevalue and distinctiveness of the Leeds offer as a key benefit for all undergraduates. The LeedsCurriculum framework is defined by three elements: Research-based Learning, Core ProgrammeThreads(Employability;GlobalandCulturalInsight;EthicsandResponsibility)andBroadeningwhichis offered, in part, through Discovery modules across ten interdisciplinary Discovery Themes.Discovery modules seek to enhance students’ knowledge and skills, and in turn, their graduateattributes plus career and employment opportunities. Further opportunities that contribute toBroadening are found in University co-curricular activities such as study abroad, industry workplacements,volunteeringandresearchinternships.The continuing debate on the value of Higher Education is a backdrop for this LITE TeachingEnhancementProject: for example, the current focuson ‘learning gain’ (McGrath et al 2015), theemergence of the Teaching Excellence Framework (2016) and the recent Higher Education andResearchAct(2017).Learninggain–theattempttomeasurethedifferentways inwhichstudentsbenefit from their learning experience– is nowa corepart of theGovernment’s plans forHigherEducationandsignalsafocusonstudentoutcomes(BIS2016ainHowson2016).FocusingspecificallyonstudentsstudyinglanguageDiscoverymodules,theproject’sobjectiveswereto:1.ExplorehowthevalueofBroadeningisunderstoodbystudentsanditseffectontheirlearning,their

choicesandtheircareeraspirations;inparticularlanguagelearning2.ExploreemployerperceptionsofthevalueofBroadeningandlanguagelearninginrelationtotheir

expectationsofgraduates’knowledge,skillsandattributes3.Mapstudents’learningexperiencestotheperceptionsofemployerstorevealtheresonanceand

dissonanceintheirunderstandingsofBroadeningandinparticularlanguagelearning4. Exemplify to key stakeholders the possibilities and barriers to Broadening from student and

employerperspectives5. Provideevaluativeresearchopportunitiestoundergraduatesrecruitedtotheprojectusingaco-

creationmodel16. Enableundergraduatestoparticipateinreflectivepractice7. AdopttheUniversity’sdeliveringresultsmethodology2inprojectmanagementIntendedbenefits1.TobeconfidentinevidencingthevalueofBroadeningtoacademicstaff,currentandprospectivestudents,alumni,employersandpeersnationallyandinternationally2.ToprovideevidencefortheTEFnarrative3.TocontributetothesustainableimpactofBroadeningasadistinctivefeatureofaLeedseducation

1Bovill&Bulley(2011).2http://deliveringresults.leeds.ac.uk


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MethodologyInformed by a developmental utilization-focused approach and Saunders’s RUFDATA tool (Patton2008, Saunders 2000, Saunders 2012), inductive analysis was the method used to analyse thequalitativedata(Strauss1987,CorbinandStrauss2015,MilesandHuberman1994,Silverman2015).Datacollectionwasviasemi-structuredinterviews,followedbyasystematicprocessofcodingthroughthe ‘constant comparative’ method. In finding commonalities (resonance) and differences(dissonance),eachwereconnectedtoemergentcorecategoriesandtheirsub-categories(LincolnandGuba1985).SamplepopulationsConvenience and snowball sampling techniques were used to source 25 undergraduates and 15employers.Findings

1. In the context of learning languages throughDiscoverymodules, students value thewiderangeofchoiceonofferwithinBroadeningforboththeirintrinsicandextrinsicvaluebutthisoffer is not always realised owing to a programme’s structure, credits available and/ortimetablingconstraints,particularlywithreferencetolanguageDiscoverymodules.Thisraisesconcernsoverparityofopportunityacrosstheundergraduateexperience.

2. StudentschoosealanguageDiscoverymodulebecausetheskillsdevelopedthereinenhancetheiroverallskillsetforfutureemployability,forexample,teamworking.Intheshorttermthis affords additional (co-) curricular opportunitieswhich they had not always previouslyconsidered,forexample,studyorworkabroad.

3. Employers,aswithstudents,valueBroadeningasinherentlybeneficialinpursuitofaroundedgraduate.However,employersdidnotviewBroadeningasadistinctiveelementofaLeedseducation.ThismayindicateagreaterneedtobettercommunicatethedistinctivenessoftheLeedsoffergiventhatanumberofemployers intervieweddidnotassociateBroadeningasspecialtoLeeds.

4. a. Broadening through language learning helps shape a student’s identity, learning

acrossdisciplinaryboundariesandenhancinginterculturalawareness.Studentsfocusmoreontheacquisitionofdisciplinaryknowledge,skillsandhowtheylearnandlesson the value of wider attributes of Broadening such as social capital, which isenhanced by foreign language competence, and emotional intelligence,which areemphasisedbyemployers.

b. Employers generallyperceived learningadifferent languagemoreas addedvalue,foregrounding intercultural awareness over the merits of language acquisition.Students emphasise the importance of learning languages for enhancingemployability; employersare lessexplicit, accepting that thevariance inneedandvalueofotherlanguagesisindustrysector-dependent.

5. Employersfocusontheproductorgraduateoutcomesastheyareinterestedinthe(almost)finishedarticle.Indevelopingorbuildingapersonalbrand,itisaboutthestudentasawhole:includingtheirdiscipline,thevarietyofsubjectareasstudied,themotivationsbehindmakingthosechoices,thetransferableskillsdevelopedandalsotheirlifeexperiences.YetstudentsdonotexplicitlymentionthisinarticulatingthebenefitsofBroadening.

6. Employersvaluesocialcapitalandinparticularemotionalintelligence.Thiswasnotexplicitlyreferredtobystudentsorevendescribedinotherwaysi.e.therewasnomentionofincreasedawarenessofoneselforworkingeffectivelywithindiversegroups.


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7. Students’rationaleforchoosingalanguageDiscoverymoduletendedtobetransactionalandextrinsic in improving career opportunities rather than for self-development. Anydevelopmentobservedbystudents,whichrelatedto‘self’,focusedonopportunitiestotravelandtoexperienceofdifferentcountriesandcultures.

8. Employersanticipategraduateswillmakeadifferenceto,andhelpshape,anorganisation.However,studentsdonotexplicitlyrefertotheseattributesorseeitaswithintheirgifti.e.being‘agentsofchange’.

9. Employers highlight the need for resilience in the workplace; students do not explicitlymentionresilienceasanattributetheyhaveoraredevelopingontheirlearningjourney.

RecommendationsForacademicandsupportstaff

1. Encourage students to adopt adeeper level of reflectionof their learning in thebroadestsense,thatis,theopportunityandassociatedbenefitstodevelop:• anabilitytoarticulateexplicitlythislearninganditsbenefits;• socialcapital,includingself-awareness,andmorebroadlyemotionalintelligence;• aglobalperspectiveandinterculturalawareness.

2. Makemoreexplicitbothskillsandself-awarenessdeveloped inaddition to linguistic skills;design reflection tasks to help students realise the value of their learning on a languageDiscoverymoduleandhowthishasdevelopedtheiridentityandsocialcapital.

3. Communicate to studentsandemployerswhat isdistinctiveabout learning languagesandwhat the benefits are. Are we articulating these benefits as a (languages) community ofpractice?Arewesufficientlyawareourselves?

4. Reflect on the purpose of Discoverymodules as opposed to pre-existing optional/electivemodulesthathavesimplybeenrebadgedasDiscovery.InreviewingnewlanguageDiscoverymodules,focusmoreoninterculturalawareness,redressingthebalancewithlanguageskills.

5. MakemoreexplicittostudentsthatDiscoverymodulesrequirethesamelevelofcommitmentasanyothercategoryofmodule.

6. SchoolofLanguages,CulturesandSocieties(LCS)torunworkshopsforstaffandstudentsonthebroadervalueandthetransformativeeffectoflanguageskills.

7. LCStobuildlinkswithemployersandinvitetheemployervoiceinreviewingthecurriculumandlearningoutcomes.

8. Considerwhere(orindeedwhether)thegraduateskillsandattributesvaluedbyemployersarefoundandarticulatedintheLeedsCurriculum.

9. Revisitmodule learningoutcomesandmakeexplicit thetacitskills thataredevelopede.g.socialcapitalandemotionalintelligence.

10. ProvideexamplesofstudentreflectionsonhowBroadeningviacurricular,co-curricularandextra-curricularopportunitieshavedevelopedtheirawareness,understandingandskillsplushowthishasenhancedtheiremployability.

Forstudents:

1. BeawareoftheideaofdevelopingapersonalbrandoridentityfromYear1andunderstandhow they might do this during their undergraduate journey through curricular and co-curricular opportunities. In turn, thiswill foster a greater awareness as graduates of theiremploymentvalue.Inthecaseforlanguagelearning:toknowandtoarticulatethebenefitsoraddedvalueoflearninganotherlanguagei.e.beyondthelevelofknowledgeacquisition.

2. UnderstandandarticulatethevalueofBroadeninginbeingabletocommunicateandworkacrossdisciplinaryboundariesfromapositionofdisciplinarystrength–theT-shapedgraduate–includingsocialcapital,interconnectednessandbeingvalues-driven.

3. Be aware of the increased intercultural awareness developed from studying languageDiscoverymodules.


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FortheUniversity:1. Re-imagineBroadening to includedeeper reflectivepractice for studentson their learning

withintheundergraduatejourneyandtheimplicitskillsandattributesdeveloped.2. Reviewgraduateattributes,developingthesefurthertobemorenuanced,withexamples,in

ordertobettersupportstudentsintheirabilitytoarticulatetheirvalues,knowledge,skillsandexperience throughout their undergraduate journey; include curricular and co-curricularopportunities to develop anddemonstrate not just core knowledgebut also social capitalincludingemotionalintelligence,interconnectednessandinterculturalawareness.

3. Engagefurtherwithemployersincludingcommunicationofkeymessages–forexample,theLeedsCurriculumasadistinctiveofferof theUniversity, themeritsofBroadeningandthevalue of learning languages above and beyond linguistic competence, namely importantimplicit skills and attributes, such as social capital, emotional intelligence, interculturalawareness,resilienceandworkingacrossdisciplinaryboundaries.ConsidertheconceptoftheT-Shapedprofessionalininformingcurricularframeworkandprogrammedesignanddelivery.

4. ConsiderthebarrierstoBroadeningincludingprogrammestructures,timetablingconstraintsandthenatureandtimingofinformationcommunicatedtostudentsatsignificantpointsontheundergraduatejourney.

5. Foregroundandembedcurriculumevaluationatinstitutionallevelasamodelofgoodpracticefordevelopmentalpurposes.

Forprojectdissemination/impactactivity:seeAppendixA.Appendices

A. Projectdissemination/impactactivityB. RUFDATAanalysisC. Interviewschedules


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1.Introduction

1.1ContextFollowingtheBrowneReport(2010)3,theconsequentriseinstudentfeesandinternalandexternaldeliberationsonthevalueofauniversitydegree, theLeedsCurriculum (LC)wastheoutcomeofalarge-scale curriculum transformation project (2010-2016). The project aimed to develop anddemonstratethevalueanddistinctivenessoftheLeedsofferasakeybenefitforallundergraduates.The continuing debate on the value of Higher Education is a backdrop to this LITE teachingenhancementproject: for example, the current focuson ‘learning gain’ (McGrathet al 2015), theemergence of the Teaching Excellence Framework in 2016 and the recent Higher Education andResearchActin2017.Learninggain–theattempttomeasurethedifferentwaysinwhichstudentsbenefit from their learning experience– is nowa corepart of theGovernment’s plans forHigherEducation(BIS2016ainHowson2016)aspartofafocusonstudentoutcomes.TheLeedsCurriculum,asaframework,isdefinedbythreeelements:Research-basedLearning,CoreProgramme Threads (Employability; Global and Cultural Insight; Ethics and Responsibility) andBroadening which is offered, in part, through “Discovery” modules across ten interdisciplinaryDiscoveryThemes4.DiscoverymodulesareaccessibletoundergraduatesasameansofBroadening,seekingtoenhancestudents’knowledgeandskills,andinturn,theirgraduateattributesandcareerandemploymentopportunities.Furtheropportunities,whichcontributetoBroadening,arefoundinUniversityco-curricularactivitiessuchasstudyabroad,industryworkplacements,volunteeringandresearchinternships.SituatedwithintwoDiscoveryThemes–‘PersonalandProfessionalDevelopment’and‘LanguageandIntercultural Understanding’ – and focusing specifically on students studying language Discoverymodules,theobjectivesofthisLITEprojectwereto:1.ExplorehowthevalueofBroadeningisunderstoodbystudentsanditseffectontheirlearning,their

choicesandtheircareeraspirations;inparticularlanguagelearning2.ExploreemployerperceptionsofthevalueofBroadeningandlanguagelearninginrelationtotheir

expectationsofgraduates’knowledge,skillsandattributes3.Mapstudents’learningexperiencestotheperceptionsofemployerstorevealtheresonanceand

dissonanceintheirunderstandingsofBroadeningandinparticularlanguagelearning4.ExemplifytokeystakeholdersthepossibilitiesandbarrierstoBroadeningfromstudentandemployerperspectives5.Provideevaluativeresearchopportunitiestoundergraduatesrecruitedtotheprojectusingaco-creationmodel56.Enableundergraduatestoparticipateinreflectivepractice7.AdopttheUniversity’sdeliveringresultsmethodology6inprojectmanagement

3TheBrowneReport(published12October2010)Securingasustainablefutureforhighereducation:anindependentreviewofhighereducationfundingDepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills4CreatingSustainableFutures;EnterpriseandInnovation;Ethics,ReligionandLaw;ExploringtheSciences;LanguageandInterculturalUnderstanding;MindandBody;PersonalandProfessionalDevelopment;MediaCultureandCreativity;PowerandConflict;TechnologyanditsImpacts.5Bovill&Bulley,(2011)6http://deliveringresults.leeds.ac.uk


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Intendedbenefits1.TobeconfidentinevidencingthevalueofBroadeningtoacademicstaff,currentandprospectivestudents,alumni,employersandpeersnationallyandinternationally2.ToprovideevidencefortheTEFnarrative3.TocontributetothesustainableimpactofBroadeningasadistinctivefeatureofaLeedseducation

Co-creationelementAnimportantelementoftheproject,illustrativeofaresearch-basedlearningculture,wastoprovideresearch opportunities to three undergraduates as student researchers (SRs) so the project wasdesignedasascholarlycollaborativeenterprisewithallfivemembersoftheteamco-constructingandco-delivering theproject.Bovill andBulley’s (2011) ladderof studentparticipationproved tobeausefultoolwheretheSRswereabletoidentifytheirpositionsatdifferentpointsintheproject.


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2.Methodology2.1ResearchEvaluationapproachInalignmentwiththewiderUniversityevaluationoftheLeedsCurriculum,theprojectwasinformedbyadevelopmentalutilization-focusedapproach(Patton2008,Saunders2000,Saunders2012).Thisapproachisevaluation“doneforandwithspecificintendedprimaryusersforspecific,intendeduses…thefocus…isonintendedusebyintendedusers”(Patton2008:37).HencetheprojectevaluatorswereUniversitystaffandundergraduatesandtheprojectparticipantswereundergraduatesandemployers.IntegraltoourdevelopmentalevaluationapproachwastheadoptionofSaunders’(2000)RUFDATAtool(seeappendixA).TheRUFDATAanalysisunderpinnedtheresearchmethodologyinadoptingaqualitativeapproachtodatacollectionandanalysis.ResearchmethodologyThedevelopmentalevaluationapproach lent itself to inductiveanalysisrooted ingroundedtheory(CorbinandStrauss2015,MilesandHuberman1994,Silverman2015). Incollectingthequalitativedata via semi-structured interviews, a systematic process of coding data ensued. Through the‘constant comparative’method, codeswere conceptualisedby attributingmeaning either derivedfrom‘apriori’knowledgeor ‘invivo’ fromwithinthetext (Strauss1987). In findingcommonalities(resonance), differences (dissonance), patterns and structures, eachwere connected to emergentcorecategoriesandsub-categoriesandcharacterisedby theirpropertiesorcharacteristics (Lincolnand Guba 1985). The relationships between the categories for students and the categories foremployersaredescribedinthefindingsinSection3.SamplepopulationsConvenience and snowball sampling techniques were used for sourcing student and employerparticipants.The25 students interviewedwere fromsecond, thirdand fourthyears, fromsixofapossibleeight faculties (seeFigures1and2),andthe15employerswerefromarangeof industrysectors(seeFigure3).Itshouldbeacknowledgedthatalimitationoftheemployersamplepopulationis their Eurocentrism; that is, employersweremainly drawn fromUK-based organisations.Withintheseorganisations,participantrolesrangedfromexecutive/seniormanagementthroughtograduaterecruitmentwithinHR.SeeAppendixBforstudentandemployerinterviewschedules.N.B.Withinthebodyofthereport,studentvoicesarerepresentedandprefixedby‘S’andemployersby‘E’.


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Figure1:StudentsbyFaculty

Figure2:StudentsbyYear

EmployersbyIndustrySector

Figure3:EmployersbyIndustrySector

0 2 4 6 8 10

Arts,Humanities&CultureEducation,SocialScience&Law

BusinessEngineering(includesComputing)Mathematics&PhysicalSciences

EnvironmentMedicine&HealthBiologicalSciences

StudentsbyFaculty

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Year2

Year3

Year4

StudentsbyYear

0 1 2

RecruitmentFinance

FoodSupportServices/ThirdSector

ProfessionalServicesRetailMedia

CommsAgencyLawIT

InternationalBusinessSupportManufacturing


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3.Resultsanddiscussionoffindings3.1StudentsInpursuitofBroadeningwithintheLeedsCurriculum,andwithintheparametersofaprogramme’sstructure,studentscandesigntheirownpathwaythroughtheDiscoveryThemes,takingasmuchoraslittleriskastheywish,choosingfromdifferentdisciplinesandfromdifferentthemes,orpursuingdepthoverbreadthiftheyprefer.Inanalysingthedata,threecorecategoriesemergedinrelationtotheelementsofBroadeningandlanguagelearningthatstudentsvalue.Theseare:Choice,IdentityandLearningExperience.

Figure4:Studentcorecategories-Choice,IdentityandLearningExperienceChoiceChoicerepresentstheimportancestudentsplaceontheopportunitytobroadenandtheextenttowhichtheycantailortheirdegree:“You'regivingmorescopeforpeopletostartdesigningtheirowndegrees, which fundamentally is what most people would really want to do” (S16). Choice alsorepresents therangeofDiscoverymodulesonofferandthebreadthof languagesavailable.SomestudentsselectedLeedsastheirpreferreduniversitybasedontheopportunitiesBroadeningaffordedandtheconsequentbreadthofchoiceonoffer.

Figure4showsthetwosub-categoriesintrinsicandextrinsicvalue.Intrinsicvalueherereferstovalueasanendinitself,independentandself-contained,ratherthananextrinsicvalueforsomestrategicneedor instrumentalpurpose.UsingSkilbeck’s (1976)notionof ‘value-choices’, studentschoosinglanguageDiscoverymoduleshavetheopportunitytoshapetheirlearningwhilstreflectingthewider

ChoiceIntrinsicvalue

Extrinsicvalue

Identity

Personaldevelopment

Interculturalawareness

Learningacrossboundaries

LearningexperiencePedagogy

Opportunity


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valuesoftheLeedsCurriculumandtheUniversity–forexample,academicexcellence,whichincludesincreasingknowledgeandencouragingcriticalindependence7.

IntrinsicvalueInthisparticipantgroupsomestudentschoosetolearnalanguageforitsinherentsatisfaction.SomehadenjoyedstudyingalanguageatGCSEorA-levelandwantedtocontinue,whilstothersvaluedtheopportunity to learn a new language, for its own sake. Also,most students said that BroadeningthroughDiscoverymoduleswasanopportunityforthemtoeithercomplementtheirdisciplineortoprovideacontrast.S4stated“Ienjoylearninglanguagesandlearningaboutothercountries"whilstS8saidtheyenjoyedhavingsomethingdifferenttodoeachweek,andthattheirlearningwouldhavebeenconsiderablynarroweriftheyhadnotstudiedalanguageDiscoverymodule.“Becauseit issodifferenttocomputerscience,ithelpstobreakupmyweektostudysomethingcompletelydifferent”(S22).ForLinguisticsstudents,studyinganewlanguagewasinstructivefortheirdegree;studentsontheBA English, Language and Education could apply theories of learning a language to their corediscipline.ExtrinsicvalueExtrinsicrelatestoaspectsbeyondthecurriculum,suchastheUniversity’sreputationandpositioninleaguetables,itslocation,campusstructureandfacilities.SomestudentsidentifiedLeedsastheirfirstchoiceofuniversitybecauseoftheopportunitytostudylanguagesalongsidetheircoredegree.Forexample,whenchoosinguniversities,S13onlyappliedtothosewithastronglanguagefocusandthechancetospendayearabroad.Theyfelt thatBroadeningwasawayofdifferentiatingthemselvesfromotherstudentswhowillgraduatewiththesamedegreeandthereforemadeastrategicchoicetocontinuestudyingalanguageaspartoftheBAEnglish,LanguageandEducationprogramme.ManystudentsdemonstratedsimilarforesightandchosealanguageDiscoverymoduletoinfluencefutureoutcomes.Forexample,astudentofHistoryfoundthatstudyingDiscoverymodulesinLatinoverthreeyearswasasignificantadvantage inpreparingforaMasters inMedievalStudies.Somementionedmakingastrategicchoiceinrelationtoaspecificjoborareaofwork–thatis,theymadea career-relateddecision to learn anew language. For example, S1 aspired towork in theUnitedNations so choseArabic alongside their InternationalHistory and Politics degree to facilitate this.Similarly,S20,whostudiedComputerScienceandArtificialIntelligence,choseFrenchowingtotheirinterestinaroboticscompanybasedinFrance.Whilstnotallstudentshaveaspecificcareerinmind,there is an assumption among students that knowingmore thanone languagewill enhance theiremployability.Others realisedon completing themodule that knowledgeof the languageopenedcareerpathstheyhadnotpreviouslyconsidered,suchasteaching,orgavethemtheconfidencetoconsiderworkingabroad.Thesepositionsresonatewitharecently-publishedexternalstudentviewthatthosewholearnalanguageenhancetheiremployability(CooperandTurner,2017).Itwasrareforstudentstoexpresssolelyintrinsicoronlyextrinsicvaluesunderpinningtheirchoiceofa languageDiscoverymodule.This isexemplifiedbyS14whosaid“learning languages ismore forpersonalgainbutthenitmakessensetodoitprofessionallyaswell.”Thissuggeststhatintrinsicandextrinsicvalue-choicesarenotnecessarilyindependentofeachotherinstudents’decisions.Despitethepositiveexperiences,structuralfactorssuchastimetabling,lackofcreditsandthebarrierofpre-requisitessometimespreventthischoice,andsomewouldhavelikedmoreinformationandmoreguidanceaboutchoosingtheirDiscoverymodules.S2regrettednothavingachoiceofDiscoverymodules after Level 1 as they could haveprogressed to a higher language level had this been an

7https://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/5000/about/136/values_and_responsibility


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option.AlthoughchoiceisavaluedpartofBroadening,therearelimitingfactorswhichpreventthis.S6commentedonthetimeandeffortrequiredeachyeartoresearchtheDiscoverymodulesavailable“andifIwouldn’thavedonethatIwouldn’thavechosentherightoneformeandIthinkthatisalsowhyalotofpeopleareputoff…Soitiseasiertostickwithyourown[discipline].”Othersreflectedontheirstrategicdecisionnot tocontinuewiththe language,asdemonstratedbyS9:“I thought thatcontinuingwithJapanesemightaffectmymarkgoingforward”;“it’ssodifficultthatitwouldtakemeyearsandyearstogettoagoodlevelandthere’saverylimitedusage…unlessyou’regoingtogoandliveinJapan”.IdentityThesecondcorecategoryof Identity focuseson the impact that learning throughBroadeningandDiscoverymodules has on shaping a student’s identity. Hinchliffe and Jolly (2009) define studentidentityas“primarilyformedthroughsubjectdisciplineandarangeofstudentexperiences”(2009:3).Discoverymodules serve to broaden a student’s experience and perspective and are intended toshapethestudent’s identityastheydevelopwhatemployersrefertoas‘graduate identity’. Inthecurrent context, Identity is contingent on Choice, and comprises three sub-categories: personaldevelopment,interculturalawareness,andlearningacrossboundaries.PersonaldevelopmentInshapingastudent’sidentity,forexampleasaMathematicianorHistorian,thissub-categoryfocusesonthepersonalattributesthatthestudentsconsidertheyhavedevelopedthroughBroadeningandinparticular thecontribution that learninganother languagehasmade.Oneof thoseattributes isempathy,notablyhomestudentswithinternationalstudentsregardingthechallengesofmovingtoacountrywhereEnglishisthedominantlanguage.S6becameawareofthischallengeandwantedtogivetheinternationalstudentsonherdegree“abitofhelporguidance,whichIprobablywouldn’thavethoughttwicehadInothaveembarkedontheFrenchmodule”.Thisisindicativeofgrowthofbothself-awarenessandinterculturalawareness.S15embodiedthisview:“Asenseofempathy.Therearealotinternationalstudents,andIthinkit’smoreofanappreciationifanything.”Inaddition,S9observedhowlearningotherlanguagesfostersanunderstandingthatnoonelanguageissuperior.Studentsdevelopedanumberofadditional skills through taking languageDiscoverymodules. S13statedthatdoinga languageDiscoverymoduleoffersthe“opportunitytoexpandyourstudiesandgainextraskills”forinstance,improvedoralcommunicationsuchaspublicspeaking.Anotherstudentproposed that “[learning] languages is just the most transferable skill ever” (S7). This endorsesMerritt’s (2013) assertion that learning another language raises awareness of the mechanics oflanguage:grammar,conjugations,andsentencestructureand

“…thewaysitcanbestructuredandmanipulated.Theseskillscanmakeyouamoreeffectivecommunicatorand…writer.Languagespeakersalsodevelopabetterearforlistening…”

However,somestudentsrecognisedthatthebenefitsofstudyingDiscoverymoduleswerenotmadecleartothem.Forexample,theyfoundthattakingaDiscoverymoduleoutsideoftheircoredegreeareawasariskasitcouldjeopardisethebreadthanddepthoftheirknowledgeintheirmaindisciplineaswell as overall assessment outcomes. As a result, some students remained risk-averse, stayingwithintheirdiscipline.InterculturalawarenessInterculturalawarenesshighlightsthelearningintermsofenhancedawarenessofothercultures.AsobservedbyCherian (2016), “Language is the best introduction to a new culture. It automaticallymakesyouinterestedintheculturaltraditionsthataretiedtolearningalanguage.”S6illustratedhow


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learning a language allows students to explore and learn about different cultures – “[languagelearning]gavemeaninsightintoadifferentcountry,adifferentculture,adifferenthistory,differentpeople"andacknowledgedhowtheseculturalinsightshavemadethemmoreopen-minded.S16feltthatbeingabletostudyalanguagemodulealongsidethecoredegreeprogrammeoffered“differentflavoursofotherculturalandeducationalopportunitiesthatareoutthere.”OnestudentnowreadsaboutcurrentaffairsinaFrenchnewspapertoseehowtheirperspectivediffersfromothers.StudentsalsorecognisedthatEnglishisnotthe‘superior’language(SI9)andundertakingalanguagemodulemadethemrealisethat“thereareotherwaysandthey[otherlanguages]arenotinferior,theyarejustdifferent.”Likewise,learningmoreaboutacultureincreasesculturalsensitivity.Asmentionedearlier,homestudentsdevelopedagreaterempathytowardsinternationalstudentswhosefirstlanguageisnotEnglish, realisinghowdifficult coming toanewcountryandculturemustbeanddevelopedametacognitionabouttheirownlanguagethroughlearninganother(S3).Linkingtotheearlierextrinsicvalue,manystudentsacknowledgethatculturalawarenessdevelopedvialearninganotherlanguageenhancestheiremployability(S13).Havingtheopportunitytostudyalanguage away from their core subject opens theirminds to other cultural opportunities that areavailable(S16).Throughlearninganewlanguage‘awholenewworldwillbeopentoyou.’(Cherian,2016).LearningacrossboundariesThissub-categorydemonstrateshowDiscoverymodulesallowstudentstoexploreasubjectthatmaybecompletelydifferenttotheirmaindiscipline–forexample,theInternationalHistoryandPoliticsstudentwhochosetostudyArabic,theMathematicsstudentwhostudiedFrenchandKorean,andthe Sociology student who studied Mandarin. Some students value the opportunity to study acompletely new language while others value the opportunity to continue a language previouslystudiedwithouthavingtodedicatetheirentiredegreetoit.S3wantedto“learnsomethingcompletelyneweveryyear”and“givemyselfachallenge”andfeltthatnotbeingabletobroadenwouldhavebeenawastedopportunity.AnumberofstudentsenjoyedthecontrastbetweentheirlanguageDiscoverymoduleandtheircoreandoptionalmodules.Forexample,S8mentionedthatstudyingMandarinwasa“sourceofrelief”whentheircoursebecameoverly-demanding–“IgenuinelythinkthathadInothadMandarinattheside,Iwouldhavedroppedmydegree”. Insomecases,studyingadifferentsubjectwasawelcomebreakfromtheircorediscipline.Experiencingdifferentdisciplinarymodesofassessmenthelpedtosustaintheirmotivationthroughoutthedegreeprogramme.Othersfeltthatmoreguidanceregardingtheassessmentwasneededtobettersupportstudentsinunderstandingthestyleofassessmentandwhatwasrequired–“whenitcametosubmittingessaysIdidn'tknowalltheformalitiesinvolvedthatyoujustlearnaboutalmostautomaticallywhenyouareadegreestudentinthatsubject…becausethat'snothowMathsworksatall”(S3).Studentswhochosetolearnacrossdifferentdisciplinaryboundarieswereabletoswitchtheirthinkingandwritingfordifferentmodesofassessment.Theybelievedthismadethembetterabletoadaptandadjusttonewsituations.ThisbeginstoresonatewithKucharvy’s(2009)‘T-shapedgraduate’andGardnerandEstry’s(2017)‘T-shapedprofessional’:theabilitytomakelinks,communicateandworkacrossdisciplines(seeFigure6).Generallyspeaking,however,oncompletionofthemodule,studentsseemedtooverlookhowthemodulehadhelpeddeveloptheir identitytowardsbecomingaglobalgraduate.


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LearningExperienceThethirdcorecategory,learningexperience,representsthevaluestudentsplaceonthewaysinwhichthey gained knowledge and skills both formally and informally in studying language Discoverymodules.Itincludestwosub-categories:pedagogyandopportunity.PedagogyComparingtheexperienceoflearninglanguagesatschool,S2feltthemodulemettheirexpectations“andmore”– the intensivenatureoftheteachingandthepaceof learningmeantthatarangeoftenseswerecovered,unliketheirexperienceoflearningGermanatschool.Similarlytheextensiveuseofthetargetlanguageintheclassroomandtheindependentstudyrequiredhelpedthemmakemoreprogressthanexpected.Studentscommentedpositivelyonthesmallclasssize–S16“thesmallclasssize felt more personal; you learn far more in smaller groups”, the “completely different style oflearning”(S2),theinteractivepedagogicapproachandtheenjoymentfactor,allofwhichprovidedawelcomecontrasttolecturesintheircoredisciplineandinsomecasesmotivatedthemtocontinue–“Ithoroughlyenjoyeditandthat’swhyIdecidedtocontinuewithit”(S16).S3commentedonfeeling“morerefreshed”and“moreabletofocus”whenreturningtoMathsasaresult.S6commented,“inFrench a lot of the work was in groups and I really did like that” in contrast to working largelyindependentlyon theirmaindegreeprogramme.Studentscommentedonhowthishadenhancedtheirteam-workingskills.Studentsalsoobservedhowcloselythetutoraffectedtheirmotivationtolearnespeciallywhenaspectsofthelanguageweremorechallengingandrequiredmoreapplicationthantheyhadexpected.Thetutor’senthusiasm,supportandrapportwiththegroupwereimportantmotivators.Onecommentedthattheirone-to-onemeetingwiththetutorasaresultofbeingabsenthadhelpedthemcatchupandmotivatedthemtocontinueworkinghard.Reflectingon thedrawbacks, themostcommoncriticismwas that themodulewas toodifficultorrequiredmorework thananticipated.Manystudents takingabeginner’scoursedidnotexpect tocoverasmuchofthelanguageastheydid.Forexample,S2wassurprisedtocoverpast,presentandfuturetenses.OthersweresurprisedattheamountofworkrequiredforaDiscoverymodule.S5said“[I]expectedtheretobelessworkasitwasaDiscoverymodule.”Theyalsocommentedontheamountofindependentlearningexpected(studentsseemtoassumethatDiscoverymoduleshaveasmallerworkload than core or optionalmodules) and in some cases the difficulty of keeping upwith theworkloadparticularly fornon-Romanscript languages suchasArabic, JapaneseandMandarin, theneedformoreinformationaboutthemodeofassessmentandadesireforagreaterfocusonculturalaspects.PerhapsitshouldbemademoreexplicitthatDiscoverymodulesrequirethesamelevelofcommitmentascoreandoptionalmodulesofequalcreditvalue.Another limitation was in reference to course credits. Many students were unable to choose alanguage Discovery module in a particular year of study or continue their language learning insubsequentyearsduetothelackofcreditsavailableforDiscoverymodules.Forexample,onestudentsaid“Ijusthadtencreditsinmyfirstyear.IfIwasgivenmoreopportunity,Iwouldhavedonemore.”Otherstudentswhohadsufficientcreditsfacedtimetablingproblemswhichledtothesameresult.OnesuggestionrepeatedlymentionedbystudentswasthatlanguageDiscoverymodulesshouldalsobeavailableasnon-credit-bearingcoursesforstudentswhowishtolearnlanguagesbutdonothavesufficientcredits.Whilethishasresourceimplications,itisencouragingtonotetheenthusiasmthatstudentstakingtheseDiscoverymoduleshaveforlearninglanguages,linkingbacktotheintrinsicandextrinsicvaluewithinthechoicecategory.


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OpportunityAsaresultoftakingaDiscoverymodule,manystudentsbecameawareoftherangeofco-curricularopportunitiessuchasstudyabroadorinternationalsummerschools.S1wasawareoftheyearabroadopportunitypriortochoosingtheItalianDiscoverymoduleandthisinfluencedtheirchoice.Thislinkstotheextrinsicvalueabove,thatis,strategicdecisionsarepotentiallynotonlymadeinrelationtocareeraspirations.OthersfoundtheseopportunitiesafterchoosingaDiscoverymodule.S13spentayear in China due to how much they enjoyed their first two years of Mandarin. Similarly S1 isconsideringteachingEnglishabroadaftergraduation.S3summarised:“FouryearsagoIdidn’tthinkaboutothercountries.NowIwanttoliveinothercountries!”.Severalstudentsmentionedbeingmoregloballyawareintermsofpolitics,culturesandworldaffairs.Thetopicscovered–bothformallyviathesyllabusandinformallyviastudents’presentations-haddevelopedtheirknowledgeandinterest.Although value-choices may not always be explicitly strategic, the opportunities that arise fromlanguagemodules canopenup career paths that studentswould not otherwisehave considered,illustratingalinkbetweenopportunitiesandcareeraspirations.Insummary,thestudentsinterviewedvaluethepossibilitiesaffordedthroughBroadening,particularlyto study language Discovery modules and the further opportunities that materialise from theselearningexperiences.However,theanticipatedbreadthofchoiceis,forsomestudents,misleadingifnotillusory,owingtoprogrammestructure,timetablingconstraintsandlackoftimelyinformation.

3.2EmployersBuildingabrandThe emergent core category of building a brand surfaced as an ‘in vivo’ code and representsemployers’emphasisontheroundedgraduatethatembodiesnotjustdisciplinaryknowledgeasanoutcome of their studies but the added value beyond this core knowledge. That is, during anundergraduate’sjourney,studentsseekawiderangeofopportunitiesandactivitiesthatcancreateaprofileorauniqueidentitythatdistinguishestheir‘graduateness’fromanotherinacompetitivejobmarket.Importantly,itisalsothecapacitytoarticulatethisindividual‘brand’.Thisisreflectedinthetwosub-categoriesknowledgeandsocialcapital.


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Figure5:Employercorecategory-BuildingabrandWhatisclear,asarticulatedbyE3,isthattheincreasedcompetitionforjobsmeansthatemployerscan expect considerably more from graduates in the recruitment process, raising the bar ofexpectationsintermsofbreadthofknowledge,skillsandattributes–

“Beingbrutallyhonest,iftherewasastudentthathadonlystudiedintheUK…anddidn’thaveanylanguageskills,eveniftheyhadaverygooddegreeintermsoftheiracademicqualifications,itwouldbeunlikelytheywouldgetontoanyofourgraduateprogrammespurelybecauseit'ssuchacompetitivemarketforstudentsthatwecanbethatfussy”.

This resonateswithDacre Pool and Sewell’s (2007) employabilitymodel used as a framework forworkingwithstudentstodeveloptheiremployabilityandincludesexperience(workandlife),degreesubject knowledge and skills, generic transferable skills (e.g. communication, team working) andemotionalintelligence.Thefindingsalsochimewithstrength-basedrecruitmentpracticesforanumberofcompaniessuchasErnst and Young, Barclays andNestléwho look at graduates’ interests, strengths and inclinationsrather than competencies (Stanbury 2016). “Similarly emotional intelligence, resilience, culturaladaptabilityandtheabilitytounderstanddataareprizedbycompaniesasdifferentasBP,IBMandGSK”(ibid);thisincludestherelatedconceptofthe‘T-shapedprofessional’(GardnerandEstry,2017)asmentionedonpage13.

Buildingabrand

Knowledge

Disciplinaryknowledge

Knowledgebeyondthediscipline

Socialcapital

Emotionalintelligence

Inter-connectedness

Values-driven


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Figure6:TheT-professional:theCollegiateEmploymentResearchInstitute.©2017,MichiganStateUniversityInaddition,asKucharvy(2009)observes,suchprofessionals“mustbeinterdisciplinary,ratherthannarrowly-focusedspecialists.Althoughtheymustcertainlyhavedeepskillsinaspecialty(theverticalaxisoftheT),theymustalsohavesufficientunderstandingofabroadrangeofrelateddisciplines(thehorizontal axis) to allow them to see contextual linkages, to constructively participate ininterdisciplinary teams and to continually adapt their visions and their contributions to rapidlychangingconditionsandneeds”.KnowledgeWhilstspecialistknowledgeinasubjectareaisadesirableoutcomeforsomejobroles,forexample,FoodSciencetoworkinthefoodindustrieswhere“technicalskillsforfoodscienceandtechnology”roles(E8)arerequired,expectationsalsoexistwheregraduatescandemonstrateknowledgebeyondtheirdiscipline,whichincludesbeingabletoarticulatethevaluegainedfromoutsideinterestsorpriorexperience,bethisvolunteering,part-timeorvacationworkand/orsport/societyofficerroles.Thiscouldindicatetheneedforastudenttounderstandhowtheirdisciplinerelatestootherknowledgeareasandhow,asaresult,theymightbeabletoworkacrossdisciplinaryboundariesbecomingthe‘T-shapedgraduate’.Connectedtothis,asobservedbyE15,“Lookingahead,athirdofcurrentjobswon’texistandwillbereplacedbyanothersetofjobs,soweneedbreadthandcapabilitytodevelopaskillsresourceforareasthatwedon’tyetknowwillexist,sobreadthis important”.ThissupportsLuckin’s(2017)viewthatgraduatesneedtobelifelonglearners–“Beingagoodlearnerisgoingtobereallyindemand,becausewe don’t know exactly what jobs there are going to be in the future and exactly what skills andexpertiseyou’llneed”.The value of prior knowledge is reflected in E10’s observations “Work experiences shows you aredynamic, interested inother things, [have]usedyour timewell, [are]bright, engagedandkeen tolearn”.AccordingtoStephenIsherwood,attheInstituteofStudentEmployers,workexperienceisthemosteffectiveintervention–“…itisnocoincidencethatgraduateswithmeaningfulworkexperience


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aremoreemployable”(2018).Forothers(E1)“Thedisciplineisnotimportant,especiallyifthestudentdemonstrates the necessary attributes” such as a strong work ethic, cultural awareness,communicationskillsandanabilitytobuildrelationships.Additionally,E15“moreimportantisyouasanindividual–howyouexecutethatperformanceintermsofyourbehaviours,yourabilitytoworkwithothers”.SocialcapitalSocialcapital,thevalueofsocialnetworks,isthemoredominantsub-categorycharacterisedinthedatabyemotionalintelligence,interconnectednessand[being]values–driven.ThislinkstotherecentworkoftheHigherEducationAcademyinhighlightingtheimportanceofsocialcapitalandhowitmightpromoteequityofopportunity(Naidoo2015andMay2017).Clarke(2017)observesthatuniversitiescontinuetofocuson‘humancapitaldevelopment’(disciplinaryknowledgeandskillsratherthanthebroadersocialcapital)asthefoundationforgraduatesuccess.Thisresonateswith Holmes (2013) who sees social capital, including networks, as one of three competingexplanationsofgraduateemployability,namely:possession(humancapital);position(socialcapital);andprocess(careerself-management).ThisisexemplifiedbyE8:“Ifthepersonisexposingthemselvestonewexperiences,whichhelpthemgrowtheirsocialskills[and]theirunderstandingofthemselves,they will be a more rounded individual, will present themselves better, be more interesting andpotentiallybemoreemployable”.Emotionalintelligence(EI)EIisan‘apriori’codedevelopedbyGoleman(1995)withwhichthefindingsresonateintermsofagraduate’scapacitytodemonstrateself-awareness,buildingrapport,[showing]leadership,[being]achange agent and [demonstrating] resilience. EI is closely connected to language learning andinterculturalawarenessandanunderstandingthatdifferentculturesandmarketsoperatedifferently.E10(mediaindustry)states“[areporterneedstobe]emotionallyintelligent,sociallyintelligent…[to]beabletoadaptandnoticethatsomethingisnotquiteright…evenwhenthey'respeakinganotherlanguage”.Self-awarenessrequirescriticalself-reflectionandbuildingrapportfocusesonrelationalaspectswithcustomers, such as understanding their needs, and since language learners are necessarily goodlisteners, they will know what the customer wants (E4). Another highlighted the need for socialadaptabilityi.e.abletoadapthowonetalkstoothers(E12).E10commentedonthevalueofbeing“intunewithpeople”andthereforebetterabletobuildrapport.E15(motorindustry)citesEIas“reallyimportant…whatwasyourimpactworkinginateam?”especiallyworkingindiverseteams“Ifyou’veworkedabroad[you]willbeawarethatpeoplehavedifferentsensitivitiestodifferentthings”.ChangeagentThis isa recognition firstly thatgraduatesareable to,andaregiven theopportunity to, shapeanorganisation and secondly perhaps how universities can prepare their students in advance, forexample,ascollaborativeco-producersintheirlearningandintheirprofessionaldevelopment(seeDunneandZandstra2011,Healey2012).E6 (thirdsector)encouragesgraduates toquestionandchallengeaparticular initiativeandhow itmightbedonedifferentlyandtobringtheirideastothefore.E9(media)prefersgraduatesthatareopentodevelopandgrowthemselvesandthebusiness,encouragingwhattheycanbringfromtheirownexperienceandculturalbackground.


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ResilienceAfurtherattributethatisvaluedbysomeemployersisresilience.AsdescribedbyWolinandWolin(1993)forexample,individually,agraduatehasthecapacityto“bounceback,towithstandhardship,andtorepairyourself”andalsocontextually,throughrelationshipsandsupportsystems(Stevenson2016).Bothofthesearerelevantfortheworldofwork.Forexample,E10(media)proposestheneedfor “tenacity, resilience - you get told no a hundred times before [told] yes”. E5 (food industry)describestheneedforresilienceastheworkenvironmentis“tough”.E15(motorindustry)emphasisesresilienceasimportantasoneprogressesandtakesonmoreresponsibility.ConverselyE11(media)valuesEI(providingEItrainingcoursesforgraduates)overresilience“aswedon’tpushtoohard”.ResiliencecontinuestobeofinteresttotheHigherEducationsectorwithregardtohowuniversitiesprepare students for a complex and uncertain world (Barnett 2007). Bleasdale and Humphreys(2018:6) suggest that universities should address this preparation developmentally on both anacademicandapersonallevelandneedtoconsiderthenecessityofexistingchallengesand“whethersomechallengesneedtobecreatedwithintheuniversityenvironment”.Severalemployerscommentedontheneedforgraduatestobe“preparedtogetstuckin”(E3),“[tobe]notfrightenedtogetstuckinanddothings”(E5);“willingtohaveago”(E6);“realisethattheyareona journeyandhavea lot of learning todo” (E5).Othershighlightedaneed tobe competitive,motivatedbytargetsandabletoperforminahighpressureenvironment(E1);E2“[tobe]preparedtoworkinlotsofdifferentrolesfromentrylevelup”.Interculturalawareness(IA)Professor Janet Beer, President of Universities UK (2017), has emphasised the need for culturalawareness–“Moregraduatesneedinternationalandculturalawarenessaswellaslanguageskills”andthiswasconfirmedbytheemployersinterviewed.E1identified“exposureandunderstandingtoanother culture”and “learning the nuanceswithin cultures [whilst] on the job”. E2 suggested it isimperativeforgraduatestodemonstrateculturalsensitivityandtolerancetowardsothersregardlessoftheirbackgroundorbeliefsandthiswasconfirmedbyE13–“Iftheycandemonstrateinterculturalawareness,theywoulddefinitelyhaveacompetitiveedge”.WhileE10identifiedlanguageskillsasanadvantage particularly in the field of current affairs as it “helps you to build a rapport with yourinterviewee[client]”,interculturalawarenesswasdescribedas“hugelyimportant"particularlyforaworld audience (E10) and a global broadcaster (E9) and is essential in embracing diversity andinclusivity.AsNorton(2018:43-44)elaborates,

“Learninglanguageshelpsraiseawarenessofourowncultureandvalues,encouragesopennesstootherculturesandattitudesandstimulateswillingnessandtheabilitytocommunicateandco-operateacrosslanguageandculturalboundaries.”

E3 confirmed actively seeking studentswho “show us that they are quite comfortable hitting thegroundrunningandmovingbetweencountriesandcultures”.Ontheotherhand,E5feltthatinthecontextoftheircompany(inthefoodindustry),languagesdonotgiveagraduateacompetitiveedgebecause “[a graduate] could have languages and not be able to talk to me”. Here effectivecommunicationskillsingeneralaremorevaluedoverforeignlanguageskills.However,interculturalawareness is very important, understanding the demographics of colleagues in the business, forexample,easternEuropeansandunderstandingtheirculturaldifferencesvis-à-visBritishcolleaguesiscrucial(E5).Asoneemployercommented(E4)“culturalawarenessispartoftheroundingoftheindividual”andthemoreawarenessagraduatehasofthedifferenceinpeople’smotivationsanddriversthebetter.


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AsE5disclosed“themorethey[graduates]canimmersethemselvestounderstanddifferentculturesandbeopenandrespectfulofthem…[thebetter]”.Inthecontextoftheworkplace,E1observed“Ifyoudon’tdemonstrateculturalawareness,youwillnoticequitequicklythatthingsaren’tgoingverywellforyou–there’sadirectcorrelation”.E6(thirdsector)feltthatknowinghowthosefromotherculturesdothingswouldhelpanorganisationmakechangesandbemorecreativeintheirwaysofworking.Experienceoflivinginanothercountryandanunderstandingofthecultureandthevalueswasdefinitelyofinteresttosomeemployers;partof obtaining diverse perspectives that enhances their knowledge and insights, which is for theemployer’sgain(E9).InexploringemployerperceptionsofthevalueoflanguageskillsaspartofBroadening(asopposedtolanguage degrees), theywere typically regarded as “desirable” or “the icing on the cake” but notessential.Whenaskedwhethertheleveloffluencywasimportant,therewasageneralconsensusthatanylanguageabilitywasbetterthannonebutconversationalabilitywaspreferred.ThisisreflectedintheCBI/PearsonSurveyreport(2017)whichconfirmsthattherearebenefitsinhavingabasicleveloflanguageproficiencyalthoughahigherlevelisrequiredforsomeroles.Businessesthatwerelookingto expand internationally, or had experience of this, identified having the relevant languagecompetenceasmakingtheprocess“mucheasier…togetupandrunninginashorttime”(E12).

Oneemployerintherecruitmentsectorcommentedthatapremiumispaidforgraduateswithfluencyin another language, regardlessof their degree.Another employermentionedactively looking forgraduateswithtwolanguagesforparticularroles,suchasbuyers,whensourcingproducefromothercountries.Anotherreportedthatitmaybethedecidingfactorwhenplacinggraduateswithclients,soitcanindeedbeadifferentiator.Othersidentifiedthattherearemoreopportunitiesforgraduateswhohavelanguageskillsasitmakesthemmoredeployableandopensdoorsbysuggestinganabilitytowork across different cultures. Several commentedpositively that being able to speak anotherlanguageisausefulaptitude,demonstratesawillingnesstolearnnewthingsandlearningagilityanddemonstrates commitment. Twowere aware that language skills are valuable in building rapportthough a good level of fluency is required. One commented that they have struggled to recruitgraduateswithlanguageskillsintheUKandthischimeswiththeCBI/PearsonSurveywhichidentified“a major shortfall in levels of foreign language accomplishment” (2017: 34). Only two of thoseinterviewedmaintainadatabaseofemployees’languageskills.AsidentifiedintheBornGlobalresearchproject(2016),veryfewemployerswereabletoarticulatetheskillsandattributesofcompetenceinanother languageandhowthesemightcontributetoanorganisationbeyondbeingusefulinthecontextofaninternationalmarketorglobalexpansion.Oneemployervaluedlinguistsforhavingverygoodlisteningskillswhichareessentialwhenfindingoutwhatthecustomerwants.ThisalignswithMerritt(2013)whoobservesthat“Languagespeakersalsodevelopabetter ear for listening”.Listening skills areobservedat interviewand/oraspartof theselectionprocessingroupinteractiontasksasthisisregardedasanimportantpartoftherelationshipwiththeclient(E7).Itisclearthatthereisaneedtoclarifytheskillsandattributesassociatedwithspeakingotherlanguagesforthebenefitofemployersbutalsotomakestudentsaware.

“Businessescanandshoulddomoretoemphasisethevalueofforeignlanguageskills.…WemustworktogethertoensurethattheUKcaneffectivelyaddressitslanguagedeficit,whichwillhelptheUKtobecomeagloballyconnectedandopentradingnation,andensureourfutureprosperity.”(BritishCouncil,2017:3).


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ToquoteHolmes(2018:64),“itstandstoreasonthatbuildingaprosperousBritainpost-Brexitwilldependoncapitalisingontheknowledgeandskillsofthelabourmarket,includingitsabilitytospeakmultiplelanguagesandunderstanddiversecultures”.InterconnectednessThispropertyrelatestoanawarenessandknowledgeof,forexample,E7’sreferenceto“globalmega-trends”suchasmulti-culturalism,technology,emergingmarketsandtheirimpact.Thisforegroundsthevaluingofcommunications(acrossarangeofaudiences),networkingandcommercialawareness.Employers’referencestoglobalacumenareintegraltointerconnectedness–workingwithpeopleindifferentcountries–inanevermoreinterconnectedworld;“importantthatgraduateshaveabroadviewoftheworldandareawarethattheyarepartofaglobalnetwork”(E7).However,thereseemedtobealackofawarenessofhowlanguageskillslinktoanindividual’sinterconnectedness.Values-drivenTherewasasensefromcertainvalues-drivenemployersoftheimportanceofgraduatessubscribingtothisapproachandmatching,insomeway,thosecompanies’valuese.g.E3’scompanyvaluesinthefoodindustryare:‘lead,senseandcreate’–whereto‘lead’means,asaself-starter,takinginitiative];‘sense’–havinganawarenessandsensitivitytotheneedsofothers,anddifferentwaysofworking;and ‘create’ – being forward thinking in creating new products and new opportunities. For E7,leadershipmeans leading yourself (with a commitment to self-development), leading others (i.e.teamstoworkmoreeffectively)andleadingtheorganisation(i.e.inanambassadorrole).Insodoinggraduates would need to have a systems-thinking approach and be a cultural fit within anorganisation.InthecontextofUniversityprovision,Clarke(2017:11)observes,

“The role of social capital in graduate employability continues to be debated. However,universitieshavethecapacityto…helpgraduatesbuildstrongnetworks(forexamplethoughalumniassociations)and[they]canteachstudentstheartofnetworkingbeforetheyenterthelabourmarket”.

ThispromptsthequestionfortheLeedscontext-howfardoesBroadeningenablestudentstobothdevelopdisciplinaryknowledgeandpromotesocialcapital,particularlyemotionalintelligence?Insummary,therewasasensefromemployersthat,ininherentlyvaluingBroadening,interculturalawarenesstrumpedlanguagelearningwhilstacceptingthatlanguagelearningwasavaluable,ifnotessential,asset.AsHolmesobserves,

“EveniftransactionsarecarriedoutinEnglish,interculturalunderstandingandculturalagilitywillbeessentialifaproductorserviceistomatchtheculturalnormsandconsumerpreferencesofadiverseglobalclientbase.”(2018:67)


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4.Conclusionsandrecommendations4.1Conclusions

1. In the context of learning languages throughDiscoverymodules, students value thewiderangeofchoiceonofferwithinBroadeningforboththeirintrinsicandextrinsicvaluebutthisoffer is not always realised owing to a programme’s structure, credits available and/ortimetablingconstraints,particularlywithreferencetolanguageDiscoverymodules;thisraisesconcernsoverparityofopportunityacrosstheundergraduateexperience.

2. StudentschoosealanguageDiscoverymodulebecausetheskillsdevelopedthereinenhancetheiroverallskillsetforfutureemployability,forexample,teamworking.Intheshorttermthis affords additional (co-) curricular opportunities, which they had not previouslyconsidered,forexample,studyorworkabroad.

3. Employers,aswithstudents,valueBroadeningasinherentlybeneficialinpursuitofaroundedgraduate.However,employersdidnotviewBroadeningasadistinctiveelementofaLeedseducation.ThismayindicateagreaterneedtocommunicatebetterthedistinctivenessoftheLeedsoffergiventhatanumberofemployers intervieweddidnotassociateBroadeningasspecialtoLeeds.

4. a. Broadening through language learning helps shape a student’s identity, learning

acrossdisciplinaryboundariesandenhancinginterculturalawareness.Studentsfocusmoreontheacquisitionofdisciplinaryknowledge,skillsandhowtheylearnandlesson the value of wider attributes of Broadening such as social capital, which isenhanced by foreign language competence, and emotional intelligence,which areemphasisedbyemployers.

b. Employers generallyperceived learningadifferent languagemoreas addedvalue,foregrounding intercultural awareness over the merits of language acquisition.Students emphasise the importance of learning languages for enhancingemployability; employersare lessexplicit, accepting that thevariance inneedandvalueofotherlanguagesisindustrysector-dependent.

5. Employersfocusontheproductorgraduateoutcomesastheyareinterestedinthe(almost)finishedarticle.Indevelopingorbuildingapersonalbrand,itisaboutthestudentasawholeincluding:theirdiscipline;thevarietyofsubjectareasstudied;themotivationsbehindmakingthosechoices;thetransferableskillsdeveloped;andalsotheirlifeexperiences.YetstudentsdonotexplicitlymentionthisinarticulatingthebenefitsofBroadening.

6. Employersvaluesocialcapitalandinparticularemotionalintelligence.Thiswasnotexplicitlyreferredtobystudentsorevendescribedinotherwaysi.e.therewasnomentionofincreasedawarenessofoneself,workingeffectivelywithindiversegroups.

7. Students’rationaleforchoosingalanguageDiscoverymoduletendedtobetransactionalandextrinsic in improving career opportunities rather than for self-development. Anydevelopmentobservedbystudentswhichrelatedto‘self’focusedonopportunitiestotravelandexperienceofdifferentcountriesandcultures.

8. Employersanticipategraduateswillmakeadifferenceto,andhelpshape,anorganisation.However,studentsdonotexplicitlyrefertotheseattributesorseeitaswithintheirgifti.e.being‘agentsofchange’.

9. Employers highlight the need for resilience in the workplace; students do not explicitlymentionresilienceasanattributetheyhaveoraredevelopingontheirlearningjourney.


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4.2LimitationsIt shouldbeacknowledged that are inevitably limitations toaprojectof this sizeandscope. Eachresearcherwasona0.1FTEforoneyearsopopulationsamplesizesofbothstudentsandemployersneededtobeinkeepingwiththeproject’ssize.Thestudentsample(n=25)wasderivedfromthoseundergraduatesstudyinglanguageDiscoverymoduleswhovolunteeredtobeinterviewed.Employers(n=15)weremainly thosewho had a connectionwith theUniversity, referred by theAlumni andDevelopment team or the Leeds University Business School. A limitation of the employer samplepopulationistheirEurocentrism;thatis,employersweremainlydrawnfromUK-basedorganisations.The authorswere aware of the project limitations at the outset and their impact on the project.Thereforethereadershipshouldinterpretresultswiththeseinmind.Thisisintentionallyasnapshotandnotreflectiveofthevalue-choicesofallstudentswhotakealanguageDiscoverymoduleorthoseofemployers.4.3RecommendationsForacademicandsupportstaff:

1. Encourage students to adopt adeeper level of reflectionof their learning in thebroadestsense,thatis,theopportunityandassociatedbenefitstodevelop:• anabilitytoarticulateexplicitlythislearninganditsbenefits• socialcapital,includingself-awareness,andmorebroadlyemotionalintelligence• aglobalperspectiveandinterculturalawareness

2. Makemoreexplicitbothskillsandself-awarenessdeveloped inaddition to linguistic skills;design reflection tasks to help students realise the value of their learning on a languageDiscoverymoduleandhowthishasdevelopedtheiridentityandsocialcapital.

3. Communicate to studentsandemployerswhat isdistinctiveabout learning languagesandwhat the benefits are. Are we articulating these benefits as a (languages) community ofpractice?Arewesufficientlyawareourselves?

4. Reflect on the purpose of Discoverymodules as opposed to pre-existing optional/electivemodulesthathavesimplybeenrebadgedasDiscovery.InreviewingnewlanguageDiscoverymodules,focusmoreoninterculturalawareness,redressingthebalancewithlanguageskills

5. MakemoreexplicittostudentsthatDiscoverymodulesrequirethesamelevelofcommitmentasanyothercategoryofmodule

6. SchoolofLanguages,CulturesandSocieties(LCS)torunworkshopsforstaffandstudentsonthebroadervalueandthetransformativeeffectoflanguageskills

7. LCStobuildlinkswithemployersandinvitetheemployervoiceinreviewingthecurriculumandlearningoutcomes

8. Considerwhere(orindeedwhether)thegraduateskillsandattributesvaluedbyemployersarefoundandarticulatedintheLeedsCurriculum

9. Revisitmodulelearningoutcomesandmakeexplicitwhichtacitskillsaredevelopede.g.socialcapitalandemotionalintelligence

10. Provideexamplesofstudentreflectionsonhowbroadeningviacurricular,co-curricularandextra-curricularopportunitieshavedevelopedtheirawareness,understandingandskillsplushowthishasenhancedtheiremployability

Forstudents:

1. BeawareoftheideaofdevelopingapersonalbrandoridentityfromYear1andunderstandhow they might do this during their undergraduate journey through curricular and co-curricular opportunities. In turn, thiswill foster a greater awareness as graduates of theiremploymentvalue.Inthecaseforlanguagelearning:toknowandtoarticulatethebenefitsoraddedvalueoflearninganotherlanguagei.e.beyondthelevelofknowledgeacquisition.


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2. UnderstandandarticulatethevalueofBroadeninginbeingabletocommunicateandworkacrossdisciplinaryboundariesfromapositionofdisciplinarystrength–theT-shapedgraduate-includingsocialcapital,interconnectednessandbeingvalues-driven.

FortheUniversity:

1. Re-imagineBroadening to includedeeper reflectivepractice for studentson their learningwithintheundergraduatejourneyandimplicitskillsandattributes.

2. Reviewgraduateattributes,developingthesefurthertobemorenuanced,withexamplesinordertobettersupportstudentsintheirabilitytoarticulatetheirvalues,knowledge,skillsandexperience throughout their undergraduate journey; including curricular and co-curricularopportunitiestodevelopanddemonstratenotjustcoreknowledgebutsocialcapitalincludingemotionalintelligence,interconnectednessandinterculturalawareness.

3. Engagefurtherwithemployersincludingcommunicationofkeymessages;forexample,theLeedsCurriculumasadistinctiveofferof theUniversity, themeritsofBroadeningandthevalue of learning languages above and beyond linguistic competence, namely importantimplicit skills and attributes such as social capital, emotional intelligence, interculturalawareness,resilienceandworkingacrossdisciplinaryboundaries.ConsidertheconceptoftheT-Shapedprofessionalininformingcurricularframeworkandprogrammedesignanddelivery.

4. ConsiderthebarrierstoBroadeningincludingprogrammestructures,timetablingconstraintsandthenatureandtimingofinformationcommunicatedtostudentsatsignificantpointsontheundergraduatejourney.

5. Foregroundandembedcurriculumevaluationatinstitutionallevelasamodelofgoodpracticefordevelopmentalpurposes.


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ReferencesBarnett,R.(2007)AWillToLearn;BeingaStudentinanAgeofUncertaintySRHE/OUMaidenheadMcGrawHillBeer,J.(2017)CharteredAssociationofBusinessSchoolsAnnualConference,7November2017#CABS2017Bleasdale,L.andHumphreys,S.(2018)UndergraduateResilienceResearchProjectLeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellence,UniversityofLeedsBovill,C.andBulley,C.J.(2011)Amodelofactivestudentparticipationincurriculumdesign:exploringdesirabilityandpossibility.InRust,C.(ed.)ImprovingStudentLearning18:Globaltheoriesandlocalpractices:Institutional,disciplinaryandculturalvariationspp176-88.Oxford:TheOxfordCentreforStaffandLearningDevelopmentBritishAcademy(2016)BornGlobal:ABritishAcademyProjectonLanguagesandEmployabilitywww.britac.ac.uk/born-globalBusiness,InnovationandSkills(2010)TheBrowneReportSecuringasustainablefutureforhighereducation:anindependentreviewofhighereducationfunding12OctoberLondonBISBusiness,Innovation&Skills[BIS](2016a).SuccessasaKnowledgeEconomy:TeachingExcellence,SocialMobility&StudentChoice.(Cm9258).London:BIS.citedinHowson,C.K.(2016)MeasuringlearninggainWonkheDaily17JulyBrown,P.,Hesketh,A.andWilliams,S.(2003)EmployabilityinaKnowledge-drivenEconomy.JournalofEducationandWork.[Online].16(2),pp.107-126.Cherian,M.(2016)7Benefitsoflearninganotherlanguage.[Online].[Accessed19April2018].Availablefrom:https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/7-benefits-of-learning-another-language/Clarke,M.(2017)Rethinkinggraduateemployability:theroleofcapital,individualattributesandcontext'.StudiesinHigherEducation.[Online].0(0)pp.1-15. Cooper,J.andTurner,E.(2017)Whatit'sliketostudyamodernlanguagesdegree23FebruaryTimesHigherEducation.Accessed24April2018,https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/blogs/what-its-study-modern-languages-degreeCorbin,J.andStrauss,A.(2015)BasicsofQualitativeResearchTechniquesandProceduresfor

DevelopingGroundedTheory.4thed.London:SAGE

DacrePool,L.andSewell,P.(2007)Thekeytoemployability:developingapracticalmodelofgraduateemployability,Education+Training,Vol.49Issue:4,pp.277-289Dunne,E.andZandstra,R.(2011)Studentsaschangeagents–newwaysofengagingwithlearningandteachinginhighereducation.Bristol:AjointUniversityofExeter/ESCalate/HigherEducationAcademyPublicationhttp://escalate.ac.uk/8064Gardner,P.andEstry,D.(2017)APrimeroftheT-ProfessionalCollegiateEmploymentResearchInstitute,MichiganStateUniversity


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Goleman,D.(1995)EmotionalIntelligenceWhyitCanMatterMorethanIQNewYork.BantamBooksHealey,M.(2012)StudentsaschangeagentsInternationalSocietyfortheScholarshipofTeachingHinchliffe,G.andJolly,A.(2009)EmployerperceptionsofgraduateemployabilityBritishEducationalResearchAssociationConference,UniversityofManchester2-5September2009Hillage,J.andE.Pollard.(1998)Employability:DevelopingaFrameworkforPolicyAnalysis.DfEE.London:DepartmentforEducationandEmployment.Holmes,B.(2018)SpeakingtoaGlobalFuture:TheIncreasingValueofLanguageandCulturetoBritishBusinessPost-Brexit.InM.Kelly(Ed.),LanguagesafterBrexit(pp.61-74).PalgraveMacmillan.Holmes,L.(2013)CompetingPerspectivesonGraduateEmployability:Possession,PositionorProcess?”StudiesinHigherEducation38(4):538–554.Isherwood,S.(2018)Communicatingtheuniversity-to-worktransitiontostudents17April2018https://www.wonkehe.comKurcharvy,T.(2009)T-ShapedGraduate[Online][Accessed4June2018]http://www-05.ibm.com/de/ibm/engagement/university_relations/pdf/Beyond_IT_report_IBM_Workforce_of_the_Future.pdfLincoln,Y.S.andGuba,E.G.(1985)NaturalisticEnquiryLondonSagePublicationsLuckin,R.(2017)TheGlobalUniversityEmployabilityRanking2017[Online][Accessed16November2017]Availablefrom:https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/which-countries-and-universities-produce-most-employable-graduatesMcGrath,C.H.,Guerin,B.,Harte,E.,Frearson,M.andManville,C.(2015)LearninggaininhighereducationCambridge,RandCorporationMathers,B.(2015)TheT-shapedStudent.[Online][Accessed25February2017].Availablefrom:https://bryanmmathers.com/the-t-shaped-student/Merritt,A.(2013)Whylearnaforeignlanguage?Benefitsofbilingualism.TheTelegraph.[Online].[Accessed19April2018].Availablefrom:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/10126883/Why-learn-a-foreign-language-Benefits-of-bilingualism.html Miles,M.B.andHuberman,A.M.(1994)QualitativeDataAnalysis:AnExpandedSourcebook(2ndEd)LondonSageNaidoo,R.(2015)HigherEducation,SocialCapitalandMobilityYork:HEANorton,M.K.(2018)ALanguage-RichFuturefortheUK.InM.Kelly(Ed.),LanguagesafterBrexit(pp.35-45).PalgraveMacmillan.Patton,M.(1998)Discoveringprocessuse.Evaluation,4(2),pp.225-233.


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Patton,M.(2008)Utilization-focusedevaluation.4thed.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage

Saunders,M.(2000)BeginninganevaluationwithRUFDATA:theorizingapracticalapproachtoevaluationplanning.Evaluation,6(1),pp.7-21. Saunders,M.(2012)Theuseandusabilityofevaluationoutputs:Asocialpracticeapproach.Evaluation,18(4),pp.421-436. Silverman,D.(2015)InterpretingQualitativeDataLondonSageSkilbeck,M.(1976)Culture,IdeologyandKnowledge:CurriculumDesignandDevelopmentUnits3and4OpenUniversityStanbury,D.(2016)Whatdoesgoodemployabilityinthecurriculumlooklike?PlymouthUniversityEmployabilityJigsawReport.Stevenson,J.(2016)ReconceptualisingStudentResilienceinHigherEducation:problematisingdeficitdiscoursesPresentationattheUniversityofSheffield,27thOctober2016.[Online].Slidepresentationavailableatwww.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.659638!/file/Reconceptualising_Resilience_-_Prof_Jacqueline_Stevenson.pptxcitedinBleasdale,L.andHumphreys,S.(2018)UndergraduateResilienceResearchProjectLeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellence,UniversityofLeedsStrauss,A.(1987)QualitativeanalysisforsocialscientistsCambridgeUniversityPressWillis,P.andGregory,A.(2016)Makingtheroadwhilewalking:Co-creation,teachingexcellenceanduniversityleadership.London:eLeadershipFoundationforHigherEducation Wolin,S.J.andWolin,S.(1993)TheResilientSelf:HowsurvivorsoftroubledfamiliesriseaboveadversityLondonPenguinRandomHousecitedinBleasdale,L.andHumphreys,S.(2018)UndergraduateResilienceResearchProjectLeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellence,UniversityofLeeds


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Appendices AppendixA|Projectdissemination/impactactivityCompleted• InterdisciplinaryNetworkConferenceposterpresentation,UniversityofSheffield,April2017• 2xLITEwork-in-progresspresentations,JuneandNovember2017• LITECo-DiscoveryBlogLITEwebsite,November2017• ArticleinUniversityofLeedsAlumnimagazineIssue192018• SEC2018presentationUniversityofLeeds,January2018• AULCConferencepresentation,SheffieldHallamUniversity,January2018• Employabilityworkshop,UniversityofLeeds,27March2018• InterdisciplinaryNetworkConferencepresentation,UniversityofLeeds,22March2018• HEAConferencepresentation,AstonUniversity,July2018• RAISEConferencepresentationandposter,SheffieldHallamUniversity,September2018• InternationalSocietyfortheScholarshipofTeachingandLearning–posterpresentationaccepted

–UniversityofBergen,Norway,October2018• AdoptionoftheUniversity’sprojectmanagementmethodology,DeliveringResultsSee:

http://deliveringresults.leeds.ac.uk

Planned• InternationalJournalofStudentsasPartners• FacultyofAHCPRIApresentation(datetobeconfirmed)• CELT/SLCSpresentation(datetobeconfirmed)• PresentationtoBroadeninggroup(datetobeconfirmed)


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AppendixB|RUFDATAtool Evaluation Decisions Using RUFDATA Murray Saunders (2000) WhatareourReasonsandPurposesforevaluation?Thesecouldbeplanning,managing,learning,developing,accountability1. Learninga. ToevidencethevalueofBroadeningasexperiencedbyundergraduatestudents;in

particularthroughlanguagelearninginbothLanguageandInterculturalUnderstanding(LIU)andPersonalandProfessionalDevelopment(PPD)DiscoveryThemes

b. ToevidencethevalueofBroadeningfromtheperspectivesofemployers;inparticularemployers’perceptionsandexpectationsofgraduates,particularlylanguagelearning

2. Developinga. Todisseminateto,andhaveanimpacton,theHEsector,theoutcomesofintroducinga

distinctandinnovativecurriculumb. ToexemplifytokeystakeholdersthepossibilitiesandbarrierstoBroadeningfromstudent

andemployerperspectives3. Accountabilitya. Todemonstrate/identifythatadistinctiveLeedsCurriculum(LC),andtherebyadistinctivestudentexperience,havebeenachievedWhatwillbeourUsesofourevaluation?Theymightbeprovidingandlearningfromembodimentsofgoodpractice,staffdevelopment,strategicplanning,PR,provisionofdataformanagementcontrol1. Toprovideevidencefordisseminationofgoodpedagogicpracticetoraisetheprofileof

Broadeningthroughlanguagelearningwithacademicandsupportstaff2. Toinformfuturecurriculardesignand/orprogrammeenhancementsofnewandexisting

programmes3. Toprovideevidence/datafortheTeachingExcellenceFramework(TEF)SteeringGroupand

TEFnarrativeforfutureUoLTEFsubmissions4. ToprovideevidencefordisseminationatUoLopendaysandteacher/careersadvisor

conferences(currentandprospectivestudents,parents),HEacademicconferences(HEIpeers)andemployabilityforums(employers)toraisetheprofileoftheLCexternallyfrom2018

5. ToprovideatemplatefortheevaluationofotherDiscoveryThemesWhatwillbetheFociforourevaluations?Theseincludetherangeofactivities,aspects,emphasistobeevaluated,theyshouldconnecttothepriorityareasforevaluation.Focusonwhatyouractivityhopestoachieve3.ToascertainwhetherandhowthevalueofBroadeninghasbeenunderstoodbystudentsandbyemployersa.IninterviewsaskstudentsaboutthebenefitsofBroadeningasanintegralpartofthestudent

journeyandinparticularlearningalanguage–andanydisbenefitsb.IninterviewsaskemployerstowhatextenttheyareawareoftheintendedbenefitsofBroadening


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c.IninterviewsaskstudentsabouttheinformationtheyhavereceivedtomakeinformedDiscoverymodulechoicesd.Toexploretheimpactthatlearninghashadonstudents’knowledge,skills,personalandprofessionaldevelopmentandco-curricularopportunitiese.Toexplorestudentdecision-makingprocessesinchoosinglanguageDiscoverymodules,identifyinganybarriersf.Toexplorestudents’reflectionsonBroadeningandinparticulartheirsuggestionstoimprovestudents’experiencesoflanguageDiscoverymodulesWhatwillbeourDataandEvidenceforourevaluations?Numerical,qualitative,observational,caseaccountsQualitativeandquantitative1. QualitativedatadrawnfrominterviewswithUGstudentsstudyinglanguageDiscoverymodules

withinLIUandPPD2. QualitativedatadrawnfrominterviewswitharangeofemployersWhowillbetheAudienceforourevaluations?Communityofpractice,commissioners,yourselvesNBthroughacommunicationsstrategy1. LITEBoard2. Broadening/DTLsGroup3. LeedsCurriculumEvaluationGroup4. DVCforSE/TSEB5. Academicandsupportstaff6. UoLCareers7. Currentstudents8. LUU9. Alumni10. Employers11. Marketing/Prospectivestudents12. SectorHEIse.g.Interdisciplinarynetworks,peersWhatwillbetheTimingforourevaluations?Whenshouldevaluationtakeplace,coincidencewithdecisionmakingcycles,lifecycleofprojectsNBtobedevelopedfurthere.g.considerpilots?1. BetweenMayandDecember2017WhoshouldbetheAgencyconductingtheevaluations?1. LITETeachingEnhancementProjectTeam–2staffand3undergraduateinterns


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AppendixC|Interviewschedules1. Studentinterviewschedule(finalyearexample)Thankyouverymuchforagreeingtobeinterviewedforourproject.WeareinterestedinunderstandingyourundergraduateexperienceshereatLeeds,thejourneyyouhaveundertakenandyourreflectionsonyourlearningwithinthecontextoftheLeedsCurriculum.WeareparticularlyinterestedinyourexperienceswithintheBroadeningelementoftheLeedsCurriculumandespeciallythelanguage-basedDiscoverymodulesyouhavestudied;whatyouvalueaboutstudyingalanguageDiscoverymodule.Alsothewaysstudyingalanguagemighthavecontributedtoyourdevelopment,bothpersonallyandprofessionallyandhowtheseDiscoverymodulesrelatetoyourcoresubject(s)ProgrammeandUniversity1. a.CouldyoubeginbydescribingwhyyouchoseyourparticulardegreeprogrammePrompt:Whatwasitabouttheprogrammethatattractedyou?Probe:Wasittheprogrammecontent?itsstructure?typesofassessment?yourcareeraspirations?Additionalopportunitieswrappedaroundtheprogramme–ifyeswhatweretheseopportunities?1.b.AndwhyyouchoseLeedsinparticular?Prompt:WhatwasitaboutLeedsthatattractedyou?Broadening2. WhatdoyouunderstandbytheideaofBroadeningwithinyourdegree?Probe:AndwhatisyourviewonBroadening?Prompt:WhatdoyouthinkofBroadeningwithinanundergraduatecurriculum?Probe:Howimportantdoyouthinkitistobeabletobroadenyouracademicpursuitsthroughstudyingmodulesoutsideyourmainsubject(s)?

Discoverymodules3.WhatDiscoverymoduleshaveyoustudiedduringyourundergraduatedegree?Probe:WhatwerethereasonsforchoosingtheseDiscoverymodules?Probe:Whatinformedorinfluencedyourdecisions?Probe:Didmodulegradeshaveanyinfluenceonyourchoice?Probe:Howwouldyouevaluatetheinformationprovidedinorderforyoutomakeaninformeddecision?Probe:Wherewastheinformationsourced?Probe:Wastheinformationsufficient?Ifnotwhatwouldyouhaveneededfurthertomakeaninformeddecision?Probe:WerethereanybarrierstoselectingandthenstudyingtheseDiscoverymodules?Probe:Whywasthis?Ifyes,howmightthesebeovercome?Probe:Canyourecallthelanguagelevel?4.Whatisyourexperienceofstudyingthesemodules?Probe:Didyourexperiencemeetyourexpectations?Probe:Couldyousaywhythiswasthecase?CanyougivefurtherexamplesofotherDiscoverymodulesstudied?Probe:InwhatwaydoyouthinkyourDiscoverymodulesrelateorconnecttoyourcoresubject(s)(ifatall)?


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Languagelearning5.Whatmotivatedyoutostudyalanguageaspartofyourdegreeprogramme?Probe:Didyoucontinuethelanguageaftertheinitialmoduleofstudy?Probe:Ifyoudidmorethanonelanguageacrossthethreeyears,wereyourexperiencesconsistent?6.Whydidyouchoosethisparticularlanguage?Probe:Whatdidyouthinkwouldbethebenefitsofthislanguage?Probe:Hasthisprovedtobethecasesofarinyourlearningofthelanguage?Probe:Howhaveyouappliedyourlearningofthislanguage?Probe:Whatelsehaveyougainedasaresultofthislearningpersonally?Probe:Whatelsehaveyougainedasaresultofthislearningprofessionally?7.Havetherebeenanydemeritswithinthesemodules?Ifyeswhatmightthesebe?Probe:Arethereanywaysinwhichthesedemeritsmightbeminimised?Overall,basedonyourcommentssofar,isthereaneedtoimprovestudents’experiencesoflanguagelearningatLeeds?Probe:Ifthecase,whatsuggestionsdoyouhave?Prompt:Howthemodule(s)arestructured,organised,delivered,practisedand/orassessed.8.Doyouthinkhavingtheselanguageskillswillmakeyoumoreemployable?Probe:Whymightthisbethecase?Whatisitaboutlearningalanguagethatemployersmightvalue?Probe:Whatadditionalcontributionsdoyouthinkyoucanmakeasanemployeewithlanguageskills?Probe:DidstudyingalanguageDiscoverymoduleopenupcareerpathsyoumightnothaveconsideredpreviously?Probe:Werethereanyotheropportunities?Prompt:e.g.summerschoolsWiderreflections9.Haslearningalanguageinfluencedyourperspectiveoroutlookmoregenerally?Probe:Doyouidentifywiththeideaofbeingaglobalcitizenthroughlanguagelearning?Probe:Howisthatevidentinyourperspectiveoroutlookorperhapsyourdisposition?Prompt:ThinkingbacktoyourperspectivesbeforeUniversity,hasyouroutlookor‘world-view’changed?Probe:Isthisattributedspecificallytolanguagelearning?Whatdoyouthinkorisitawiderinfluencethanthat?10.DoyouhaveanythingadditionaltosayinrelationtoyourexperiencesofbothBroadeningandlanguagelearningthatmightbeimportantforustohear?Toremindyou,allthedatawillremainconfidentialandanonymisedwhenmadepublic.Wehaverequestedthatweuseanonymisedquotesinourwritingup.Wehopewestillhaveyourconsenttodothis?Wouldyouliketoknowtheoutcomesofourfindingswhenavailable?Ifso,whichemailaddressshouldweuse?Verybestofluckinyournextventureandsincerethanksagain.


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2. EmployerinterviewscheduleProjecttitle:Co-Discovery–astudent/staffcollaborativeevaluationofthevalueofBroadeningwithintheundergraduatestudentjourney;thecaseforlanguagelearningThankyouverymuchforgivingupyourtimetoassistuswithourproject.Wewouldreallyappreciateyourviewsaswefindoutwhatemployersthinkabout2keyaspects:

• thevalueofBroadeningaspartoftheLeedsCurriculum• thevalueoflanguagelearningasanelementofBroadening

AndalsohowtheseelementsofourcurriculummatchyourexpectationsasanemployerinrelationtotheknowledgeandskillsyouwouldexpectgraduatestobeapplyingintheworkplacePreambleonLeedsCurriculum

• LeedsCurriculum:3strands–RBL,CPTandBroadeningthroughDiscovery–whatitis,howit’spresentedtostudents–enablingstudentstowidentheirpersonalandprofessionalhorizonsthroughexcitingcurricularandco-curricularopportunitiesintheLeedscontext

• Ourproject-measuretheeffectivenessofthiscurriculumtransformationprojectindevelopingadistinctiveLeedsUGeducation;evaluateBroadeningthoughtheDiscoveryThemes–howthisvalueisunderstoodbystudentsanditseffectontheirlearning,theirchoicesandtheircareeraspirations;employerperceptions;

Arethereanypointsofclarification?Section1:LeedsCurriculum/Broadening

1. Canyoubeginbyintroducingyourself,describingyourrolewithinyourorganisationandwhat

yourorganisationdoes?

2. Whatwouldbeyourexpectationsofagraduate?Probe:Whataretheknowledge,skillsandattributesthatyouaretypicallylookingfororvaluewhenyourecruitagraduate?Probe:Whenyou’veinterviewedgraduatesforajob,whatarethedeterminingfactors–whatareyoulookingfor?Probe:Howdoyouchoosebetweentwosimilarcandidates?Probe:Canyousaywhythisisthecase?Probe:Whichkeyskillsorattributesareessentialtoyou?Probe:Whichkeyskillsaredesirablethoughnotessential?

3. Fromwhatyouknow,whatisyourviewoftheUniversityofLeedsofferforUGs?

Probe:IsthereanythingthatstandsoutaboutthecurriculumthatisdistinctiveaboutLeeds?Probe:Canyouexpandonthevalue/giveexamples/howdoyouknowthis(oftheirgivenanswer)

4. Fromwhatyouknow,whatdoyouthinkabouttheconceptofBroadeninginanUGcurriculum?Probe/prompt:describeDiscovery,pathways,co-curricularstudyabroad,workplacement,volunteeringProbe:Howimportantdoyouthinkitisforastudenttobeabletobroadenacademicallythroughstudyingmodulesoutsidetheirmainsubject?Probe:IsthereanyBroadeningaspectthatyouparticularlyvalue?Andwhyisthat?Prompt:Isworkplacementmorevaluedthanvolunteering?


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5. DoesBroadeninghelptodifferentiateLeedsstudentsinawaythatmakesthemmoreattractive

toanemployer?

6. Throughthecurriculumweareenablingstudentstotakeamanagedriskbysteppingoutsidetheirmaindisciplinebutdoyouagreethatthisisworthwhile?Probe:Isbreadthanasset–toexploreotherareasoflearningProbe:Arerisk-takingandexplorationvaluedattributes?(orisitjustthecoredisciplinethatyoulookat?)Prompt:Kucharvy’sT-shapedprofessional

7. Whenrecruitingwhatrecruitmentmodelsdoyouuse?Andwhy?

Prompt:WeunderstandthatemployerslikeErnst&Young,NestléandBarclaysaremovingawayfromcompetency-basedrecruitmentmethodstoastrengths-basedmodelPrompt:Areyoulookingforattributessuchascuriosity,emotionalintelligence,resilience,culturalsensitivity,appetiteforrisk,toleranceofambiguityandpersistenceProbe:Aregraduatesexhibitingthesekindsofattributes?Whatotherattributesdoyouvalue?Probe:Shoulduniversitiesbedoingmoretoencouragetheseattributes?Probe:Ifyes,howshouldweasauniversitydothis?Whatwouldyouliketosee?Probe:Whywouldthisbethecase?

Section2:Thevalueoflanguageskillsaspartofastudent’sdegree

8. Howimportant/necessaryoruseful/valuableisitforastudenttohavelanguageskillsaspartof

theirdegree?Probe:Canyouexplainfurtheryourreasonswhy?Prompt:Becauseofwhatitaddstotheorganisation’svalue/functionality/abilitytodevelopinternationalbusinessrelationships/student’smobility?Probe:Inwhatwayswouldastudentdeploylanguageskillsinyourorganisation/sector?Probe:Inyourexperiencearelanguageskillsnotimportantandwhyisthis?Prompt:Notimportanttotheorganisation?

9. Ifyouhave2studentswiththesamedegreeandasimilarwork/lifeexperience,dolanguageskillsgiveastudentacompetitiveedge?Probe:Ifso,whyisthis?

10. Aresomelanguagesmorevaluabletoyourorganisationthanothers?Prompt:Whichonesandwhy?

11. Istheleveloffluencyimportant?Probe:Whatwillthelanguagebeusedfor?Isabeginner’sleveloflanguagesufficient?

Section3:Thevalueofinterculturalawareness12. Wethinkthatweareencouragingstudentstodevelopculturalsensitivityandtobecomeglobal

citizens-havingawarenessofothercultures.Howimportantdoyouthinkitisforstudentstodemonstrateinterculturalawareness?Andwhy/whynot?Probe:Arethereanyexamples?


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13. IsthereanythingelsethatweshouldbedoingatLeedstodevelopthisinourgraduates?14. Isthereanythingelseyou’dliketoaddthatwedidn’tcoverearlier?

Sincerethanksforyourtimeandvaluedcontribution.Wouldyouliketoknowtheoutcomesofourproject?Ifyes,whatisthebestemailaddresstosendareporttoyou?

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AbouttheauthorsandacknowledgementsAbouttheauthorsCo-DiscoveryTeam• AkeishaBrown–SecondyearPsychologystudent,FacultyofMedicineandHealth• CarolineCampbell–Director,LanguagesforAll,SchoolofLanguages,CulturesandSocieties,

FacultyofArts,HumanitiesandCultures• RobertIrnazarow–ThirdyearSocialPolicystudent,FacultyofEducation,SocialSciences

andLaw• DrKarenLlewellyn–SeniorProjectManager,BusinessChange,StrategyandPlanning• ChandniPandya–ThirdyearPhilosophyandPoliticsstudent,FacultyofArts,Humanities

andCultures

AcknowledgementsTheCo-Discoveryteamisgratefulto:• TheLeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellenceforsupportingtheproject;inparticular,DrRafe

Hallett,DavidGardner,RekhaParmar,StephanieStones,LeighDowdandlatterlyDrKelvinTapley• DiscoveryThemeLeadersDrKevinLinchandProfessorElMustaphaLahlali• TheUniversityofLeedsundergraduatesandtheemployerswhoparticipatedintheproject• UniversityofLeedscolleagueswhoprovidedemployercontacts• LITEFellowsandTEPLeadersfortheirhelpfulfeedbackduringtheprojectForcorrespondence:[email protected]

Join the community: @leedsteaching

teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk

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Join the conversation:teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk@leedsteaching

Documents

CO-DISCOVERY – A STAFF/STUDENT COLLABORATIVE … · dissonance in their understandings of Broadening and in particular language learning 4. Exemplify to key stakeholders the possibilities