Language Competence Center well represented at international Conference

At this AKS Online Conference 2021, the Language Competence Center led their very own workshop on the topic of blended learning with realia in language teaching. In sum, the full-time and adjunct faculty of the center gave six scientific presentations at the conference, which took place from March 4-5, 2021.

LANGUAGE COMPETENCE CENTER PRESENTS SUCCESSFUL PROJECT

At this conference known in Central Europe and beyond, the Language Competence Center of FH Kufstein presented their successful work in the field of curriculum and syllabus development with blended learning and authentic materials, also known as ‘realia’.

 “A fundamental redesign of all our language courses was necessary because of the periodic revision of our curricula. This was a very time-consuming, but also a highly successful project,” says Prof. (FH) Yvonne Unnold, Director of the Language Competence Center at FH Kufstein Tirol. “The feedback from our students on the redesigned language courses has been extremely positive, and the e-learning components that have now been included for the very first time make the syllabi excellent examples of blended learning.”

The underlying objective of the workshop organized and run by the Language Competence Center was to share the knowledge gained in this successful project with the scientific community and with other language teachers.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM

In addition to an opening talk by the entire team of the Language Competence Center, members of the team also presented their own research. Claudio Schekulin, for instance, investigated fundamental questions of language teaching research and sociolinguistics in his two talks ‘Defining blended learning’ and ‘“What's in a name?” Real, authentic, genuine?’. In her presentation ‘Blended learning with realia at the beginner’s level’, Lourdes Enero Reneses, full-time lecturer of Spanish, specifically addressed the needs of learners at lower levels of proficiency. Meanwhile, Yvonne Unnold explored new possibilities in advanced Business English groups in her presentation ‘Using business case studies and entrepreneurship simulation in language education’. “Overall, the workshop was a success across the board,” says the Director of the Language Competence Center. “In addition to the great scientific exchanges in our own workshop, we were also able to maintain and expand our professional networks with other language centers,” adds Lourdes Enero Reneses.

IMPRESSIVE TURNOUT

In total, more than 100 people attended the talks and discussion sessions of the workshop. The presenters also included adjunct language instructors of FH Kufstein Tirol. “Collaborating with our adjunct language instructors not only in teaching, but also in the context of research, is a major objective of the Language Competence Center. We are very pleased that this worked so well at this conference,” says Claudio Schekulin, full-time lecturer of English and coordinator of language courses in part-time degree programs.