Re-examining Australia's Tertiary Language Programs: A five year retrospective on teaching and collaboration

Abstract

This report presents the findings of an on-line questionnaire that aimed to provide baseline data about the state of languages in Australian universities. The aim of the survey was to find out what had been done over the last five years in language teaching, particularly in regard to collaborative efforts as the basis for developing and testing models for collaboration. Given the current financial and structural pressures on languages, particularly those of small enrolment, or those needing to maintain units / subjects with small enrolments, developing good collaborative models would appear to be one way to maintain language teaching vitality. The study has found that all save two of the Australian universities teach languages other than English. While enrolments in languages are relatively stable over the reporting period (2001-2005), there are fewer languages being taught. The staffing base of university language teachers has declined slightly over the five year period, but of more concern is the increasing reliance on casual staff to maintain language programs. Approximately half the universities have, or intend to, enter into some sort of collaborative arrangements to either maintain their language teaching base, or to develop new language teaching programs in their institutions. Current collaborative arrangements include a number of models, clustered around three major themes: 1) universities in the same urban area teaching languages collaboratively, or adopting each others’ courses; 2) universities teaching their language programs in distant or regional universities; and 3) universities with programs linked to overseas universities. There are a number of permutations on these themes. Of the universities with collaborative arrangements, only a few claim to use private language providers. Universities generally were not in favour of working with private providers except to supplement already existing language programs. Examples given of private collaboration included: the funding of positions through foreign national institutes or foreign governments, provision of teaching resources, and the provision of cultural events and activities to enhance existing courses. While the survey concentrated on schools or departments of languages in universities, it was fairly common to find other schools, departments or faculties which had a language component in their courses.

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