Dear Cercles members, dear colleagues,
Please, allow me to address you with a request for information on language requirements in Higher Education.
In the Netherlands and Flanders, Dutch and English are languages of instruction and communication at universities and universities of applied sciences.
Although there are very explicit language entry requirements (language starting competencies) upon admission, this is not so much the case when it comes to language exit requirements. i.e. in non-language or language-related studies. Development of (academic) language competencies and academic literacy seems to implicitly be assumed during the curriculum but are – especially in universities – not a learning objective with a defined final result, put down in for example programmes exam regulations.
The newly appointed Minister of Education in the Netherlands, together with his Belgian colleague, would like to have a framework of reference on Dutch language competency for Dutch speaking students in Higher Education developed (language development statements for the own national language). They asked the Dutch Language Organisation Taalunie to develop such a framework.
For this purpose, the Taalunie has established a working group that I am part of. One of the questions that emerged from this working group was whether other European countries do have such a framework for the development of their national language(s) within the curricula at HE.
If you could provide me with any information on this topic, please contact me. I very much appreciate your help. Thank you.
Please e-mail me: k.hunfeld@utwente.nl
Hope to see you in Porto,
Kind regards,
Katja Hunfeld
Head of Language Centre at University of Twente, Netherlands
Chair of the Dutch Flemish Organisation of Language Centres in Higher Education, NUT