Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to let you know that the Steering Group established to consider the future of Modern Languages provision at the University has today met with staff in the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture (LLMVC) to set out some options for consultation.
Considering the significant interest in this topic across the University and externally, we are also making the consultation available to the University community. A set of slides summarising the consultation is also available.
In brief, the need to review provision in Modern Languages has arisen due to:
steeply falling enrolments to undergraduate Modern Languages degrees UK wide and at Aberdeen and low levels of postgraduate students. This is a long-term trend despite significant efforts by staff at the University and national initiatives over many years to halt the decline in uptake of Modern Languages in secondary schools and HE.
Particularly low recruitment to undergraduate Modern Languages programmes at Aberdeen in September 2023: 27 FTE, falling from 46 FTE in 2022 and 62 FTE in 2021.
High staff numbers (37 staff – 28.83 FTE) relative to student recruitment means that income does not cover even the direct costs of staff delivering Modern Languages provision before any central costs (such as Library, IT, Student Services, Estates), leading to a projected deficit for Modern Languages of £1.64m in 2023/24.
The consultation sets out three options for the future of provision in Modern Languages:
Discontinue single honours in French, Gaelic, German and Spanish and rationalise the programme offering to reduce the number of courses required to deliver the remaining joint honours provision. This option might also encompass a reduction in the number of languages offered to three or two languages.
Discontinue single and joint honours French, Gaelic, German and Spanish programmes but retain a suite of ‘with language’ programmes (for example, International Business with French).
Discontinue all programmes which have a named language component but continue to offer language courses that could be taken by students as elective courses where this can be accommodated in their degree programme. This would typically be at first year and to a lesser extent second year level of studies.
During the period of consultation we will be holding a series of meetings for staff in the School to discuss the options set out in the consultation, and to gather feedback from staff. We will also be engaging with student representatives from the School.
It is the firm intention of the Steering Group that the University will continue to offer students at the University the opportunity to learn languages, and all of the options set out in the consultation will ensure this is the case.
Whatever decisions are taken following the consultation regarding the future provision of Modern Languages, the University will ensure that any students currently enrolled on programmes in Modern Languages will be able to complete their programmes of study.
This is clearly a very difficult time for staff in Modern Languages and the wider School of LLMVC. A range of support is being provided.
Best wishes
Karl
Karl Leydecker
Senior Vice-Principal