Language education culture and practice under change at JAMK Language Centre

Abstract

Universities of applied sciences in Finland are higher education institutions with emphasis on practical working life skills and strong links with working life. Students typically study in field-specific groups where they receive language and communication instruction alongside their professional courses. The development of language and communication studies is the chief responsibility of JAMK Language Centre at JAMK University of Applied Sciences. To create flexibility in language and communication teaching and to improve language and communication teachers’ working practices, a two-year project was started at JAMK Language Centre in autumn 2017. In the experiment, JAMK ́s students in Finnish degree programs began studying languages and communication in multidisciplinary groups instead of field-specific groups. There were administrative reasons as well as a pedagogical development aims behind the change. Two Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analyses have been performed to find out about the experiences of the JAMK Language Centre staff members regarding the change. So far the experiment has been both challenging and rewarding and it continues until 2019 when the final results can be seen. The aim of this article is to present the first phase of the experimental project highlighting the experiences of the JAMK Language Centre staff.