Language Students in Work Practices

Undergraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course aims to demonstrate the professional competence that language studies provide through practice in institutions and establishments abroad or in Norway. Through observation, interaction, professional practice, reflection and guidance, students will gain a better insight and awareness into their professional role in the workplace.

Content: Students participate in work assignments in the institutions or workplaces that they are assigned to. It is a prerequisite that the assignments are relevant to the students¿ studies and are useful to the workplace. The assignments given to each student will be outlined in a contract between the student and the company or institution.

The theoretical and methodological part of the course covers key issues within the working areas that are relevant to language students. This will include knowledge and reflection on how a speakers uses a foreign language in working life, in terms of intercultural communication and competence and how one can become more aware of these, how one can convey messages in the most effective way possible, and how one can receive and evaluate information effectively.

In the theoretical part, students will also become aware of their own competence by discussing how they can benefit from it in a working environment. Furthermore, students will face challenges and with them the opportunity to present solutions to the situations that arise.

The course coordinator/administration is responsible for obtaining the placements and for agreeing on the content of the placement with the employer, as well as maintaining contact with the students and employers during the placement period. Students can also arrange their own placement. This must be approved by the course coordinator.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students should have the following outcomes, defined by knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

Upon completing the course, the student should:

  • Have knowledge of what it is like to work for a company or institution where their education is relevant
  • Know more about the organization and the work undertaken by the company or institution with whom they have worked
  • Be able to use the professional knowledge that language studies have provided in a real work situation
  • Have knowledge of the requirements for foreign language competence connected to the job
  • Have knowledge of what intercultural communication and competence are

Skills

The student:

  • Can combine theory with experience-based learning and reflect on the relationship between theory and practice
  • Has an extensive understanding and can reflect on different thought patterns, attitudes and world views
  • Has an extensive understanding of how best to communicate a message in an effective way
  • Has an extensive understanding of the requirements related to the use of a foreign language
  • Can express themselves in the foreign language in different settings
  • Has an extensive understanding of how to obtain and evaluate information

General competence

The student:

  • Can consciously reflect on their own professional role in the working environment
  • Can exchange views and experiences about a company or institution and, in doing this, contribute to the development of better practices
  • Can submit a written report on the content and relevance of the placement

Full-time/Part-time

Full-time

ECTS Credits

30

Level of Study

Bachelor

Semester of Instruction

Autumn and/or spring, dependent on the availability of work placements

Place of Instruction

Bergen and the workplace, whether inside or outside Norway. The workplace can be abroad or a workplace in Norway where the specific language is relevant for the completion of tasks during the placement period.
Required Previous Knowledge
Minimum 60 credits in the relevant foreign language. You must have at least a grade C on average in the language course in order to qualify for admission. Native or other real competence in the language in question can compensate for a lack of credits in the foreign language but applicants must have completed at least 60 credits before departure.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Good oral and written competences in foreign languages
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
None
Access to the Course

The course has a limited number of placements. If there are more qualified applicants than there are available placements, applicants will be prioritised as follows:

  1. Students with a bachelor¿s degree in the relevant language subject at UiB, with a minimum of 60 credits, prioritised based on the average grade and the letter of motivation. The student must have at least a grade C on average in the language courses to qualify for admission. Native or other real competence in the language can compensate for a lack of credits in the language subject, but applicants must have completed at least 60 credits before starting on SAP100.
  2. Other students with the right to study at UiB, prioritised according to grade average, with a minimum of 60 credits in the relevant language. An average grade of at least C is required in order to qualify for admission. Native or other real competence in the language can compensate for a lack of credits in the language subject, but applicants must have completed at least 60 credits before starting on SAP100.

Application procedure for applicants to available placements:

Available placements will be released on 1st April/1st October. Students can apply through a digital form on IF¿s website. The application must contain a letter of motivation, which along with grades, will be considered in the application process. Applicants may also be called in for interviews.

Application procedure for applicants who provide their own placements:

If students wish to obtain their own placement, they must submit a completed agreement between them and the place of work before the application deadline, which is 1st May for the autumn semester and 1st November for the spring semester. If applicable, contact the course administrator. The course leader must ensure quality and approve all placements. Students can apply through a digital form on IF¿s website.

Deadline: 1st May for admission in the autumn semester and 1st November for admission in the spring semester.

Teaching and learning methods

Eight-hour start-up seminar in Bergen. Some parts of the start-up seminar can be held online.

6-8 online seminars

Placement (270 hours) for a minimum of 60 days (normally over 9-12 weeks)

At the start of the semester, a four-hour seminar will be held, focusing on preparing students for the placement. The goal is to make students aware of their own competence and how best to use it during the placement. The start-up seminar can also be taken online.

The course contains a 270-hour placement at a company or institution abroad or in Norway , which is linked to the theoretical and methodological insights and exercises in specific and transferable skills that are of great relevance to language students in various occupational roles.

During the placement period, the teaching will be net-based. The teaching will be in the form of a webinar in which the central syllabus and key topics are reviewed and discussed. In addition, there will be reflection and presentation assignments that will link the theoretical and methodological part and the practical part of the course. There will be a large amount of student activity.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

The student must meet the following mandatory requirements:

  • Mandatory attendance to the start-up seminar in Bergen
  • 75% compulsory attendance for online education
  • 270 hours of practice in an approved company/institution. Work on the practice report is not included in the 270 hours

The following mandatory assignments must be delivered and approved within specified deadlines:

  • Three reflection exercises
  • An oral presentation of the placement at the webinar
  • Submission of drafts of the placement report and guidance related to these drafts

Students who cannot attend the start-up meeting in Bergen due to their placement can make an arrangement with the course coordinator about an alternative web-based teaching program. The arrangement with the course coordinator must be made in advance of the start-up meeting. Approval of the compulsory work requirements is applicable during the teaching semester and the following semester.

Forms of Assessment

The exam is a guided placement/practice report. The written examination (practice report) must be around 4,000 words, not including bibliography and attachments. The report must be written in Norwegian or English and include:

  1. A report on the content of the placement work
  2. A reflection on the value of the placement for the student¿s professional and personal development and the value of their own competences
  3. A further elaboration on two of the three reflection tasks described under `compulsory assignments and attendance¿. These elaborations must be based on at least four academic sources.

The report, as well as a certificate from the company or institution upon completion of the placement, must be submitted before a set deadline.

Grading Scale
The grading scale is A-F, where F is a fail.
Assessment Semester

Spring/Autumn

There is also an assessment early in the autumn semester/spring semester for students with a valid approval of the compulsory working requirements in the teaching semester.

Reading List
The reading list will be ready by 1st June for the autumn semester and 1st December for the spring semester.
Course Evaluation
Evaluation of the course is carried out in accordance with the UiB quality assurance system.
Examination Support Material
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Programme Committee
Department of Foreign Languages
Course Coordinator
Department of Foreign Languages
Course Administrator
The Department of Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Humanities has the administrative responsibility for the course.