Language Centre and Library collaboration

Insessional teaching has been embedded in the School of English MA programme for the past three years and the Library’s Learning Development team have played a valuable role in the Research Project module. In 2021-22 we took the opportunity to work in collaboration, to further develop academic literacies for School of English PGT students. The collaboration aimed to provide a joined-up approach to student education and be complementary to each individual area's presence in modules and programmes.  

In Semester 2, we offered three joint sessions to MA students on the topics 'Using Specialist Databases for MA Dissertation' and 'Free Writing'. We taught these together, two within the regular insessional provision and one as an extra support on the research project module. Combining our expertise felt logical. Students had access to both of us, and to our respective pools of information. They were able to apply research strategies and genre-based knowledge simultaneously to their specific area of interest and in an atmosphere of peer support. It is our focus going forward to explore further opportunities to collaborate at PGT level.  

With academics in the School, we are also considering possibilities for further support on undergraduate programmes. Such support would focus on students’ independent work and research, and any development would build on knowledge gained from a set of trial workshops embedded in L1 core modules in 2021-22. These workshops were written and run jointly by academics in the School and the Language Centre as part of an expansion of insessional provision. A continued focus on academic writing in later undergraduate study might be an area where a specific Library-Language Centre collaboration could contribute further. Working together has been very positive for us as colleagues, and hopefully the collaboration has been of real benefit to students.