Bringing Language Teaching Closer
– From a Distance
Aberdeen College
Gallowgate Centre
Gallowgate
Aberdeen AB25 1BN
Person in charge of project: Anne Wilson, Lecturer in Spanish
Aberdeen College is Scotland's largest FE college, providing extensive learning opportunities for people wishing to progress to higher education and in employment. There were over 32,000 enrolments in the 1998/99 academic session. Aberdeenshire is a rural authority covering some 2,400 square miles.
The project was established in 1998 as a collaborative venture between Aberdeen College and Banchory Academy to use new technology to offer Spanish teaching for senior pupils of the Academy. The project has been successful and in Session 1999/2000 has been extended to other schools. Twenty-one pupils are currently studying Spanish who, prior to this project with its application of new technology, would not have had this opportunity.
The project uses video-conferencing to provide two timetabled sessions per week, and school pupils submit written assignments to the College via fax or e-mail.
Judges' comments
This distance-learning project is clearly established and is operating very successfully. It is innovative in using new technology and points the way for others to broaden access to language learning, especially the lesser taught languages, in remote or sparsely populated areas. It has been very successful in terms of the examination results achieved by students and we are delighted that the college is seeking to extend the project and set up video links with other schools in Grampian, Moray and Highland.
