Leadership for Future Generations: a National network for University Languages

Leadership for Future Generations: A National Network for University Languages

Final Report 2013

The University of Melbourne (lead institution) Professor John Hajek (project leader) Professor Joseph Lo Bianco Professor Colin Nettelbeck The University of Adelaide Professor Kent Anderson Monash University Professor Marko Pavlyshyn RMIT University Dr Lynne Li University of Wollongong Professor Kerry Dunne Dr Anya Woods (project manager)

Report authors: John Hajek, Colin Nettelbeck and Anya Woods

www.lcnau.org

Support for the production of this report has been provided by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching.

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Leadership for Future Generations: A National Network for University Languages 2

Acknowledgements The team members responsible for the project ‘Leadership for future generations: A national network for university languages’ are particularly grateful for the critical support made available in the form of two-year funding by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd (ALTC) and then by the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT). This funding was essential to the successful establishment of the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU). We also acknowledge the important help of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) and especially the contribution of Kylie Brass, that were fundamental to our success in obtaining the ALTC/OLT funding. We extend our gratitude to the universities, faculties and schools that also provided support for the national colloquium — either by facilitating the participation of their staff or by providing direct financial assistance to LCNAU. The success of the national colloquium was an important outcome of the project and a critical step in the creation of LCNAU.


List of acronyms used AAH Australian Academy of the Humanities ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority ALTC Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd DASSH Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities Go8 Group of Eight LASP Learned Academies Special Project LCNAU Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities LCTL Less Commonly Taught Language OLT Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching TELL Technology Enhanced Language Learning


Executive summary The Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU) was established out of the ALTC/OLT-funded ‘Leadership for Future Generations: A National Network for University Languages’ project, to lead the development of a stronger languages culture in higher education in Australia. This report, which summarises the project, is structured in four sections: (1) introduction to the project and network; (2) operations of the network; (3) the project’s outcomes; and (4) the present and future impact of the project through the network on the tertiary languages sector. 1. Introduction to the project and the establishment of the network When the project began, the state of languages education in Australia was the subject of growing alarm, as exemplified in a report by the Group of Eight (2007), entitled ‘Languages in Crisis’. Two pivotal studies (Nettelbeck et al. 2007, 2009), funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and conducted by the Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH), found the cause of the ‘crisis’ to be complex and identified a need for systemic change across the sector. Among their recommendations was the creation of a ‘National Languages Task-Force/Network’. A national colloquium, subsequently organised by the AAH in 2009 and entitled ‘Beyond the Crisis’, echoed this urgent call for action. The fundamental goal of the current project was therefore to establish such a change-oriented network, which would link languages and cultures academics across the tertiary sector in Australia. LCNAU is the realisation of that goal. The first year of the project, 2011, saw the highly successful staging of LCNAU’s inaugural national colloquium. It the first gathering of the network, and the creation of a structure to enable ongoing collaboration around Australia. A second colloquium will take place at The Australian National University in July 2013. 2. The network in operation With the establishment of LCNAU through the colloquium, the network was able to begin the urgent work of strengthening the university languages sector through advocacy, collaboration, research and support, and to act as the national and international interlocutor on behalf of university language programs and academics across Australia. National and international representative and interlocutor: LCNAU represents the interests of all languages in the tertiary sector and beyond, and is now recognised, both within Australia and overseas, as the relevant peak body for them at university level. Advocacy and policy: LCNAU believes in the strategic importance of linguistic and cultural diversity within institutions and for Australia, and the need for Australia to move away from a persistent ‘monolingual mindset’. LCNAU has been proactive — with wide media coverage on topical issues, and submissions regarding such policies as the White Paper Australia in the Asian Century and to specific Australian universities regarding strategies to circumvent planned program closures. LCNAU is also focussed on the need for policy development, and


implementation for improved outcomes in languages and cultures teaching, learning and research — both at local institutional and national level in Australia. Collaboration: LCNAU strives for the facilitation of sector-wide collaboration among universities. Many of the themed workshops held at the 2011 colloquium were developed into ‘virtual clusters’ over the course of 2012, operating in different formats via the LCNAU website, and with a view to stimulating cooperative research endeavours. Research: LCNAU seeks to initiate and facilitate innovative research on and through languages other than English, as well as research to enhance the languages sector across the country. In 2012, LCNAU offered seed funding to five significant projects, and engaged in its own research on languages of small enrolment and on staff casualisation in the sector. Support: LCNAU seeks to support all languages in the sector — through such activities as advocacy, research and professional development including in 2011 the first national forum for sessional teaching staff in languages. 3. Strengthening the sector: project outcomes The project outcomes are numerous and significant. The principal outcome is the successful establishment of the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU). Additional substantial outcomes include:

• The existence of a dynamic, informative website: www.lcnau.org.

• Publication of fully-refereed online e-proceedings of the 2011 Colloquium: downloadable from the LCNAU website at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>.

• Publication of numerous scholarly articles, reports, submissions, position papers, media releases and newspaper articles: found at <www.lcnau.org/resources>.

• An active role in research: see <www.lcnau.org/projects>.

• The establishment of virtual clusters to drive collaboration and best practice. See <www.lcnau.org/clusters>.

• A proven role in advocacy: see <www.lcnau.org/resources/publications>.

• Progress towards the institutionalisation of LCNAU as a legal entity. 4. Conclusion: the future for LCNAU and the tertiary languages sector in Australia The project has been highly successful in establishing an effective and visible focal point for the tertiary languages sector. The only major question remaining to be resolved is the future long-term funding of the network. Though a combination of individual, institutional and government participation, the network can continue to operate successfully. This will ensure that the nation’s universities will be able to fulfil strategic needs relating to languages and cultures, and will help ensure the nation’s full engagement with Asia and the rest of the world over the coming century. The profound synergies between LCNAU’s activities and commitments and the policy plans outlined in the October 2012 White Paper Australia in the Asian Century demonstrate what is arguably an unprecedented convergence of government-led policy and the uniting of grassroots sectoral expertise and enthusiasm.


Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... 2

List of acronyms used ................................................................................................................. 3

Executive summary ..................................................................................................................... 4

Preamble ..................................................................................................................................... 8

Chapter 1: Introduction to the project and the establishment of the network ......................... 9

Chapter 2: The core of the project — the network in operation ............................................. 13

2.1 National and international representative and interlocutor .................................... 13

2.2 Advocacy and policy .................................................................................................. 13

2.3 Collaboration ............................................................................................................. 14

2.4 Research .................................................................................................................... 14

2.5 Support ...................................................................................................................... 15

Chapter 3: Strengthening the sector — project outcomes ...................................................... 17

Chapter 4: Conclusion — the future for LCNAU and the tertiary languages sector in Australia ................................................................................................................................ 21

References ................................................................................................................................ 22

Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 23

Appendix 1: Our identity ........................................................................................................... 24

Appendix 1a: LCNAU poster and principles ..................................................................... 24

Appendix 2: Website ................................................................................................................. 25

Appendix 2a: LCNAU homepage ..................................................................................... 25

Appendix 2b: Virtual clusters page .................................................................................. 26

Appendix 3: Colloquia ............................................................................................................... 28

Appendix 3a: 2011 Colloquium program ........................................................................ 28

Appendix 3b: 2011 Colloquium feedback ....................................................................... 31

Appendix 3c: 2011 Sessionals forum program ................................................................ 32

Appendix 3d: 2013 Call for papers .................................................................................. 33

Appendix 4: Research-based dissemination ............................................................................. 34

Appendix 4a: 2011 E-proceedings cover ......................................................................... 34

Appendix 4b: 2011 E-proceedings table of contents ...................................................... 35

Appendix 4c: 2012 Seed funding – excerpts from final reports ...................................... 37

Appendix 5: Further forms of dissemination ............................................................................ 39

Appendix 5a: Collated list of dissemination activities 2011-2012 .................................. 39


Appendix 6: Advocacy ............................................................................................................... 47

Appendix 6a: Submission to the White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century ............... 47

Appendix 6b: Sample position paper: Scholarly Publications in Languages Other than English in Research Evaluation Processes at Australian Universities .............................. 49

Appendix 7: Independent Evaluation Report………………………………………………………………………52


Preamble The Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU) was established out of the ALTC/OLT-funded ‘Leadership for Future Generations: A National Network for University Languages’ project, in order to lead the development of a stronger languages culture in higher education in Australia. This report, which summarises the project, is structured in four sections:

1. the crisis affecting the tertiary languages sector, the project’s inception, and the subsequent establishment of the network;

2. the network’s activities;

3. the project’s outcomes; and

4. the impact which the network has had upon the tertiary languages sector, and will continue to have into the future.


Chapter 1: Introduction to the project and the establishment of the network The Leadership for Future Generations project was predicated on the conviction that high levels of competency in languages and cultures are fundamental for individuals and nations to be able to participate fully in this era of globalisation. For individuals, learning a language is the opportunity to discover a new world, and oneself in the process (Heryanto 2012). For a nation, such as Australia, the strength of its language capacity can, in addition to global benefits of improved intercultural understanding and interaction, open doors for trade and diplomatic relations, enhance its national security interests, increase its economic competitiveness and advance its standing as a leader on the world’s stage. A second underlying conviction was that a major responsibility for enhancing the nation’s languages ability rests with the university sector. It is essentially through research-based university curricula that students gain (or not) the linguistic and cultural knowledge and understanding that they, and the nation, need in order to participate and contribute most fully as global citizens. Just as crucially, universities have the responsibility for training the staff responsible for teaching language and culture at all levels of education. Despite the widely-known benefits of linguistic and cultural competency, the state of languages education across all levels of the sector in Australia has been the subject of growing alarm for the last three decades or so. Shifts in government and institutional policies, accompanying changes in public attitudes to the value of language study and to the intrinsic worth of one language vis-à-vis another, have had a marked impact upon language teaching and learning at primary and secondary levels, with flow-on effects at tertiary level. Indeed, in the tertiary sector, the situation had become critical, with a dramatic fall in the number of languages taught: a report by the Group of Eight (2007), entitled ‘Languages in Crisis’, indicated that while in 1997 a total of 66 languages were offered at Australian universities, only ten years later the number had plummeted to 29. Other negative elements included uneven student enrolments, low retention and high attrition rates, program closures, and erosion of senior leadership positions in many universities. In the context of the growing focus on Australia’s future within Asia, the situation of Asian languages was particularly dire. Overall, reports showed that Australia had fallen seriously behind other OECD countries in the numbers of students graduating with a second language (DEEWR 2010). The stimulus for the creation of a national tertiary languages network came from two pivotal nation-wide studies of languages in Australian universities (Nettelbeck et al 2007, 2009), funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and conducted by the Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH). These studies examined attrition and retention in ab initio languages programs across the tertiary sector (a majority of languages students in Australian universities fall into this category). The cause of the ‘crisis’ was found not to be reducible to a simple question of student demand, but to result from the complexities of numerous cultural and institutional factors. These include administrative and management obstacles (“especially the lack of central policy for languages study at university and government level” Lo Bianco 2009: 56), and inconsistent and unclear student pathways (lack of articulation from secondary to higher education, little consistency across the nation in terms of the constitutive features of languages and cultures majors, or in terms of expected outcomes).


A further contributing factor in the crisis was found to be a collapse in the leadership structures within the sector. Over the past few decades, formal senior leadership structures within the tertiary languages area have been eroded very markedly: across the board, there are today far fewer level Es (professors) and Ds (associate professors), and an intense casualisation and juniorisation of teaching staff. This trend, while apparent across the university sector, is more acute in languages than in other disciplines, and has weakened the already fraught situation of languages, both Asian and non-Asian, by forcing increased responsibilities (and workloads) on relatively junior staff, and by sharpening the dislocation of language acquisition from the cultural contexts that give knowledge of other languages their greatest personal and strategic value. In addition to the acute awareness of the languages crisis in the nation’s universities, the Leadership for Future Generations project also derived drive and confidence from residual strengths in the tertiary languages sector. Recent studies underscored the dedication, proficiency and inventiveness of the teaching and research staff (Nettelbeck et al. 2007, 2009; Li 2010). Many leadership qualities were readily recognisable in their activities, including the willingness to take initiative and responsibility, and the determination to defend, build and renew their programs. Although this dynamism and commitment were widespread, their particular manifestations and outcomes were often operating in isolation, within a single institution, and even within a single program. There was an acknowledged keenness for greater coherence and communication across the sector, notwithstanding a sense of the ongoing importance of institutional individuality and autonomy. In short, the ‘Leadership for Future Generations’ project was based on the dramatically fresh approach of harnessing what is strongest in the present situation, and directing it towards a renewal of the sector as a whole. The creation and consolidation of a national languages network would not have been possible without broad grass-roots support as part of a multi-layered strategy for redressing uneven development, resourcing and uptake of languages across Australian universities. It was the grass-roots push that led to the formal recommendation in the AAH studies for the creation of a ‘National Languages Task-Force/Network’. A national languages colloquium, subsequently organised by the AAH in 2009 and entitled ‘Beyond the Crisis’, echoed this urgent call for action. In order to achieve that goal, detailed planning occurred, involving a highly-focussed project team and a strong, nationally-representative reference group, to devise a set of underlying principles, a practical program of work and, in particular, an ongoing organisational structure for a change-oriented languages network, which would link languages and cultures academics and professionals across the tertiary sector in Australia. The project team comprises the following members:

1. Prof John Hajek, The University of Melbourne, Project Leader

2. Prof Kent Anderson, Australian National University and now The University of Adelaide

3. Prof Kerry Dunne, University of Wollongong

4. Prof Joseph Lo Bianco, The University of Melbourne


5. Prof Colin Nettelbeck, The University of Melbourne

6. Prof Marko Pavlyshyn, Monash University

7. Dr Lynne Li, RMIT University Reference group members are:

1. Prof Anne Freadman, The University of Melbourne

2. Dr Nijmeh Hajjar, The University of Sydney

3. Prof Mike Levy, The University of Queensland

4. Dr Phil Mahnken, University of the Sunshine Coast

5. Assoc. Prof Angela Scarino, University of South Australia

6. Prof Krishna Sen, The University of Western Australia and Chair of the Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH)

Successful application was then made in 2010 to the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) for two years funding to support this project with its focus on establishing the network. The project as outlined in the original funding document is undoubtedly ambitious but the needs across Australia in the tertiary languages sector are great. The application identified the project's expected direct outcomes to be:

1. the strengthening of the national tertiary languages community;

2. the design and implementation of a national approach to language and cultural learning;

3. improved skilling of early and mid-career academics;

4. improved conduits for communication and exchange of innovative initiatives in teaching and learning, with flow-on benefits for student engagement, and greater national languages proficiency; and

5. a national organisation for languages advocacy. The expected project outputs were to include:

1. the network itself, with a web-based presence (Yr 1) building to include an interactive data repository and online forum for the exchange of ideas and resources (Yr 2);

2. a national colloquium bringing together tertiary languages teachers from Education and Arts faculties, researchers, planners, administrators and policymakers (Yr 1);

3. professional development and policy development workshops (under the auspices of the colloquium) to consolidate and extend previous work begun at the ‘Beyond the Crisis’ symposium, and shape an agenda for future leadership development (Yr 1);

4. project-based work flowing from the colloquium, which would offer ongoing significant benefits to students via sharing of best practice (Yr 2); and

5. a comprehensive project report, whose findings would be disseminated widely throughout the sector via the network (Yr 2).


Formal work on the project commenced In January 2011, with the appointment of Dr Anya Woods as Project Manager (0.5 FTE in 2011 and 0.6 FTE in 2012) followed quickly by the creation of the network, known today as the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU). At the same time, mechanisms for ongoing dialogue with stakeholders and formative and summative evaluation were also established, including the creation of the LCNAU website (<www.lcnau.org>) which is central to the operation of the network. The ambitious aims of the network were identified in the original funding application as focussing on the best possible languages education for Australian students by:

1. supporting and extending sector cooperation;

2. building institutional connections between Arts and Education faculties;

3. enabling tertiary languages teachers, researchers and planners to exchange information and experience in LOTE pedagogy, connecting language lecturers with their peers;

4. sharing present and future good practice across Australian universities;

5. offering institutions struggling to keep languages afloat support on models of delivery;

6. improving the professional development of early-career and mid-career academics; and

7. providing a national coordinated voice for the advocacy and promotion of languages education within and beyond universities.

The first year of the project, 2011, also saw, as previously noted, the staging of LCNAU’s inaugural colloquium (26-28 September), which was accompanied by a special national forum and workshop for sessional teachers. This colloquium was both the first gathering of the network, and the creation of a structure to enable ongoing communication and exchange among university languages programs and the staff who are employed within them. Colloquium themes and session formats were designed within a context of professional development to give practical opportunities for languages professionals to explore issues and develop possibilities for future collaboration in research and teaching-oriented activities. The colloquium concluded with the agreement of a set of principles, found in Appendix 1A, which have been used to guide and underpin the subsequent activities of LCNAU, including its incorporation as a formal legal entity. A second national colloquium is already being organised and will take place at the Australian National University in July 2013. The solidity of the initial steps of LCNAU can be measured through the various outcomes reported below, but also through the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from the participants in the colloquium and the forum for sessionals. This success was moreover acknowledged by a formative report from our external assessor.

“one of the most valuable achievements of the network is its visibility and outreach, since this is the first step to gaining greater visibility for the language and culture disciplines around the country and for language teaching and learning in Australian education generally. The colloquium was a resounding success, as shown by the number and variety of participants, by the positive feedback, by the many contacts and operative connections developed there.”


Chapter 2: The core of the project — the network in operation With the formal establishment of LCNAU through the 2011 colloquium, the process of developing the working model of the network through the project began. It became clear that LCNAU would need to engage with the sector on a number of levels, thus the types of activities in which LCNAU was engaged were many and varied. As outlined in the Chapter 1, academics working in languages and cultures programs across the country had long been needing a ‘voice’. LCNAU therefore saw its primary areas of concern as being an active role in advocacy and policy development, the facilitation of collaboration, the stimulation of new research and the provision of support, as well as acting as the national and international interlocutor on behalf of university language programs and languages academics across Australia. One measure of its success is the fact that in the ‘cluster’ and ‘seed funding’ projects, colleagues from many different universities and all states have been engaged in working together. These areas of activity are outlined in turn below.

2.1 National and international representative and interlocutor

LCNAU seeks to represent the interests of all languages in the tertiary sector and beyond, and as such has gained considerable recognition, both within Australia and internationally, as the peak body at university level in the field. LCNAU has made a submission regarding national curriculum planning to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), as well as making an important contribution to the debate about the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century. LCNAU has been regularly consulted by the local media when language matters are being discussed, and has taken a proactive stance by preparing a number of position papers on topical issues which can be used as a reference point in discussions. In addition, LCNAU’s developing profile overseas has been noted by international education consultant Elspeth Jones, whose article for The Chronicle of Higher Education (9 Feb, 2012), entitled ‘In Praise of Languages for Internationalisation’, mentions LCNAU’s role in the tertiary languages sector in Australia as parallel to similar, but much larger and better-resourced, bodies in the United Kingdom and the United States.

2.2 Advocacy and policy

LCNAU believes in the strategic importance of linguistic and cultural diversity within institutions and for Australia, and the need for Australia to move away from the ‘monolingual mindset’ which has shaped public attitudes to language learning. Over the course of 2012, in addition to active engagement with the media, LCNAU has been able to offer support to tertiary languages academics whose programs have been threatened with closure, notably Indonesian at La Trobe University, and Japanese at the University of Canberra. This support has been given through submission to the consultation process


(where there has indeed been one) and the provision of alternative strategies to closure. In both instances, the colleagues most immediately affected have expressed their great appreciation for having access to external independent advice and support. Policy development and support, seen through such things as previously-mentioned position papers and statements, are also important elements of LCNAU’s advocacy function and its commitment to sector-wide improvement.

2.3 Collaboration

LCNAU strives for the facilitation of sector-wide collaboration among universities. Many of the themed workshops which were held at the 2011 colloquium were developed into ‘virtual clusters’ over the course of 2012, operating in different formats via the LCNAU website, and with a view to stimulating cooperative research endeavours. As part of this belief in the value of collaboration, LCNAU has sought to foster systematic review and reflection of program design and pedagogy in university languages programs, and to provide a nation-wide focus for continuous dissemination of good practice. Whilst acknowledging the differences between individual institutions and the needs of individual languages, there is much to be gained through the sharing of information and experiences, by the institutions themselves and also by the students who reap the benefits.

2.4 Research

LCNAU seeks to initiate and facilitate innovative research on and through languages other than English, as well as research which will enhance the professionalisation of tertiary languages educators across the country. Continuing research is an inalienable dimension of the maintenance and development of the discipline in Australian universities; university languages and cultures academics need to be given the opportunity to fully contribute to the goals espoused by tertiary institutions of creating knowledge as well as disseminating it. LCNAU’s own engagement in research has been realised thus far through the commencement of three projects specifically by project team members. The first of these is a study of languages of small enrolment, which as a result of precarious student numbers are often therefore found to be ‘less commonly taught languages’ (LCTLs). An examination of changes in languages offerings since 2005 found that despite an apparent recent increase in LCTLs, many of these are not institutionally secure. Indeed, many are concentrated at the one institution, which makes them particularly vulnerable to changes in the financial climate and higher-level support. Further research will investigate the changes in the tertiary sector’s linguistic ecology in the context of the Asian Century, and the long-term effect of collaborative arrangements on languages of small enrolment. A second major project began with an online survey of sessional languages and cultures teaching staff across Australia, in order to collate data specifically about the nature and experience of the sessional workforce. This data was then used to inform discussion at the forum and workshop for sessionals, which accompanied the LCNAU colloquium in September 2011, and out of which a series of recommendations was developed by sessional participants and then presented at the colloquium. Further work needs to be done to


examine how the national trend towards academic casualisation might be reversed, in order to strengthen languages and cultures programs around the country. A third, related project, focussing on the reprofessionalisation of the academic workforce, has posited that a first vital step is the accurate mapping, both current and retrospective, of the staffing profiles in languages programs across the country. The systematic collection of statistical and trend data from as many languages programs from across the nation as possible, via a carefully-designed template, will help build a national picture of staffing profiles and the relationship between teaching engagement and the research outputs of individuals and programs. Further research expects to find an inverse relationship between increasing casualisation on the one hand and overall research output, staff satisfaction and long-term program viability on the other. This knowledge will enable the sector to better harness the strength and realise the potential of its staff as leaders, teachers and researchers. In 2012, LCNAU was also able to offer seed funding to five projects which showed potential for making a significant contribution to the strengthening of the sector. The reports from all of these projects have been received: see <www.lcnau.org/research> and Appendix 4c. They demonstrate both the value of each of the projects undertaken and that of the collaborative processes supported through the LCNAU model.

1. ‘Research identities in languages and cultures’ Co-ordinating Investigator: Jean Fornasiero (The University of Adelaide)

2. ‘ARABIA: Language learning through cultural experiences in a virtual world’ Co-ordinating Investigators: Scott Grant (Monash University), Christina Mayer (The University of Melbourne)

3. ‘Language learning in virtual worlds: the role of foreign languages anxiety and technical anxiety’ Co-ordinating Investigator: Scott Grant (Monash University)

4. ‘Student pathways in languages education from school to university: attrition and retention’ Co-ordinating Investigator: Lesley Harbon (The University of Sydney)

5. ‘Language students’ pathways: motivation and retention’ Co-ordinating Investigator: Gabriele Schmidt (Australian National University)

2.5 Support

LCNAU seeks to support all languages in the sector, from the smallest to the most widely-provided programs, and is a resource for the academics and professionals who are engaged to teach them. The national forum for sessional teaching staff offered the most vulnerable section of the workforce an unprecedented opportunity to discuss issues relating to their place in the sector. While LCNAU is, on the one hand, engaged in conducting research to counteract the prevalent trend towards casualisation, it also acknowledges the need for practical measures to improve the professional development and vocational pathways of early-career and mid-career academics. This two-pronged approach will make significant progress towards the effecting of much-needed systemic change.


LCNAU, through project team and reference group members, has also been able to give much-needed direct personal support to individual academics in programs under threat of closure, through such means as emails, phone calls and face-to-face meetings — in addition to the preparation of submissions to their universities in LCNAU’s advocacy role.


Chapter 3: Strengthening the sector — project outcomes The project outcomes and outputs are numerous and significant, and exceed in many regards the original expectations listed in Chapter 2. The principal outcome is the successful establishment of the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU), which is now recognised as the peak body for university languages and cultures programs and their staff in Australia. Despite very limited resources, when needs across the sector are so great in languages in Australia, the project has been very effective and productive. The network also provides a highly effective national conduit for communication and exchange of ideas and best practice in languages and cultures teaching and research in the Australian context. Additional significant outcomes include: 1. LCNAU Principles A set of overarching principles to guide the network was developed by the project team and reference group. These were then discussed and accepted at the national colloquium and make clear the aspirations and expectations of the network and its members (see also <www.lcnau.org/about/> and Appendix 1a). 2. Website and Virtual Clusters A dynamic, user-friendly website, <www.lcnau.org>, is the virtual home of the network, and houses a wide range of resources as well as connecting with social media (twitter and facebook) (see Appendix 2a). It is also the interactive meeting place for various clusters, which include Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL); Languages: Policies and Pathways; Leadership and Professionalisation; Indigenous Languages; Auslan, as well as an innovative Heads of Schools cluster. These clusters operate in a variety of different formats, including wikis and blogs. They are targeted and allow for information to be shared within groups and universally within and beyond the network. They are also as pro-active and interactive as facilitators and participants wish them to be. The Heads of Schools cluster is of specific value since it is the first of its kind that we are aware of: it brings together all such heads around Australia to share and discuss information, concerns, issues in both open and restricted access form — in an effort to support them and their own work in strengthening the sector. See <www.lcnau.org/clusters> and Appendix 2b. 3. Colloquia The staging of a highly successful national languages colloquium, 26-28 September 2011, brought together 230 languages educators from 25 universities and across more than 20 languages. An innovative approach was taken to the format of the colloquium — in order to maximise participation: presentations were made in a range of forms, including plenaries, oral presentations, workshops, and posters (see Appendix 3a). Direct feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive and appreciative of the efforts of the project (see


Appendix 3b). Given the importance and effectiveness of bringing colleagues together at such an event, it now planned to hold a national colloquium every two years. Organisation of the 2013 colloquium to be held at ANU is already underway — with a call for papers just released; see <www.lcnau.org/colloquia> and Appendix 3d. The colloquium was also accompanied by a major public event: the Triebel Lecture sponsored by the Australian Academy of the Humanities and given by Professor G. Withers (CEO Universities Australia) on Australia’s language potential. 4. Professional development The project’s focus on professional development and improved skilling was manifested in a number of different ways: (a) research; (b) major agenda item at the colloquium and (c) workshops. As already noted, there is an ongoing project on understanding and addressing the impact of casualisation/juniorisation of staffing in languages. Data have been collected in various ways including an online survey. Initial results across a range of areas were presented at the colloquium, with three refereed publications related to professionalisation appearing so far (see Appendix 5a for a list of these and other dissemination). The issue of professional development was also a major agenda item (with two plenaries) at the national colloquium, while workshops on a range of issues were also designed to give more junior academics the opportunity to meet more experienced colleagues and disciplinary leaders — in order to share ideas and facilitate access to strategic knowledge across the sector. The first national colloquium was also accompanied by a national forum and workshop for sessional teaching staff. This innovative event was fortunate enough to be supported primarily by an ALTC extension grant. A number of schools also provided direct support to their sessional staff to attend. The forum and workshop provided a landmark opportunity for sessionals to come together from around Australia to discuss issues relevant to their situation, hear preliminary findings of the LCNAU-initiated survey work on their role and status in the academic context, as well as formulate suggestions for improvement and professional development (see Ferrari and Hajek 2012 for details; see also Appendix 3c). 5. Dissemination Given the project’s emphasis on productive outcomes in all areas of activity including research and dissemination, a selection of presentations from the 2011 colloquium were published in a refereed volume (Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods 2012), showcasing the high quality research which will strengthen the languages and cultures sector. The e-proceedings were officially launched at the national conference of the Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA) held in Perth in November 2012. Online format for the volume was specifically chosen to maximise immediate access and dissemination. The volume is downloadable from the LCNAU website at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>; the cover and table of contents are given in Appendices 4a and 4b. Throughout the course of the project, project team and reference group members have been actively involved in the production and publication of numerous scholarly articles, reports, submissions, position papers, newsletters, emailouts, media releases and newspaper articles relevant to LCNAU. These can be found at <www.lcnau.org/resources>.


Every opportunity has also been taken to present and profile the project and LCNAU at sector-related events (e.g. seminars, meetings, conferences) around Australia and overseas. A collated list of dissemination activities and publications is given in Appendix 5a. 6. Research As outlined in Chapter 2, LNCAU has promoted and initiated research with five seed projects funded, and three in-house projects underway: see <www.lcnau.org/research> and Appendix 4c. A number of these projects have also linked directly to the creation of specific virtual clusters (see below), as well as refereed publications. The seed projects have been particularly successful in bringing together colleagues from around the country in order to develop future larger-scale projects, including a recent application to the Office for Teaching and Learning (OLT) on student pathways and attrition/retention at universities. In addition, and as already noted under dissemination, project team and reference group members have been active in preparing scholarly articles relevant to LCNAU — covering a wide range of topics — and a number of which are included in the e-proceedings. 7. Advocacy The project has delivered significant outcomes in advocacy for languages and cultures education across a range of fronts. As already noted, project team and reference group members have spent considerable time and effort in explaining the role of LCNAU at every possible forum, but also in generating media reports, position papers, submissions and other material to support languages in every context in Australia. Examples are listed at <www.lcnau.org/resources/publications>; see also Appendices 6a and 6b. They include submissions made to specific universities assisting in circumventing the planned closure of languages and area studies programs. While many others around Australia also added their voices, the relevance of LCNAU’s role on this specific front is undeniable. In all cases, the original decision to close down programs was reversed. The extensive range of dissemination and engagement activities (website, social and other media, presentations, articles, press reports, etc.) which the project has stimulated through LCNAU has raised awareness — both for our key stakeholders and for the public at large — of the existence of the network but also of the serious issues that the network has been formed to address. There has also been extensive direct personal contact made by project members with a range of stakeholder institutions, organisations, government departments with a direct interest in the work of the project and network — both to explain our activities, the need for positive change in the sector, but also to seek longer-term funding and support for the network. 8. Institutionalisation and support An important outcome of the project is the embedding of the network in the tertiary languages sector. Significant progress has been made towards the institutionalisation of LCNAU as a legal entity, with its incorporation as an association planned for late 2012. The range of activities and projects LCNAU will be able to establish and support will flourish in


the context of legal institutionalisation, as will its ability to act more effectively as a much-needed voice for all parts of the sector. In addition to the process of legal institutionalisation, considerable effort has also been made to seek additional and future financial support for the network — so that the momentum that this project has created can be maintained and change effected in the future. We have achieved some short-term success already — with a number of universities and institutions providing financial support directly and indirectly for the national colloquium, and the network itself. The process is a slow and lengthy one that requires considerable patience, but work continues across a range of fronts as this report is written to obtain future funding — both short-term and longer-term. Institutionalisation, in addition to guaranteeing the permanence of LCNAU, will also facilitate the funding process by allowing funds to enter from different sources via series of mechanisms, e.g. individual personal subscriptions, institutional subscriptions, contributions and project funds.


Chapter 4: Conclusion — the future for LCNAU and the tertiary languages sector in Australia The project has been highly successful in establishing an effective focal point for the tertiary languages sector. And through the network the project has achieved its aims of supporting and encouraging sector cooperation and collaboration at every level. The creation of a coordinated national voice to support languages in Australian universities and elsewhere through the permanent establishment of LCNAU is undoubtedly a significant achievement, as is its commitment to fostering and sharing best practice in all areas, including teaching, research and professionalisation. The only major question remaining to be resolved is the future funding of the network, as this will determine the amount of work and activity that LCNAU can undertake at any one time. Though a combination of individual, institutional and government participation, the network can continue to operate as the kind of fully professional institution that the project team envisaged from the outset. This will ensure that the nation’s universities will be able to fulfil strategic needs relating to languages and cultures, and will ensure the nation’s full engagement with Asia and the rest of the world over the coming century. Some time will be required to establish ongoing funding mechanisms. In the meantime, however, LCNAU will continue to exist and be a voice for the sector, reasserting the role of universities as leaders in languages policy and provision, developing the leadership capacity of the teaching workforce, and beginning the process of systemic change that the sector so urgently needs. LCNAU sees it as vital that Australia universities show the highest quality outcomes in language policy and languages education and research in a globalised world, particularly with meeting the challenge of Australia in the Asian century. In our view, it is no coincidence, but rather the sign of deep synergies, that LCNAU’s goals are so closely convergent with the October 2012 White Paper Australia in the Asian Century. While LCNAU’s brief is global, there can be no doubt that it will make important and specific contributions to the development and realisation of the programs outlined in the White Paper. LCNAU’s commitment to and expertise in sector professionalisation, research, best teaching practices and collaborative policy development, as well as its national and international reach will ensure that its role will remain essential to all.


References Australian Government. 2012. Australia in the Asian Century White Paper. Canberra: Australian Government. Available at: <www.asiancentury.dpmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/white-paper/australia-in-the-asian-century-white-paper.pdf> Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR]. 2010. The current state of Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean Language Education in Australia Schools: Four languages, Four Stories. Carlton South, Vic.: Education Services Australia. Ferrari, E. and J. Hajek. 2012. What place for sessionals in languages and cultures education in Australian universities? A first national report. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 21-34. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>. Group of Eight. [Go8]. 2007. Languages in Crisis: A rescue plan for Australia. Canberra. Available at: <www.go8.edu.au/__documents/university-staff/agreements/go8-languages-in-crisis-discussion-paper.pdf>. Hajek, J., Nettelbeck, C. and A. Woods (eds). 2012. The Next Step: Introducing the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities, Selected proceedings of the Inaugural LCNAU Colloquium, Melbourne, 26-28 September 2011. Available at: <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>. Heryanto, A. 2012. Know Indonesia, know thyself. The Interpreter, 22 May 2012. Available at: <www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2012/05/22/Know-Indonesia-know-thyself.aspx>, accessed 24 September 2012. Li, L. 2010. Challenges of educational leadership in a quality university program with multi-disciplinary offering and multi-mode delivery. Journal of the World Universities Forum 3(4): 107-118. Lo Bianco, J. with Y. Slaughter. 2009. Second Languages and Australian Schooling. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research. Available at: <www.research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=aer>, accessed 24 September 2012. Nettelbeck, C., Byron, J., Clyne, M., Dunne, K., Hajek, J., Levy, M., Lo Bianco, J., McLaren, A., Möllering, M. and G. Wigglesworth. 2009. An Analysis of Retention Strategies and Technology Enhanced Learning in Beginners’ Languages Other Than English (LOTE) at Australian Universities. Canberra: Australian Academy of the Humanities. Nettelbeck, C., Byron, J., Clyne, M., Hajek, J., Lo Bianco, J. and A. McLaren 2007. Beginners’ LOTE (Languages Other than English) in Australian Universities: An Audit Survey and Analysis. Canberra: Australian Academy of the Humanities.


Appendices 1. Our identity 1a LCNAU poster and principles 2. Website 2a LCNAU homepage 2b Virtual clusters page 3. Colloquia 3a 2011 Colloquium program 3b 2011 Colloquium feedback 3c 2011 Sessionals forum program 3d 2013 Call for papers 4. Research-based dissemination 4a 2011 E-proceedings cover 4b 2011 E-proceedings table of contents 4c 2012 Seed Funding – excerpts from final reports 5. Further forms of dissemination 5a Collated list of dissemination activities 2011-2012 6. Advocacy 6a Submission to the White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century 6b Sample position paper: Scholarly Publications in Languages Other than English in Research Evaluation Processes at Australian Universities


Appendix 1: Our identity Appendix 1a: LCNAU poster and principles

Available at <http://www.lcnau.org/pdfs/LCNAU-poster-2012-web.pdf>


Appendix 2: Website Appendix 2a: LCNAU homepage

<www.lcnau.org>


Appendix 2b: Virtual clusters page <www.lcnau.org/clusters>

http://www.lcnau.org/clusters



Appendix 3: Colloquia Appendix 3a: 2011 Colloquium program

Available at: <http://www.lcnau.org/pdfs/Colloquium-2011-final-program.pdf>




Appendix 3b: 2011 Colloquium feedback

The conference is the first I am aware of and it is a great start for language teaching (LOTE) and development! Excellent opportunity to share ideas, network and plan future collaborations! Well done! I can’t thank you enough for this occasion. Fantastic! Well-run, excellent presentations. A great initiative that I hope we can really develop as a profession. Opportunities to chat with poster presenters [were] really good. Quality of individual presentations was excellent and presentations were engaging. [The panels] were really very good and allowed us to see a range of projects in depth. It is great to be able to link up. Very good initiative that must be pursued. Thank you so much for an intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking colloquium.


Appendix 3c: 2011 Sessionals forum program


Appendix 3d: 2013 Call for papers

Available at <lcnau2013.cap.anu.edu.au>


Appendix 4: Research-based dissemination Appendix 4a: 2011 E-proceedings cover


Appendix 4b: 2011 E-proceedings table of contents



Appendix 4c: 2012 Seed funding – excerpts from final reports

1. “Research identities in languages and cultures” Co-ordinating Investigator: Jean Fornasiero (University of Adelaide) This project provides background information on the actual state of the sector in respect to the relation between research and teaching in languages and cultures. It will help to ensure that administrators do not persist in seeing the sector as teaching only, or pressure it to become so. …the writing up of results and the production of a research article can be completed by the end of the calendar year. This is possible because of the utmost cooperation shown by the team members. 2. “ARABIA: Language learning through cultural experiences in a virtual world” Co-ordinating Investigators: Scott Grant (Monash University), Christina Mayer (University of Melbourne) Firstly, this project has involved collaboration between academics from two different Go8 universities both of whom are engaged in language and culture teaching and research. Prior to this project no such collaboration existed, nor were there any grounds for it to come into existence. Secondly, this collaboration will continue beyond the lifetime of this project and will continue to generate new and innovative ways for students to engage with and be immersed in the study of Arabic language and culture. One of the ultimate goals of this ongoing collaboration is to make the teaching and learning model available to other languages. Thirdly it is hoped that the research outcomes generated by this collaboration will contribute positively to the body of knowledge about language and culture learning and teaching in general, to the leveraging of modern digital technology for language and culture learning and teaching, and to creating effective ways of engaging students in ongoing learning outside the classroom in asynchronous mode. 3. “Language learning in virtual worlds: the role of foreign languages anxiety and technical anxiety” Co-ordinating Investigator: Scott Grant (Monash University) …Planning and implementation of the project has fostered a strong sense of trust between team members at each of the participating institutions and a feeling that we are able to communicate well with each other. While several members of the team were already familiar with virtual worlds and their potential for language and culture learning, for several others this was their first experience with this kind of platform and learning model. While there was in fact some initial "technical anxiety" on the part of these team members, it would be fair to say that they see future potential in using virtual worlds as part of a tertiary


curriculum and are interested in exploring this potential further. There appears also to be a desire amongst all members of the team to continue to conduct research along the lines of that carried out for the project. The experience gained from this project will be invaluable for ensuring that future collaborative research will be carried out more effectively. Thus, the project will contribute to the strengthening of the tertiary languages and cultures sector through the ongoing collaborative development of a new way of supplementing language learning in formal tertiary curricula using virtual world simulations and task-based learning and through a willingness to work across institutions to develop other new models and pedagogies of language and culture learning and to carry out research to provide an empirical basis for their adoption and use. 4. “Student pathways in languages education from school to university: attrition and retention” Co-ordinating Investigator: Lesley Harbon (University of Sydney) Our ultimate aim for this Seed Grant was to gather a small set of data which could be worked into some initial findings for not only a joint publication, but also used to strengthen our claims for the need for a larger study to be supported in a larger competitive grant application. Findings from this study, when published will inform the schooling and tertiary sectors about the ‘transition’ period. Findings from the next/larger proposed study will certainly similarly inform both sectors. The research will be an example of how the sector can be strengthened via collaborations at all levels of education. We have valued the LCNAU funding in allowing us to achieve an initial worthwhile investigation of our research area, contributing to LCNAU goals. 5. “Language students’ pathways: motivation and retention” Co-ordinating Investigator: Gabriele Schmidt (ANU) The output of the project is the team’s application for an OLT grant. The grant’s title is: “Analyzing tertiary LOTE student attrition to improve retention and enhance internationalization of students’ experience”. …If successful, the proposed project will extend previous surveys on student motivation and retention by gathering data on motivation about languages study from students at four universities and across three levels of language study typically found in an undergraduate language major. The survey will also include questions not addressed in earlier studies to establish socio-economic status, as well as questions on attitudes to different modes of delivery of language tuition, and to internationalising the curriculum.


Appendix 5: Further forms of dissemination Appendix 5a: Collated list of dissemination activities 2011-2012

Virtual Clusters The virtual clusters – a key activity of LCNAU – are found at <www.lcnau.org/clusters>. Specific clusters include:

• Auslan (Web page) <www.lcnau.org/auslan>

• English as a Second Language (being developed)

• Heads of Schools (Web page and email network) <www.lcnau/org/heads-of-schools>

• Indigenous Languages (Web page, with wiki being developed) <www.lcnau.org/clusters/indigenous-languages>

• Languages: Policy and Pathways (Blog) <www.uowblogs.com/langpolicy/>

• Leadership and Professionalisation (Web page) <www.lcnau.org/clusters/leadership>

• Technology Enhanced Language Learning (Wiki) <www.lcnau.org/wiki/tell>

Online and Social Media

• Website: <www.lcnau.org>

• Twitter: <www.twitter.com/LCNAU>

• Facebook: <www.facebook.com/pages/Languages-and-Cultures-Network-for-Australian-Universities/218477151500663>

Newsletter

• LCNAU Newsletter Issue 2 March-June 2012 <www.lcnau.org/pdfs/LCNAU-Newsletter-2-Mar-Jun-2012.pdf>

• LCNAU Newsletter Issue 1 January-February 2012 <www.lcnau.org/pdfs/LCNAU-Newsletter-1-Jan-Feb-2012.pdf>

Media Releases

• October 5, 2011: Media Release urging ACARA to respect the overwhelming public support for the Australian Curriculum Draft Shape Paper, and all universities to introduce the teaching of Australian Indigenous languages for the benefit of the nation and all students. <www.lcnau.org/pdfs/lcnau-media-release.pdf>


Submissions

• March 4, 2012: Submission to the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century. <www.asiancentury.dpmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/public-submissions/LCNAU.pdf>

• July 19, 2012: Submission to the Draft Organizational Change Impact Statement, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University re Indonesian, languages, Asian studies, and linguistics.

• April 13, 2012: Submission to the University of Canberra re threatened closure of Japanese studies program.

• October, 2011: Submission to Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) re languages and Australian Curriculum.

Position Papers

• Position on Scholarly Publications in Languages Other than English in Research Evaluation Processes at Australian Universities Available at <www.lcnau.org/resources/publications>

Scholarly Publications (by Project Team and Reference Group members)

• Dunne, K. and M. Pavlyshyn. 2012. Swings and roundabouts: Changes in language offerings at Australian Universities 2005-2011. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 9-19. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

• Ferrari, E. and J. Hajek. 2012. What place for sessionals in languages and cultures education in Australian universities? A first national report. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 21-33. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

• Freadman, A. 2012. The place of memory studies in rethinking the language-culture nexus. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 277-284. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

• Hajek, J., C. Nettelbeck and A. Woods (eds). 2012. The Next Step: Introducing the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities, Selected proceedings of the Inaugural LCNAU Colloquium, Melbourne, 26-28 September 2011. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

• Levy, M. and C. Steel. 2012. The Brisbane Universities Languages Alliance (BULA): A collaborative framework for university languages provision in South-East Queensland. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 107-120. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

• Li, L. 2012. Internationalizing university curriculum with multilingual knowledge and skills: power, politics and policy, Journal of Local-Global, Special Edition: Australian Languages Education in the Asian Century: Deepening of linguistic and intellectual engagements with Asia, January:44-58. Available at <www.mams.rmit.edu.au/0bllz330z5on.pdf>

• Li, L., M. Singh and S. Robertson. 2012. Australian languages education in the Asian century: deepening of linguistic and intellectual engagements with Asia, Journal of Local-Global, Special Edition: Australian Languages Education in the Asian Century: Deepening of linguistic and intellectual engagements with Asia, January: 6-17. Available at <www.mams.rmit.edu.au/a53vu330z5on.pdf >


• Lo Bianco, J. 2012. Languages in the new ERA. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 317-329. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

• Nettelbeck, C., J. Hajek and A. Woods. 2012. Leadership and development versus casualization of language professionals in Australian universities: mapping the present for our future. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 35-45. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

• Nettelbeck, C., J. Hajek and A. Woods. 2012. Re-professionalizing the profession: Countering juniorization and casualization in the tertiary languages sector, Journal of Local-Global, Special Edition: Australian Languages Education in the Asian Century: Deepening of linguistic and intellectual engagements with Asia, January 2012: 60-75. Available at <www.mams.rmit.edu.au/7jji8h6gy6on.pdf>

• Schüpbach, D. and J. Hajek. 2012. The network at work: the web presence of Italian as a case study for language program visibility in Australian universities. In Hajek, Nettelbeck and Woods (eds), 93-103. Available at <www.lcnau.org/proceedings>

Media Articles authored by LCNAU

• Lo Bianco, J., C. Nettelbeck, J. Hajek and A. Woods. 2011. No quick fix in any language, The Age, November 22, 2011. <www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/no-quick-fix-in-any-language-20111121-1nquo.html>

• Lo Bianco, J., C. Nettelbeck, J. Hajek and A. Woods. 2011. No quick fix in any language, Sydney Morning Herald, November 22, 2011. <www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/no-quick-fix-in-any-language-20111121-1nquo.html>

Reports and Other Contributions to Journals

• Hajek, J., C. Nettelbeck and A. Woods. 2011. ‘New network for universities’. Asian Currents (Asian Studies Association of Australia e-bulletin), April 2011: 1-3. <www.asaa.asn.au/publications/ac/2011/asian-currents-11-04.pdf>

• Woods, A. 2012. ‘A New Peak Body: LCNAU in 2012 and beyond’, Languages Victoria (Journal of the Modern Language Teachers Association of Victoria), 16(2): 49-50.

• Woods, A., J. Hajek and C. Nettelbeck. 2011. ‘Asian languages feature strongly at inaugural LCNAU colloquium’. Asian Currents (Asian Studies Association of Australia e-bulletin), October 2011: 1-4. <www.asaa.asn.au/publications/ac/2011/asian-currents-11-10.pdf>

• Woods, A., J. Hajek and C. Nettelbeck. 2012. ‘A vital network: The first year for the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities’. Babel (Journal of the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations), 46(2/3): 56-7.

• Woods, A., J. Hajek and C. Nettelbeck. 2012. ‘Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU) is well on its way in 2012’. Languages Victoria (Journal of the Modern Language Teachers Association of Victoria), 16(1): 42.

• Woods, A., C. Nettelbeck and J. Hajek. 2011. ‘An introduction to the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities’. Languages Victoria (Journal of the Modern Language Teachers Association of Victoria), 15(2): 27-30.


• Woods, A., C. Nettelbeck and J. Hajek. 2012. ‘Network expanding tertiary language and culture programs’. Asian Currents (Asian Studies Association of Australia e-bulletin), October 2012:19-20. <www.asaa.asn.au/publications/ac/2012/asian-currents-12-10.pdf>

Promotional Material

• Promotional poster containing background information about LCNAU and the principles which guide its activities. <www.lcnau.org/pdfs/LCNAU-poster-2012-web.pdf>

Mentions of LCNAU in the Media and Other External Publications

• Language loss at UWS ‘surprising’, The Australian, November 18, 2012 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/language-loss-at-uws-surprising/story-e6frgcjx-1226518313592>

• Languages all the talk at festival, Sunshine Coast Daily, August 28, 2012 <www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/08/28/language-all-the-talk-at-festival-sunshine-coast/>

• Sharing good news from the sector, Indoforum, August 2012, <www.indoforum.wikispaces.com/What%27s+NEW%21>

• Pollies to blame for language lapse, not parents, The Australian, August 21, 2012 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/pollies-to-blame-for-language-lapse-not-parents/story-e6frgcjx-1226454409408>

• Languages soar as breadth options, The Australian, August 1, 2012 <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/languages-soar-as-breadth-options/story-e6frgcjx-1226439751879>

• Pardon the French, it’s Hindi that’s hindered, The Australian, June 25, 2012 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/pardon-the-french-its-hindi-thats-hindered/story-e6frgcjx-1226405509042?sv=a7eccfdef55396b1ec1db6641b000c95>

• UCs Japanese program under threat, The Australian, April 18, 2012 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/ucs-japanese-program-under-threat/story-e6frgcjx-1226330678674>

• A national security foreign language capacity for Australia in the Asian Century, Submission to the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century, by Dave Gilbert, March 2012. <www.asiancentury.dpmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/public-submissions/dave-gilbert.pdf>

• This century totally global, not just Asian, The Australian, March 6, 2012 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/its-the-global-century-not-the-asian-century/story-e6frgcjx-1226289764361>

• In praise of languages for internationalization, The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 9, 2012 <www.chronicle.com/blogs/worldwise/in-praise-of-languages-for-internationalization/29132>

• Indonesian Language in Australian Universities: Strategies for a stronger future, National Teaching Fellowship: Final Report by David T. Hill, February 2012, Second Edition. <www.altcfellowship.murdoch.edu.au/Docs/ALTC_NTF_Indonesian_in_Australian_Universities_FINAL_REPORT_2nd_Edition.pdf>


• Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities, The Indonesian Studies Newsletter of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA), Issue 63, September-December 2011. <www.your.usc.edu.au/wacana/isn63.html>

• No quick fix in any language, The Age, November 22, 2011 <www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/no-quick-fix-in-any-language-20111121-1nquo.html>

• No quick fix in any language, Sydney Morning Herald, November 22, 2011 <www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/no-quick-fix-in-any-language-20111121-1nquo.html>

• Report on the 2011 National Colloquium. Languages@work, Newsletter for Language Education in Independent Schools Queensland Issue #4 November 2011. <www.aisq.qld.edu.au/files/files/fundedprograms/languages/[email protected]>

• RMIT in the 1st National Network for Language and Cultures Professionals in Australia’s Universities, RMIT Global Studies, Social Science and Planning School Newsletter, Issue No 8, 28 October, 2011. <www.mams.rmit.edu.au/5in3ujm2yf0gz.pdf>

• Survey on language academics springs a surprise, The Australian, October 5, 2011 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/survey-on-language-academics-springs-a-surprise/story-e6frgcjx-1226158421472>

• Let’s translate the research funding rules, The Australian, October 4, 2011 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/survey-on-language-academics-springs-a-surprise/story-e6frgcjx-1226158421472>

• Let’s translate the research funding rules, Adelaide Now, October 3, 2011 <www.adelaidenow.com.au/time-to-translate-the-politics-of-research-funding/story-e6frea6u-1226154344296>

• Language academics rally to the cause, The Australian, September 26, 2011 <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/language-academics-rally-to-the-cause/story-e6frgcjx-1226144826338>

• Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities, Go8 Update, July 4, 2011 <www.go8.edu.au/__documents/newsletters/2011/go8_newsletter_july2011.pdf>

• Breaking the language barrier, The Australian, November 10, 2010. <www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/breaking-the-language-barrier/story-e6frgcjx-1225950313835>

Selected Presentations and Citations (Real and Virtual) – National Note: Events which were specifically organised by or in connection with LCNAU are in bold.

Event Date

Event Title Event Description

Nov 15-17, 2012

Australian Academy of the Humanities Symposium and AGM

Presentation with reference to LCNAU by project team member

Nov 13-15, 2012

ALAA (Applied Linguistics Association of Australia) national conference, Perth

(a) Conference paper on LCNAU (b) Official launch of 2011 National colloquium e-proceedings by Project Leader


Event Date


Nov 1-2, 2012

National Symposium for Japanese Language Education

Presentation on specific challenges facing Japanese in Australian education, with reference to LCNAU’s role by project team member

Aug 16, 2012

Hume Region language conference: ‘From regional Victoria to the world – language for global success’, Wangaratta

Presentation by Project Leader

Jul 14, 2012

AFMTLA, annual national central committee meeting, Melbourne: ‘RUMACCC, LCNAU & PSPS’


Jun 14, 2012

Endangered species? LCTLs in the linguistic ecology of Australian higher education, seminar, Wollongong

Presentation by project team member

Jun 4, 2012

Reimagining the place of Italian conference, Canberra


Mar 15, 2012

RMIT Panel: Global Languages and Linguistic Sustainability in the Asian Century and launch of the special edition of the Journal of Local-Global, Melbourne

A panel to discuss the challenges and opportunities that languages education in Australia will face over the coming decades. The panel involved two members of the LCNAU project team and the Journal issue contains an article by three members of the LCNAU project team.

Nov 30 – Dec 2, 2011

Applied Linguistics Association of Australia, Australian Linguistic Society and NZ joint conference, Canberra

Presentations in panels by project team member

Nov 14-15, 2011

Research Centre for Languages and Cultures Symposium, University of South Australia

Presentation on policy on Asian languages in Australia, with reference to LCNAU by project team member

Sep 26-28, 2011

LCNAU National Colloquium ‘Introducing the Network’, Melbourne

LCNAU’s first national colloquium

Sep 27, 2011

Triebel Lecture, Melbourne (with Australian Academy of the Humanities)

Public lecture on languages in Australia (event part of national colloquium)

Sep 26, 2011

National Sessionals Forum and Workshop, Melbourne

National event for languages and cultures sessionals to meet and discuss issues

Aug 17, 2011

Mount Clear Language Centre, Ballarat, Languages PD

Presentation on innovations and progress in language support, with reference to LCNAU

Aug 2011 RMIT GLACCIER Seminar Series: Building Leadership Skills through Language Research Supervision, Melbourne

Postgraduate development seminar (with discussion of LCNAU) by project team member

Jul 14, 2011

ACIS (Australasian Centre for Italian Studies) Sixth Biennial Conference, Melbourne

Three conference papers on LCNAU & languages in Australia by project team members

Jul 69, 2011

Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers’ Associations annual conference, Darwin

Presentation by project team member in Keynote, with reference to LCNAU


Event Date


Jun 29, 2011

School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University,

Presentation to staff meeting by project team member

May 17, 2011

Staff seminar, Flinders University, Adelaide


May 16, 2011

Asia Education Foundation (AEF) National Summit, Sydney

Presentation to Asian educators, and other stakeholders re LCNAU by project team member

May 2011 LCNAU tour of five universities, Sydney and regional NSW

Meeting tour to discuss and promote LCNAU and national colloquium by project team member

Apr 25, 2011

Victorian Languages Forum (VLF), Melbourne


Apr 15, 2011

NISA conference, Canberra Presentation to Network of Italian Scholars Abroad (NISA) by Project Leader

Apr 2011 ACT Languages Forum Update Presentation on LCNAU by project team member

Mar 18, 2011

DASSH ADTL meeting, Deakin University

Presentation to Associate Deans (teaching and learning) by Project Leader

Feb 8-11, 2011

National Colloquium on the Future of Indonesian in Australian Universities

Presentation by project team members

Feb 2011 Brisbane Universities’ Languages Hub


Selected Presentations and Citations (Real and Virtual) – International

Event Date

Event Title Event Location Event Description

June 8, 2012

Launch of “Language Rich Europe” Index of Multilingualism: Italian Data Set

Rome, Italy Presentation by project team member on multilingual provision in Australia, referencing LCNAU

May 9-11, 2012

English in Asia and Europe’s Asia Competency Needs

Berlin, Germany Presentation by project team member on Australia’s Asia competency planning, referencing LCNAU (200 participants from many European countries)

March 16 2012

Language in Urban Communities: Integration and Diversity for Europe and Cultures

London, UK Presentation by project team member of LCNAU in the context of Melbourne as a ‘comparison’ urban site to Europe and Canada

Nov 23-26, 2011

Third International Language, Education and Diversity Conference (LED 2011)

Auckland, New Zealand

Presentation by project team member with reference to LCNAU

Aug 23-28,

16th World Congress of Applied Linguistics

Beijing, China Presentation by project team member on (1) Multilingualism and Language


2011 (AILA) Policy; and (2) (Dis)ordered Processes: Globalization, Language, and Identity; both reference LCNAU.

June 3-4, 2011

Languages in crisis in Australia, seminar

Taipei, Taiwan Public seminar given by Project Leader at Fu Jen Catholic University

Apr 28, 2011

Australian Ambassador’s Lecture Series: “Unprepared for the next strategic challenge in Asia?: Some lessons from the past”

Washington, USA Presentation by project team member during invited speech; talk on support for small enrolment languages with reference to LCNAU


Appendix 6: Advocacy Appendix 6a: Submission to the White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century

Available at <asiancentury.dpmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/public-submissions/LCNAU.pdf>



Appendix 6b: Sample position paper: Scholarly Publications in Languages Other than English in Research Evaluation Processes at Australian Universities

Available at <www.lcnau.org/pdfs/LCNAU_Position_on_Scholarly_Publications_in_LOTEs.pdf>



Appendix 7: Independent evaluation report








Documents

Leadership for Future Generations: a National network for University Languages