Native language tutors thanks to the schnell digital! programme
FAU launched the schnell digital! programme at the beginning of summer semester 2020. The aim was to help teaching staff and teaching institutions rise to the challenge of designing a teaching concept tailored to meet the requirements imposed by the global pandemic at extremely short notice.
In this context, the Language Centre applied for and was granted funding for native language tutors, who were able to help out in a number of language courses and learning scenarios.
The idea was to allow students to work in small groups and to monitor these groups as efficiently as possible during the periods when teaching was only offered online. Whether monitoring students in small break-out rooms, acting as a moderator in forums, arranging individual appointments to give students the opportunity to practise their oral skills directly or helping students prepare for and follow up on presentations, the native language tutors proved a valuable asset during lessons. They were able to take some of the burden off teaching staff and were largely responsible for ensuring that oral language skills were not neglected during the coronavirus semester.
The financial support from the schnell digital! programme was greatly appreciated and certainly helped us implement the project, but it simply would not have been possible without the help of the native language tutors.
They embraced the challenge with enthusiasm, demonstrated great dedication when catering to the needs of the groups and individual students, and provided an unfiltered bridge to their native language and culture from the outset. They were characterised not only by their professionalism, but also by their approachability, during a semester in which both of these qualities proved absolutely crucial.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to Ann-Kathrin Bruzsa and Lukas Mahir (German), Mariana Ochoa Moreno (Spanish), Marica Ghiselli and Martina Guardino (Italian), Awakezi Alifujiang (Chinese), Eduard Karpenko (Russian), Katherine Jerdee (English) and Emilie de Méré (French).