Mary Fender, Languages For All Co-ordinator at Durham University, finds Asset Languages meets the needs of students learning languages on extra-curricular and MBA courses.

"Within the Language Centre at Durham University, we have used Asset Languages on the Languages for All programme (LFA), both on the main programme and for the classes put on exclusively for MBA students. The Languages For All main programme caters mostly for students taking extra-curricular language classes, available in a range of languages and at different levels, while MBA students learn a language they have never learnt before as part of their course (although not credit bearing). A wide range of students, as well as some members of staff and some members of the public, take languages in their spare time at Durham and Asset fits in well with their different needs and abilities. The emphasis is on encouraging students' communicative skills, rather than to support particular undergraduate courses.

"Because Asset offers five different exam windows, we were able to switch the timing of our tests in our second year to fit in better with the LFA timetable. We can organise the exams to coincide with the end of the course, which is different for the main programme, and for MBA students who are assessed in a different testing window in the summer. The languages which we used Asset to assess included French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese and Japanese last year, from Breakthrough up to Advanced Stage on the main programme, and Mandarin and Japanese at Breakthrough level for the MBA students who have to take up a new language. Once again, Asset fits the bill here."

Val Boyle, University Teacher and Learning Resources Manager at Loughborough University, has also found Asset Languages a useful tool for assessment.

"At Loughborough University, the extra-curricular languages programme offers 20 week courses over 2 semesters in 9 languages - Arabic, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish - at various levels. These courses are open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff and the general public. Fees are payable, with different rates for each category," she explained.

"The extra-curricular programme is subsidised by the University and does not receive any other funding. It has always had more of a ‘leisure’ than an ‘academic’ bias, and classes are more like Adult Education provision than undergraduate modules. As far as I am aware, there has never been any formal internal assessment of students following these courses, though some students were entered for Institute of Linguists examinations in the past.

"It was clear when I became Manager of the Language Centre that most students were entirely happy with the relaxed atmosphere of the classes and not in the least interested in any form of assessment, external or internal. Indeed introducing any requirement to take tests might scare students away. A small minority did, however, say that they would like the opportunity to gain some kind of accreditation for the courses they had taken. I initially offered the European Language Portfolio to students for self-assessment. There was limited take-up of this option.

Val described how she got started with Asset. "As it happened, my taking over full management of the extra-curricular languages programme more or less coincided with the advent of Asset Languages. In 2006, after consultation with tutors, I decided to offer Breakthrough stage reading, writing and listening tests in Spanish and Italian, and listening only in Chinese, the students in this group not having done enough Chinese characters to cope with reading and writing. Students had to pay their own exam fees.

"Two students opted to take Italian Breakthrough stage listening, reading and writing, four chose Spanish listening, reading and writing and four opted for Chinese listening. I was pleased that there were just these few students to cope with the first time round as I was unsure what problems we might encounter, this being the first year Asset Languages had been in operation. In the event, the mechanics – online entry system, dispatch of papers, invigilation of tests, retrieval of marks etc – all went smoothly. Students came to the Centre to take the tests the week after evening classes finished. Two students got cold feet and did not turn up, but of the others all achieved the highest grade at Breakthrough (3) except for one who got grade 2 in the Spanish writing paper.

"In 2007 we opened up the assessment scheme to more groups. Students in all languages except Arabic were given the option of taking exams in listening, reading and writing at Breakthrough or Preliminary level. 40 students ended up taking a total of 93 individual exams. Passes were obtained for all exams, 84% at the highest grade possible, 12% at the grade below and just 4% at the lowest level. This was particularly encouraging for students of the less commonly taught languages, notably Chinese, Japanese and Russian. This year I anticipate entering 100+ students for listening, reading and writing tests in 8 languages, including Arabic, and up to Advanced stage if there is interest."

For more information about Asset in Higher Education, please contact Gerry Procter, Senior Development Manager, on 01223 553450.