Surfacing Skills Across Language and Joint Honours Programmes

This scholarship project builds on the successful implementation of the Surfacing Skills framework within final-year German and Italian language modules at the University of Leeds. The original initiative enabled students to reflect on and articulate the skills they developed during their Year Abroad and throughout their studies, strengthening their awareness of the connections between language learning, academic achievement and future employability.

The next phase of this work, Surfacing Skills Across Language and Joint Honours Programmes, extends the focus from individual modules to the programme level. The project explores how skills developed through language study are recognised, articulated and transferred across different modules, programmes and disciplines, with a particular focus on students enrolled on Joint Honours degrees.

Language degrees foster a broad range of transferable competencies, including communication, intercultural understanding, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, reflection and informed decision-making. However, students may not always recognise how these skills connect across different areas of study or how they contribute to their personal, academic and professional development. This project seeks to make those connections more visible and meaningful.

Aims and Objectives

The project aims to investigate how skills developed through language learning are embedded within programmes and how students recognise and apply them across disciplinary contexts.

Specifically, the project will:

• Map skills development across final-year language and Joint Honours programmes.
• Explore how skills developed in language modules transfer to other disciplines and learning environments.
• Examine the relationship between skills development, programme learning outcomes and assessment design.
• Gather student and staff perspectives on skills development, transferability and employability.
• Develop evidence-based recommendations for embedding structured skills reflection across programmes.
• Contribute to wider conversations about educational gain, interdisciplinarity and the value of language degrees.

Methodology

The project adopts a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research with programme-level analysis.

Document Analysis

A review of programme specifications, learning outcomes, assessment briefs and relevant competence frameworks will be undertaken to explore how skills are represented and assessed across programmes.

Student Survey

Students from final-year language and Joint Honours programmes will be invited to participate in a survey exploring:

• Perceived skills development
• Skills transfer across modules and disciplines
• Confidence in articulating skills for employment and further study
• Reflections on the value of language study

Interviews and Focus Groups

Semi-structured interviews with academic staff and focus groups with students will provide deeper insight into experiences of skills development, disciplinary transfer and programme design.

Data Triangulation

Findings from surveys, interviews, focus groups and programme documentation will be brought together to identify patterns, challenges and opportunities for enhancement.

Expected Outcomes

The project will generate:

• A clearer understanding of how skills are developed and transferred across language and Joint Honours programmes.
• Insights into how students recognise and communicate the value of their learning experiences.
• Recommendations for embedding reflective skills practices within programme design.
• Guidance for enhancing alignment between learning outcomes, assessment and skills development.
• Resources that support students in articulating their skills and educational achievements.
• Evidence that highlights the wider value of language degrees for employability, personal development and interdisciplinary learning.

Impact

By making skills development more explicit and visible, the project aims to support students in understanding the full value of their degree experience. The findings will inform curriculum enhancement within language programmes and contribute to broader discussions around employability, educational gain and student success in higher education.

The project will also strengthen institutional understanding of how language learning contributes to the development of transferable skills that are relevant across a wide range of academic and professional contexts.