While an extended stay abroad is generally assumed to be a valuable experience, some students are reluctant to take up the opportunity. To understand this phenomenon better, this study looks at students' concerns before they embark on their time abroad (to undertake a study placement, work placement, or a language assistantship) and looks at…

This chapter examines the impact of the Year Abroad (YA) on mental health and wellbeing, arguing that whilst we tend to be systemically and culturally inclined to focus on and mitigate negative impact, we overlook the benefits. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from students surveyed on placement in Germany and Austria, and on mental…

This volume draws together a selection of papers from YAC2018, the first meeting in the annual Year Abroad Conference series, which took place at Newcastle University in September 2018. The contributions collected here examine some of the opportunities, gains, and challenges the Year Abroad brings for both students and staff. They are presented…

In the field of third language acquisition metalinguistic awareness is posited to be a fundamental component of multilingual competence and a key factor facilitating the acquisition of additional languages. Building upon Bialystok's model of attention and control, and Wrembel's research into metaphonological awareness in adult L3 learners, this…

This volume examines many of the complex issues regarding the language skills and professional competencies acquired by students studying Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) at universities in the United Kingdom and across Europe. It also outlines the innovative pedagogical strategies, methods, and resources employed by language academics to help…

This paper presents another stage in a series of research efforts by the authors to develop an experience-connected mobile language learning environment, bridging formal and informal learning. Building on a study in which the authors tried to connect classroom learning (of German in Japan) with learners' real life experiences abroad by having…

Ways are described that Michigan Technological University has responded to the national need of internationalizing the engineering curricula by integrating engineering coursework with courses in area and international studies and ensuring the development of proficiency in several foreign languages. The university's approach focuses on Germany.…

International student mobility has been an important indicator for the degree of internationalisation in higher education. Today, international student mobility has moved from unorganised or self-organised study abroad to a variety of mobility forms organised within programmes. It has also become an issue of economic competitiveness, like…

One of the components of the international program at Michigan Technological University is an internship in Germany where students work for 3 months in companies or university research institutes. These paid internships offer students (mostly engineering and science majors) a unique opportunity to improve their communication skills and cultural…