three PhD students

Educational vision Language Center

If you think a language course at the Tilburg University Language Center is only about learning a language, then you’re wrong. We are proud of our position within the academic world and are serious about maintaining that position. That means we can, want and have to think outside the box.

That’s why we maintain a master plan as a basis for all our language courses. A plan – or vision – upon which our language education has been based for years and which we continually evaluate and adapt. A plan that also incorporates the Tilburg Educational Profile and is the direction set forth by our university. The difference being that we have worked with it for years.

Four pilars

Four pillars are key to our vision which is what we base our educational approach on.

Academic and inquisitive

Our language education is geared toward developing an inquisitive attitude in our students. Command of a language is not the only objective of our highly-educated student population, it is only an instrument to be able to communicate adequately. Knowledge about a language (grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation) is subordinate to language acquisition. Students learn to apply their skills in an academic environment and do this as soon as possible in the target language. We regularly provide exercises that are problems or issues so that students learn to question and solve problems. Students do writing exercises as homework or tests so that they are involved with their work actively and with a high level of concentration.

Socially and internationally oriented

Our language courses prepare students for a life and career in today’s and tomorrow’s world. A world that is continually becoming more digitalized and globalized and where communication with different personalities and cultures is inevitable. Our language courses not only deal with language, but also expressively deal with culture. Our instructors address current events in their lectures and include real-life cases in their courses. Students not only increase their knowledge, but also their opportunities to function successfully in the contemporary world.

Small scale and stimulates participation

The educational approach is attractive, small scale, intensive and stimulating. The group lessons, with a maximum of twenty participants, serve as a catalyst for the learning process which takes place primarily outside the classes. During the design of the course, instructors will select activities that stimulate your active participation as a learner. They will help you look at your own learning process and provide tips and ideas to encourage this process. The instructors act as coaches who guide the learning process in a stimulating way. We expect active contribution and a great deal of involvement and effort from both our instructors as well as our students.

Interactive and diverse

The courses are flexible and varied. We design different educational and guidance pathways for different learning objectives: language courses, individual routes, language tests. Courses are not organized according to a predetermined format, but are designed according to the course objectives, available (digital) content and the instructor’s insight. This provides a greater variety of activities for both student and instructor. By applying well-considered interactive activities and the efficient use of software that is specifically developed for language learning, we are able to offer high quality education and the student can achieve maximum results in a limited amount of time.