Language diversity with profile: Language Centre at the University of Bayreuth opens its doors

Under the direction of Robert Wolf, the centre combines linguistic breadth with specially developed teaching concepts and exceptionally high quality standards. As a central institution, the Language Centre is not affiliated with any individual faculty. This creates flexibility and enables it to respond specifically to the needs of students. "We are a medium-sized language centre at a medium-sized university. This constellation allows us to ensure both diversity and quality," explains Wolf (35). 

The linguist has been head of the Language Centre at the University of Bayreuth since the end of 2022. He previously worked at several universities in different federal states and brings with him a wealth of experience from a total of four language centres. The range of courses on offer extends from classic European languages to Asian and African languages and German as a foreign language (DaF). Demand for this has risen sharply in recent years, not least due to the university's deliberate internationalisation: within two years, the number of participants grew from around 400 to around 800 per semester. 

Self-developed course programmes as a response to staff shortages 

In order to meet this demand, the Language Centre has developed its own teaching concept, which is now recognised throughout Bavaria. Advanced teacher training students teach beginner courses in German as a foreign language – accompanied by a close-knit quality and support system with work shadowing, standardised exams and extensive materials. The success of the model speaks for itself: all students who wanted to learn German were ultimately given a place on a course. The concept has since been adopted and further financed by the Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb). 

Special highlight: German sign language 

A truly unique feature is the German sign language (DGS) course. It is taught by a deaf lecturer, Florian Kufner, which is a rarity at German universities. Demand is enormous: along with Japanese, DGS is one of the courses that fills up fastest, sometimes within seconds. From the outset, the lessons take place without spoken language. Facial expressions, gestures and visual aids are the focus. "Students experience language here in a completely new way – as an independent, fully-fledged system," says Wolf. Two consecutive semester courses are currently offered, with exams and ECTS credits.

It is not only students who benefit from this offer: university staff and external guest students with university entrance qualifications can also take language courses, provided there are places available. The number of these participants has risen significantly in recent years, particularly in English and German courses.
The Language Centre On the Internet: https://www.sz.uni-bayreuth.de/