Best practice example

Title: The blended course in Translation Studies. Mamet-Michalkiewicz, M. (2020). Translation as a cultural phenomenon.  Based on personal experience.

University: University of Silesia, Master Study Program

Section of the framework: A - Metacognitive strategies to measure awareness of teaching and learning (e.g. Teachers plan activities for students to provide feedback on learning resources and learning design solutions; teachers adapt learning design to offer differentiation of tasks, individualisation and adaptation of learning)

What competencies and learning outcomes of the DigicompEdu Framework are we addressing?

Key issues: This best practice is about a  course on  contemporary  translation studies. During the course, students had to write essays and translate literary texts from English into Polish and from Polish into English. This course addressed problems of theory and practice of translation in the light of major methodological approaches to literary and cultural studies. The objectives of the course were the following: to make students aware of the interdependence between one’s capability of perceiving phenomena/entities in one’s own language and in metanarratives of one’s own culture and the ability to perceive phenomena/entities in another language and in metanarratives of another culture; to enhance their understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the functioning of texts. The course was taught in a hybrid mode, its teachers adapted learning design to offer differentiated tasks in class and out of class, and gave their students individual tutorials on their translations which resulted in individualised and personalised learning process.

In the tutorial, the castle-top was used to combine and align in-class activities and out-of-class activities to make students continuously develop their project. The specific in-class and out-of class activities are listed in the figure below:

Figure 1. The tutorial focused on solving translation  dilemmas  by using in-class and out-of-class activities. Image based on personal experience submitted by University of Silesia

The tutorial focused on combining analog and online learning material. Its main objective was to make the students aware that there are no right or wrong answers  in translation studies and that the space which is between the source text and the target text is the space of interpretation and reflection. The space of „between” was discussed with the students the most often.

Figure 2. Discussion: Initial interview activity with students involved in the tutorial.  Image based on personal experience submitted by University of Silesia

During the tutorial, several learning activities were included. Teachers conducted an early general evaluation of their students’ knowledge on translation studies gained during the first cycle of studies. Mentimeter was the tool adopted to show the students’ knowledge of the subject. On the basis of the outcome of the students’ responses, an individually crafted course was designed for students. The learning tools included: translation workshops, essay evaluation (with questions), student or teacher reflection (in writing), one minute paper, translation debates and online tests and surveys.

Figure 3. Results from an online assessment of student learning with an online test through Mentimeter. Image based on personal experience submitted by University of Silesia

After the initial four meetings, students gave the first presentation of their research in translation studies. During meeting 6, students submitted the first essay on the theory of literary translation, during the forthcoming meetings they submitted excerpts of their literary translation activities (meetings 8,10,12) that were discussed in detail during meetings 9,11, and 13 (written feedback, feedback dialogue). The  last two meetings were designed for preparing and discussing the final essay or literary translation (according to a student’s choice) as a final product of the course.

Each meeting was devoted to a different aspect of translation studies which resulted in broadening the students’ abilities in translating and critically evaluating existing translations.

Relevance for teachers: 

●       Students’ learning outcomes were assessed continuously (after each meeting).

●       Their essays, literary translations, presentations and class participation were assessed.

●       Students’ learning outcomes were assessed by means of a quality and translation writing rubric submitted to students in the first meeting.

●       During each tutorial, students were given written and oral feedback on each submitted essay, translation and presentation.

●       During each tutorial feedback/feedforward was delivered to a student by means of the feedback dialogue method.

Bloom's Taxonomy was also used during the course to show students how to improve critical thinking skills and achieve higher-order learning and also for the purposes of individualization and adaptation of learning.

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