Requirements to receive EC for the Language Assistant role:

It is possible to receive EC for your work as a Language Assistant. Note that it is only possible to receive EC when it regards peer feedback given on written or oral coursework in relation to a course at university or elsewhere. This is possible in the following languages: French, German, Spanish, English, Dutch, and Italian.

Please note that one meeting represents three hours in total (including preparation, written and oral feedback, etc.). You will receive 1 ECTS for 28 hours, which is equivalent to 7 feedback sessions (see conversion table).

Besides the main requirement, you are also required to:

1. Register appointments with your Language Buddies (the students you assist) in a logbook.
2. Attend the training sessions/workshops.
3. Write a reflection report in English or French.

Reflection Report Details 

The reflection report should contain the following elements:

1. A title page which states:
   • The university you come from.
   • The department (Utrecht University and/or University College Utrecht) within which you have given feedback.
   • Your name.
   • Your student number.
   • The time period during which you gave feedback.
2. A table of contents.
3. An Introduction/Presentation which includes:
   • An introduction about yourself.
   • The period during which you worked.
   • The number of students you helped.
   • Why you decided to participate in the programme.
   • What you expected from it, etc…
4. Development. In this section, you have a big degree of freedom according to your experience. Here are some areas you could discuss:
   • A selection of the language problems encountered (in your assistance with written or oral comprehension) and the method you chose to address them. You can illustrate this by attaching  excerpts of the corrected texts you sent back to the student(s).
   • A short explanation/assessment of your feedback style and whether you feel it was efficient. You can elaborate on which improvements or changes you already made or you would make if you had to give feedback again.
   • Recommendations for future language assistants.
   • Your students’ progress – or lack of progress – according to you and the reason behind it: on your side as well as theirs.
5. Conclusion. This section concerns your learnings and personal growth via the Language Assistant role. Please provide examples and anecdotes for each. Some things to consider could include:
   • Improvements to your own knowledge.
   • A new relation to your own language and a feeling of empowerment or self-confidence.
   • Developments in your communication, social, or intercultural skills.
   • Whether your participation in this  programme enriched your stay in Utrecht (academically, socially, etc…).
6. Annex.  Please provide your logbook and at least 3/4 copies of students’ texts with your corrections . 

With these elements (including the title page, annexes and logbook) and a double-spaced format, the report should round up to around 5 pages.

The programme manager will grade your reflection report. Based on the length and depth of your self-reflection, you will usually be granted a level 2 internship (level 3 = a much more in depth analysis + academic research dimension). In order to determine the grade for your internship, the manager may also consult the students you helped.

Requirements to receive a letter of recommendation/certificate:

1. Register your appointments with your Language Buddies (the students you assist) in a logbook.
2. Attend the training sessions. 
3. Write a (brief) reflection report. In this report, you will reflect on:
   • Your preparation for the feedback sessions and their adequacy (for the students and for yourself).
   • What your participation in the project has meant for your own personal, academic, social development etc…See description above (requirements EC)- this reflection report can be slightly shorter.