The Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW) and Linguapolis have collaborated on a new initiative to provide additional opportunities for non-native academic staff to practise their Dutch: Campusbabbels (in English: Campus chats). These are informal, friendly chats between Dutch-speaking and non-Dutch-speaking colleagues. Catherine Meyers from FSW is very enthusiastic.
Campusbabbels came about after some brainstorming from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Linguapolis. They were interested in the language pathway of non-native academic staff. The combination of working in an English-speaking environment and still having to meet the official Dutch language requirements is often no easy task. We know that extra opportunities to speak are key in working towards fluency. So, the idea was to enlist Dutch-speaking colleagues within the faculty to practise Dutch with their non-Dutch-speaking counterparts at set times.
Linguapolis has considerable experience in training tutors for informal conversation training within the YUFE Online Language Cafés project (now: Online Conversation Practice). We created a database with resource material on the use of language, the use of authentic material, etc. We also added tips and tricks to support group dynamics (how to reduce fear of speaking, how to deal with different levels of language proficiency, etc.). There are also detailed conversation starters to get the chats going.
We found volunteers for this initiative among current staff, but emeriti also applied. To be sure of a solid start, they attended a training session led by Linguapolis language teacher Maxime Peeters. She also supervised the first two babbels where she was able to demonstrate how to make the most of these informal practice opportunities.
The initiative started in March and ran until the end of the academic year, with the chats starting again this autumn.
Catherine Meyers from FSW, one of the driving forces behind this initiative, sees several advantages: non-native colleagues not only practice their Dutch in an informal, friendly way, but they also increase their network. What’s more, they can swap their experiences with other non-native speakers about their language course. Another objective is to create awareness among Dutch speakers about the importance of practice opportunities in Dutch and of the hard work that non-native colleagues put into their language courses.
In many ways, this initiative reflects action points from the 2025-2028 policy paper: Engagement and Community-building, an International Campus, Strengthened Support for non-Dutch-speaking ZAP (Senior Academic Staff) in their Language Pathway. All in all, we see a long and enjoyable future for Campusbabbels!