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The
Language Research and Resource Centre (L.R.a.R.C.)
at the Technical University of Crete is the root of a network
of language programmes for all departments of the university;
namely, Production Engineering and Management,
Mineral Resources Engineering, Electronic
and Computer Engineering, and Environmental
Engineering. The centre offers both German
and English resources and instruction to
students as part of their five year course of study. Because
it is primarily a self-access working environment, our staff
and instructors have, since its establishment in 1997, been
developing the quality of its resources. While continuing
our own evolution in adaptation to autonomous learning methodology,
offering the best expertise we can to students, we have gained
a heightened personal interest in our own profession.
In learning about and promoting autonomy
and second language learning, we have certainly had the benefit
of sharing our ideas and experiences with our colleagues from
around Europe. Our centre was introduced to our colleagues
in Greece through a presentation entitled "Autonomy
and Technology in Language Teaching" at the 13th
International Symposium on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics
in April 1999 at the Aristotelion University in Thessaloniki.
We have had visiting teachers and administrators from the
Helsinki University of Technology, The University of Louis
Pasteur, and the University of Iceland. We have both organized
and hosted two European events. Respectively, the first was
a Regional Workshop in November 2000, entitled "Setting
Up a Language Resource Centre: Designing and Building Up Resources"
in participation with the European Centre for Modern Languages
in Graz. The second was Regional Event 143 in the framework
of the project "Preparation of the Second Medium-Term
Programme 2004-2007" in March 2003. This was organized
by the European Centre for Modern Languages, the Council of
Europe and the Greek Ministry of Education. Both events gave
rise to the opportunity for exchanges of ideas in language
teaching and opportunities for future cooperation with other
centres and educators throughout Europe.
Foreign language courses at the Technical University of Crete
are mandatory. Students must successfully complete four semesters
of either German or English. One meeting a week is given to
in-class instruction. Students are then at liberty to exploit
the resources at the centre, which include web-based activities,
paper-based worksheets focused on reading, grammar, and vocabulary
refinement, commercial multimedia packages, a video and DVD
library, a small lending library of fiction, and an opportunity
for one-on-one guidance or tutoring by an instructor.
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