Department of languages and education

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In the 1951-1952 academic year, after Kaunas University was reorganised into two independent higher education institutions – the Kaunas Institute of Medicine and the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute – the Department of Russian and Foreign Languages was established at the Kaunas Medical Institute (KMI), which in 1959 was named the Department of Languages. In December 2002, the Senate of Kaunas Medical University (KMU) approved the proposal to call the department the Department of Languages and Education, because since 1999 pedagogy subjects have begun to be taught in the department. In 2003 KMU Lecturers‘ Educational Competence Centre (DEKC) was established at the base of the department, which in 2015 became a department of the University.

The equivalent department of the Lithuanian Veterinary Academy (LVA) was called the Department of Russian-Latin, Foreign Languages, Languages. In 2010, after the merger of the Kaunas Medical University and the Lithuanian Veterinary Academy, the staff of both higher education institutions merged into the Department of Languages and Education of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU).

Heads of Departments

The first head of the newly established department at KMI was Mr. Lect. Aleksandra Sergejeva, who headed this department until mid-1958. For a very short time, the position of Head of this Department was held by Mr. Lect. Antanas Šupys. From the fall of 1958 to the summer of 1985, the Department of Languages was headed by Assoc. Prof. Vytautas Nečiūnas, one of the most famous of standardisers of Lithuanian medical language and terminology of the second half of the 20th century. In 1985-1995 the Department of Languages was headed by Doctor of Humanities Associate Professor Jonas Bajoras. 1995-2002 the Department of Languages was headed by Lecturer (Senior Lecturer) Elena Gražina Molytė.

The LVA Department of Languages was headed by: Antonina Četverikova, the first LVA language lecturer (1953–1956), Juozas Pavilonis (1956–1962), Jonas Raudonius (1962–1968); Egidija Neverauskienė (1968–1986); Birutė Starkšienė (1986–1994) was awarded the Order of Academic Palms of the French Republic and the Officer‘s Cross of the French National Order of Merit; Vida Janušaitienė (1994–2010).

In 2022-2021 The Department of Languages and Education was headed by prof. Raimonda Brunevičiūtė.

The lecturers of the department are members of EERA (European Educational Research Association), Classics Association (Societas Classica), Lithuanian Association of Language Pedagogues (LKPA), Applied Linguistics and Lithuanian Association of French Language Teachers and Lecturers.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Languages and Education is to develop the humanitarian competence of doctors. The department is one of the departments of the University that implements university humanitarian and social studies.

Compulsory subjects in Introduction to Studies and Professional Language are taught to students of all faculties. The Professional Language course includes the basics of professional terminology in Latin, professional foreign languages (English, German, French), professional language, and Lithuanian as a foreign language.

Students from different faculties are offered elective subjects in a second foreign language (French, German, Italian, Danish), scientific style (in English), and advanced Lithuanian (as a foreign language).

Students are offered the following University elective (UP) subjects: Translation of Medical Literature (English), Medical Terminology (French), Introduction to the Science of Education for Healthcare Specialists, Second Foreign Language (Japanese, Danish, Italian) (A1.1), Second Foreign Language (French, German) (A1.1 and A1.2), Lithuanian as a Foreign Language (A1.1 and A1.2).

Doctoral students are taught 2 elective subjects: Theory and Practice of Education, Interpretation of Scientific Materials in a Foreign Language.

Main directions of research

Theoretical:

Exploration of possibilities for integrating linguistic and educational research methodologies in order to assess the effectiveness of the socialisation of studies in the field of biomedical sciences.

Practical:

Application of theories from the fields of education and philology in the development and adaptation of instruments for performance research.
Integration of linguistic and educational research methodologies for the analysis of the effectiveness of the socialisation outcomes of biomedical studies.

The scientific topic of the Department is “Development of personal competencies that enhance the competitiveness of health professionals in the context of blended learning”. Implementation period: 01/01/2022–31/12/2026.

Research aim: using methodologies from philology and educational sciences, to identify the preconditions and opportunities for the development of competencies that enhance the competitiveness of health professionals within a blended learning context.

Research objectives:

To analyse the factors that promote the competitiveness of health professionals.
To analyse the preconditions and opportunities for developing personal competencies through language learning.
To analyse the advantages and disadvantages of blended learning, as well as its impact on the study process and outcomes.

Expected outcome:

A methodology will be developed for assessing and enhancing the effectiveness of personal competency development aimed at increasing the competitiveness of health professionals. Tools and techniques will be prepared, and teaching methods/practices for the development of personal competencies in biomedical science studies will be created and tested. Module and subject curricula will be updated in line with the evolving circumstances, expectations, and learning methods.

The department cooperates with the Department of Languages of the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Prague, Hradec Králové, the Language Centre of Masaryk University of Brno, the Language Center of Ankara University, the Department of Didactics and Educational Organisation of the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Sciences of the University of Valencia, Spain, and the Foreign Language Centre of Vilnius College.

Department of Languages and Education

Assoc. Prof. Silvija Rakutiene

Head of the Department of Languages and Education

+370 37 330 352 silvija.rakutiene@lsmu.lt

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