How I developed my skills through the Nottingham Advantage Award

Chloe Pavey

By Chloe Pavey, cultures, languages and area studies student

I took two Nottingham Advantage Award (NAA) modules in my second year at the University of Nottingham, these were the French Conversation Exchange and A Window on the World: An Intercultural Journey from the Local to the Global.

Why I chose my modules

I decided to do these as I am doing a degree in modern languages (French and German), and I felt that the two would allow me to further practice and extend skills that link to my degree.

I also felt that taking these extra modules would help to develop my employability skills, as I had to stay organised and manage my work well to meet deadlines.

French Conversation Exchange

During the French Conversation Exchange, I took part in weekly phone calls with my native French partner, and we would spend half an hour speaking French and half an hour speaking English.

Outside of these sessions, I completed some worksheets in English to allow me to brainstorm some of the themes which we discussed (such as daily routine, local region and ‘when I was little’) as well as a reflective vlog to consider what had gone well and what could be improved after each call.

At the end of the module, I presented my experience and reflected upon it with my module convenor, which along with the preparation and reflection tasks, was used to determine that I would pass the module.

What I learned

I found the French Conversation Exchange a really useful opportunity to connect with and get to know my partner, who was a student at a university in France. While this gave me the opportunity to improve my conversation skills, it also meant that I could make a new friend, gain an insight into cultural differences and similarities and share British culture with her being an English learner.

Additionally, the preparation and assessment were all straightforward and contributed to my improvement and reflection during the module.

Overall, I think that my confidence in speaking French has improved a lot having practised regularly with my partner, and I really enjoyed getting to know her and hope to stay in contact.

Skill development

My NAA modules encouraged me to develop a variety of skills, and due to the modules I chose, these skills linked well with my degree, helping me to develop my cultural and linguistic competencies.

However, they were also great for other skills linked to employability, such as:

• communicating in groups and one-on-one with new people
• building confidence
• timekeeping
• organisation
• managing multiple deadlines

These modules have encouraged me to have a go at some other Nottingham Advantage Award modules in the future, to allow me to explore some other topics.

My top tips

My top tips for students would be to choose modules to suit their schedules and interests. For me, these were topics that linked to my degree and that could be completed mostly online, providing some flexibility around my schedule and academic deadlines.

The most important thing is to make the most of the opportunities provided through the Nottingham Advantage Award.

View these modules as an opportunity for self-improvement through learning to enhance your employability skills, not just as something to complete to add to your CV or LinkedIn profile.

I think that with the Nottingham Advantage Award, the more effort you put into it, the more positive experiences you will come from it.

Find out more about the Nottingham Advantage Award and the modules on offer. There are so many to chose from, you'll find ones to suit you.