Programs
Graduate Profile
Graduates of the TFFL Master’s Degree will be able to:
- Teach FFL courses at the BA level;
- Master the competences in training of trainers;
- Conduct research in French language teaching methodology;
- Organize and conduct activities for cultural and linguistic diffusion.
Admission Requirements
- CGPA (Cumulative General Point Average ) at the BA Degree in French: 2 or above;
- Candidates having a BA degree in the areas of languages, linguistics and education with a minimum of three years’ experience in teaching a foreign language may apply;
- Level of command in French: entrance examination equivalent to the B2 level (according to the CEFR) assessing the candidates’ writing skills (written comprehension and argumentative essay writing) and oral skills (presentation of a personal and professional project).
Launching date of the training
- The TFFL Master’s Degree program could start at the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year.
Minimum number of students
- The program can begin with a minimum of eight students.
- Applications from students who have obtained their BA degree in French in another university will be accepted, provided the degree is considered compatible with the criteria for admission to the French Unit’s Master’s Degree in French.
Curriculum (list and schedule of modules)
The draft curriculum developed by the French Unit’s Curriculum Committee during the 2008-2009 academic year has been reviewed to reflect the Masters’ reform presented in the document “Rules and Regulations of AAU Masters’ Degree Curriculum Development and Delivery” dated September 15, 2009 (see attached).Moreover, it has been updated according to the “Procedures of Modularization and Block Teaching: Master’s Program of the Addis Ababa University”, dated May 3, 2010.
According to this document, a module most often consists of 7 ECTS or a student workload of 175-210 hours and is delivered in an intensive manner (4 weeks of block teaching). Each ECTS is made up of 40% of interactive teaching-and-learning, 20% of collaborative in-class learning (group work, presentation…) and 40% of self-learning. 1 ECTS equivalent to 25 hrs (theoretical module) consists of 10 hrs of interactive teaching-and-learning, 5 hrs of collaborative in-class learning and 10 hrs of self-learning. One ECTS, equivalent to 30 hrs (module with a practical component) consists of 12 hrs of interactive teaching-and-learning, 6 hrs of collaborative in-class learning and 12 hrs of self-learning. For the entire program, a learner must complete a total workload of 90 ECTS in both tracks (Options A & B). The Thesis or Comprehensive exam track is allotted a workload of 30 ECTS.
List of Modules
Type, size and number of modules for the TFFL Master’s Degree
Module Type | Percentage | Number of modules | Number of ECTS | Number of hours:1 ECTS = 25 hrs | Number of hours:1 ECTS = 30 hrs | ||
Pedagogy:(CTPD 601) | 10% | 1.0 | 7 | 175 hours | |||
Research Methodology(FLFr 631) | 10% | 1.0 | 7 | 175 hours | |||
General modules: | 25% | 2.5 |
7 |
175 hours |
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– Language policies (FLFr 611)
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– Cultures and intercultural communication in a language classroom (FLFr 621) | 7 | 210 hours | |||||
– Testing in TFFL (FLFr 612) | 4 | 120 hours | |||||
Specialization modules:– Didactic Approaches to FFL Teaching (FLFr 613)
– Training Course Design and Cultural diffusion systems design (FLFr 622) – Teaching French for Specific Purposes (FLFr 632)
– Practicum (FLFr 642) |
40% | 4.0 | 7 | 210 hours | |||
7 | 210 hours | ||||||
7 | 210 hours | ||||||
7 | 210 hours | ||||||
Thesis (FLFr 701) | 15% | 1.5 | 30 | 750 hours | |||
Total | 100% | 10.0 | 90 | 1275 hours | 1170 hours | ||
5.2 Schedule of Modules
Total Requirements (including thesis): in ECTS= 90 ECTS
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Teaching Methodology
The TFFL Master’s Degree program is based on active and participative teaching methods. For each module, the instructor provides the theoretical content of the module and a pedagogical supervision to the students to assist them in their learning and their personal work. Students must participate actively in class and perform the tasks requested by the instructor within the framework of each module.
Assessment / Evaluation
For each module, the evaluation includes:
- Active participation in class activities (10%)
- Continuous assessment (50%)
Managed production and performance of students, such as:
o Individual research or research-in-pairs
o Summaries, syntheses, papers, case studies, projects and/or presentations
o Analysis of teaching sequences / teaching methods / evaluations, preparation of pedagogical materials, development of examinations, course development, micro teaching…
- A final comprehensive exam (40%)
For the practicum, the evaluation will take into consideration:
- Active participation in class activities and collaborative works (20%)
- Student productions and performance (80%)
- Pedagogical performance (30%)
- Practicum report (10-15 pages) (30%)
- Defense of the report (20%)
For the Master’s thesis module, the quality of the thesis will be evaluated according to the institutional arrangements of Addis Ababa University. The evaluation will take into consideration:
- Attendance to the seminars (10%)
- Thesis (60%): the jury will give special attention to:
o Good use of French language (10%)
o Quality of the research methodology related to the topic chosen (20%)
o Statement of the research problem and organization of the ideas (10%)
o Quality of analysis and research (particularly the data collection and processing) (10%)
o Good use of theoretical references (any plagiarism will be sanctioned) (10%)
- Defense of the thesis (30%)
o Quality of the oral presentation (15%)
o Relevance of the answers given to the jury’s question (15%)
The French Unit will follow the criterion-referenced method of assessment for each module using the old system of grading (ranging from A to F). The French Unit will adopt, for each grade, the cut-off stated in: “Procedures of modularization and Block Teaching: Master’s Program of the Addis Ababa University” (May3, 2010), p.9. The passing grade in a module or overall performance of the candidate is a minimum of B or 3 in a four-point scale. Grades of F or D in any module should be removed in order to qualify for graduation.
The Master’s Thesis Module shall be rated using a five-point scale ranging from “Excellent” to “Fail”.
Quality Assurance
The Master’s Degree Program in Teaching French as a Foreign Language is in line with the objectives of the new reform and the restructuring of post-graduate programs of Addis Ababa University. During its development process, it has benefited from the expertise of Professor Pierre Martinez, from the University Paris 8. To define the general objectives of the Master’s curriculum, the French Unit also conducted an analysis of the expectations, the needs and the educational context.
Most modules will be offered by teaching professionals with a high level qualification in language and pedagogy, from France, Ethiopia and Djibouti (see 15.1 The proposal has been evaluated very positively by three international experts:
– Professor Olga Galatanu, University Professor in Linguistics and TFFL, Institute for Research and Training in French as a Foreign Language, University of Nantes, France
– Professor Farid Benramdane, Doctor in Literature, Dean of the Faculty of Literature and Arts, Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University, Mostaganem, Algeria ; Member of the National Curriculum Committee (Ministry of Education – Algeria) ; Member of the Scientific Committee “Language and Development”, AUF (Agency for French-Speaking Universities)
– Professor Moussa Daff, Professor in Linguistics and Didactics, Sheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal ; Member of the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie (the High Council for French-speaking countries).
Staff Profile and attached CVs. These instructors will apply active and participative teaching methods.
In addition, the French Unit has already facilities that are a guarantee for quality assurance:
– A collection of reference materials in the French Unit’s library and the library of the Institute of Language Studies of AAU: TFFL didactics journals and magazines, TFFL textbooks and reference books on TFFL teaching, literature journals, novels, dictionaries, etc.
– A multimedia center (or computer laboratory)
– An office with Internet connection
– A classroom with Satellite TV.
Graduate Requirements
- Students must have:
- Validated 90 ECTS (or 2445 hrs)
- obtained a cumulative average of 3 or above (CGPA)
- defended their Master’s thesis
Grading Scale[1]:
4.0 Scale Letter Grading Grade equivalent in number
A (4.0) 80 or over
B+ 70-79
B (3.0) 60-69
C+ 55-59
C (2) 50-54
D (1) 40-49
F (0) Below 40
A student who earned a grade of B (60 and above) in a particular module deserves pass. If a student’s CGPA is below 3, he/she is not entitled for graduation.
Degree Nomenclature
Master of Arts in Teaching French as a Foreign Language
የአርት ማስተርሰ ዲግሪ በፈረንሣይኛ እንደ ዉጭ ቛንቛ ማስተማር
Master de Didactique du Français Langue Ėtrangère
[1] This grading scale is accordingly as stated in: “Procedures of modularization and Block Teaching: Masters Program of the Addis Ababa University” (May3, 2010), p.9.