Student code of conduct

Scope

The Russian Language Centre is committed to creating an educational environment for students which is safe, and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. All students should strive to achieve their study goals and take personal ownership for their learning.

Students at the Russian Language Centre are expected to act in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of others. We expect students to be responsible, respectful and engaged; helping to maintain a positive community experience.

This code of conduct outlines how we expect students to behave whilst learning either onsite or via online provisions with fellow students and staff. It also sets out the resolution process where student conduct falls below the standards expected.

 

Who does this apply to?

This code applies to all students studying on a course at The Russian Language Centre.

Linked and other relevant policies and legislation

  1. This code is subject to the Russian Language Centre’s Terms and Conditions.
  2. This code is informed by and references the Equality Act 2010.

 

Student conduct

  1. The Russian Language Centre expects all students to always conduct themselves in an appropriate manner, treating others equally and fairly. Students are expected to act in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and respect differences in respect of protected characteristics. Harassment, bullying and victimisation will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
  2. Students are expected to act in accordance with the law, and not to engage in any activity that may bring the Russian Language Centre or any of its partners into disrepute.

Below is a list of examples of behaviours or actions deemed to be misconduct. This list is not to be considered exhaustive:

  • Conduct of action which inhibits teaching, studying, research and/or other activities of the Russian Language Centre.
  • Obstructing or interfering with the function or duties of any person(s).
  • Violent or aggressive conduct, including but not limited to indecent, disorderly or offensive behaviours or language, either written or orally.
  • Any conduct which adversely affects or puts at risk the safety, welfare or wellbeing of any other student or member of staff.
  • Conduct that discriminates against any person(s) based on a protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2020.
  • Possession or use of any illegal drugs, substances or offensive weapons on the Russian Language Centre’s premises.
  • Fraud, falsification of documentation.
  • Behaviour such as plagiarism.
  • Any behaviour that brings the Russian Language Centre into disrepute.
  • Unauthorised or misuse of the Russian Language Centre facilities, including IT facilities and course materials.
  • Making false or vexatious claims and/or complaints.
  • Misconduct prior to enrolment with the Russian Language Centre which should have been materially disclosed at the point of enrolment.

 

When concerns are raised

  1. Where the Russian Language Centre is concerned that infringement of the Student Code of Conduct or any other policy has occurred, an investigation will be conducted in the first instance before any action, if appropriate, is taken.
  2. Concerns can be raised by other parties (be they students, staff, tutors, contractors) by emailing Frank Althaus, Director, at [email protected]. Where concerns are raised, those raising the allegation will be requested to provide information relating to the student(s) involved, the incident(s), and any other applicable details as determined by the investigating officer.
  3. Where the Russian Language Centre is concerned that a criminal act may have been committed, they reserve the right to refer such cases to the police or relevant authority as applicable.

 

Sanctions

  1. In the instance where a student is found to have breached the Student Code of Conduct, the sanctions below may be applied at the discretion of the Director.
  2. When considering appropriate sanctions to apply, consideration will be given to the nature of the circumstances.

The sanctions that may be imposed are:

  1. A written warning requiring the student to give assurances as to their future conduct, and any other stipulations as so prescribed.
  2. Access restriction to Russian Language services protecting the privacy and security of your personal information (‘personal data’).
  3. In exceptional circumstances, removal from the course without any refund being provided.

 

Changes to the Student Code of Conduct

We reserve the right to update the Student Code of Conduct at any time and will seek to inform you of any substantial changes.

I believe the course book is excellent.

I love that the beginning of each class includes lots of conversation and that everyone gets a chance to speak.

I am especially happy with Irina as our teacher. She does a fantastic job.

I would recommend Irina and the RLC programme 110%!

As a complete beginner, the book is excellent providing several examples and easy explanations that help cementing the basis without needing much effort.

I very much enjoyed the course, Maria is an excellent teacher, and provides excellent feedback. I think that the course is especially useful as Russian pronunciation is so dependent on stress, consonant quality etc.

Super easy to use and excellent structure that allows you to build knowledge consistently and at a do-able level.

I enjoyed this term, just like the last. I’m getting more confident with my Russian, and Victoria’s classes are very engaging and interesting

I think it is the best textbook I have used to learn Russian. It breaks the grammar down into small chunks and the exercises help to develop knowledge and understanding.

My teacher Larisa is great – clear, patient and genuinely interested in what students have to say. I really enjoy my classes with her:)

Liliya is great. I feel encouraged and feel like I am finally making progress with learning Russian

I am thoroughly enjoying these lessons and Vera is a fantastic teacher

It is a wonderful book. Perfect balance of essential grammar and sudden gems such as poems!

Tatiana was a friendly and welcoming teacher so ideal in this setting where we had not met before.

Irina is a wonderful teacher.

I have enjoyed learning Russian with Irina. She is a very competent and learned teacher. I think that she is patient and very encouraging towards students.

Russian is just a hobby for me, I don’t need it for a spouse or work, so in those circumstances the only way you’re going to keep on trying is with a teacher like Lyuda.

I am really enjoying my course. My teacher is Irina. She is very hardworking and the lessons are well prepared. She encourages the students and manages the lessons very well online.

It is great to feel like I have made progress every week and I am always energised after the lessons.

All the short courses that I have recently taken part in have been outstanding. I especially enjoyed Phonetics with Irina and also today’s conversation class.

Irina, our teacher, is an absolute star! Love her 🙂

love love loveeee Irina!!!! Really great teacher and explains things very well! + Just lovely overall! I always look forward to her classes! :)))))))

Also, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Conversation Club on Sunday – although it was challenging, it felt very supportive and fun and Larissa was really encouraging and lovely.

The short film course I did with Tatiana was excellent. The film was entertaining and all the activities we did around it were useful.

I really enjoy the variety in Viktoria’s classes and the blend of didactic and interactive. she’s also good fun to work with and understands adult learners.

The course is fantastic and all of the online materials really help to reinforce what we’ve learned in the class – Liliya is a great teacher and very attentive to the whole class.

I have found the course, and in particular Natasha’s teaching method, extremely good.

Great building-block vocabulary and the speech was so clear and easy to follow.

I started russian in a different school and I’m so pleased I switched and joined RLC.

I look forward to Tuesday evenings as much for the sharing of news with the other group members as for the language learning and practice.

Not since primary school have I been so enthusiastic to read what comes next in my book!

it was really helpful to expand my vocabulary in a different and slightly more complex direction, without grammar being the main driving force of the lesson.

I got a huge amount out of the lessons and feel like my level has improved a lot… inspired me to keep going despite the obvious lack of time with two kids 😃

Very useful, and simple to understand. I especially like the stories at the end of each chapter

Love everything, thank you for the hard work setting everything up!

The course has stimulated me to work on this more. The audio preparations, and the personal feedback from Maria were really constructive and valuable I found.

Irina is great at prompting challenging sentences that practice what has been studied.

I have enjoyed immensely!! Maria is brilliant, very funny and really made learning fun!! There was no pressure and it was done at a very good pace for you to learn. I am glad I took part!!

I think the course has been really great. I have done a few other language courses (different languages) and this is the most engaging.

Course book is very well constructed and facilitates learning effectively. I would like course to be broader with some emphasis on cultural aspects of Russia.

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Russian through film’. It was extremely well organised and I feel I got a great deal from it.

Irina is very good at registering and remembering individual needs/characteristics. She makes the class a very safe place and that’s what you need for learning to happen.

The material is always illuminating. I love all the sections on Russian culture and history.

Liliya is excellent &she has made learning online straight forward & easy to follow. I enjoy the additional wordwall activities as revision exercises.

Maria is an outstanding teacher, she explains everything clearly, and is always so encouraging and supportive. The lessons are always engaging and I look forward to them each week 🙂

I really enjoy the story chapters at the end of each unit

I really enjoy my lessons with Irina. She is a wonderful teacher who works hard to make sure that all aspects of the Russian language are covered: from vocabulary and grammar through to intonation/inflection and pronunciation.

Well delivered and very enjoyable

I find the course is adapted to the needs and the pace of the group of students in it and the teacher always explain any doubts you may have about grammar, pronunciation or anything else.

I also really enjoy the elements of Russian culture and history that is sometimes included which provides a deeper understanding of the language.

Perhaps more impressive than anything else is the fact that with Lena, I am learning a huge amount about Russian literature about she seems to be extremely knowledgeable.

I really enjoyed working with other students at a similar level – and got a sense that we were working together and had common goals and objectives.

I thought the course was great, and I hope more of them can be organised!

I truly think that without your lessons and the patience and clarity of explanation you had, I would have dropped out of university. I really want to let you know how thankful I am for all your help.

This is a very well-run course, with an excellent teacher (Anna) who makes the lessons fun, whilst also learning so thank you. I look forward to future lessons/courses.

The book is very comprehensive and provides with a great progression of learning

It’s an excellent course and I enjoy both the teacher and other students.

One of the best I’ve used and I have studied languages for many years (mature student)

Vera is very supportive and patient. She makes each lesson a fun and pleasurable occasion

Yulia is the best Russian teacher I’ve had – she is really friendly and supportive!

Olga is fantastic in providing support and Maria always ensures imaginative and enjoyable lessons. Overall extremely happy!

Larissa is a fantastic teacher, very attentive, understands well what I want to achieve, is able to explain very well the grammar, mistakes, etc.

I’ve happened to have different teachers each semester but they have all been really good. Natasha my current teacher is lovely and I really like her teaching style.

Maria is a stimulating, extremely knowledgeable and excellent teacher. She provides a very good mix of colloquial and literary Russian.

I find the course book really interesting. I take it for granted that it facilitates learning. What I really appreciate is the humour , the insight into Ryssian cilture

I found the session challenging. But I enjoyed the novel (to me) approach of using the short film as a basis for grammatical study.

Very enjoyable lessons, patient and friendly teacher who explains everything well.

Overall I’m very happy with the organisation, professionalism and energy of RLC. I find the material and the classes/teachers engaging.

At first, I was a bit dubious about doing classes online, but it works well, and the professors know how to keep the entire class engaged and make it interactive.

Larisa is a living legend. She is great.

Victoria is a gifted teacher – she is able to clarify in concise terms mysteries of the Russian language that have defied my for many year. She is excellent.

My lessons are going great! I am very happy with Olga and her teaching methods.

I really enjoy the Sunday Conversation Clubs. The atmosphere is relaxed and unpressured. The breakout rooms work like a charm.

Maria H is an amazing and gifted teacher and always makes each lesson a highlight of my week

Clear, comprehensive and interesting

My teacher Maria is terrific, and all the staff members in the office I have spoken to have been amazing too.

I am really enjoying the course and have learned much more than I expected. It is quite demanding but I prefer that.

Irina is a fantastic teacher, is friendly, is always timely and constructive with feedback, and I am making a lot of progress —much more than I would have expected.

Irina is excellent: she knows exactly how to teach and how to make a two hour lesson interesting. I am hugely glad I decided to take the course.

Lyuda is definitely the best Russian teacher I’ve ever had.

I enjoy the Conversation Club and it provides me with a very useful opportunity to practice my Russian on topics I may be unfamiliar with.

The course book is excellent and Irina more than excellent. Thank you.

Irina is a fantastic teacher – very patient and encouraging and always willing to answer questions. She is very good at pushing us while still keeping the course relaxed and enjoyable.

Having looked at other materials available, I appreciate how useful and well put together the textbook is.

Extremely interesting, stimulating and fun.

I think the book is excellent, very well structured and I’m extremely happy with it.

I’ve had good fun, thank you! Especially the fact that it was gamified made it light and enjoyable. Maria is great and a great fit for these classes.

I really enjoy RLC. The methodology and all the teachers I have had so far are all great.

Vera has been one of the best Russian teachers I’ve had so far and I really enjoy learning with her. She has increased my confidence speaking in Russian and makes me feel confortable when interacting with the group.

The lessons with Irina are always engaging and Irina is always helpful and supportive. I really enjoy the mixture of materials and activities that she brings to the lessons.

The balance of different language skills is good and I feel like the level and speed of delivery of the content is perfect.

Dmitri’s style is engaging and explains the content very well, adding fun and relatable anecdotes on the Russian language and culture which help memorise the words.

I really enjoyed the phonetics course and learned a lot. According to native speakers I know, my pronunciation improved significantly.

Love it. Great value. Great teacher. Look forward to next session.

Irina is an amazing teacher and I’m always excited to attend class. She really takes the time to explain new vocabulary by highlighting comparisons with other Russian words which is helpful.

It’s really good – very fast moving and varied way of learning. Irina is amazing, she will always take the time to answer my questions and add extra bits of info in to the lessons.

I’ve learned several languages. Irina is one of the very best teachers I have had. She not only understands the language (of course)but understands students’ needs too.

Excellent in every respect.

My teacher is Irina. She is a very good and encouraging teacher who really helps her students. She is very patient and helpful. She makes the lessons enjoyable and I always look forward to them.

The materials are really good quality, and fantastic that we have the resources in different formats – the exercises, the audio files, the book, all available online.

I really look forward to coming to London for the lesson on Mondays.

Maria’s teaching style is clear, enthusiastic, and very encouraging, and of course fun!

absolutely excellent, i am writing away pretty confidently now

The online sessions work very well. Vera masterminds the sessions to maximise our understanding and learning

The course book is excellent – practical interesting exercises coupled with clear grammatical exposition

It’s very well structured and I feel like I’m making consistent progress. Irina is an excellent teacher and she makes the class very enjoyable.

The teaching as always has been excellent. The teacher is encouraging, supportive and engaging.

Irina is a truly fantastic teacher.

Irina is a great teacher and makes the whole experience a lot more enjoyable and is good at encouraging us while facing of the difficulties of learning a new language.

Lena is a first class language teacher in my opinion. She makes lessons varied and is very open to be flexible and study things that I want to study with her.

The group is the right size overall and has a very good dynamic which I think helps give people the confidence to speak freely even if they make mistakes.

Irina S is a marvellous teacher. I feel I would not have improved my language ability as I have without her support and knowledge.

It is one of the best language textbooks I have ever used.

We cover a wide range of topics and Irina is hugely patient if we are struggling with any aspect of the lesson or syllabus.

This is the best language course I have ever done. Larissa is a wonderful teacher – intelligent, entertaining, well-organised, friendly, kind.

I’m enjoying the course very much. Irina is a great teacher who knows exactly how to communicate her extensive knowledge in the right way for learners.

I feel that I have become more confident in my skills after just one semester, and have become more talkative in Russian when I speak with my Russian friends.

Lyuda absolutely MAKES the course! She is a fantastic teacher, and I am so happy with the improvements I am making with her help. She deserves a lot of recognition for her talent and abilities.

The best language textbook I know (and Russian is my sixth language, so I know a few!)

This course has transformed my Russian, and our teacher Natasha is really knowledgable and explains the language process very well. I would highly recommend this course and look forward to returning next term.

Maria is a fantastic teacher whose lessons I very much enjoy and I feel I am making real progress

I like the online exercises. I like the audio and would like to use it more. I really like the podcasts and the transcripts are helpful.

My course is the highlight of my week. I have learnt so much and it has been such a pleasure!

I love this course and Irina makes it very enjoyable. She is a fabulous teacher and I love my group too.

The course and teacher are excellent.

I really enjoy Victoria’s lessons, they are fun and engaging. The videos she shows at the beginning of the class are very interesting and a useful way to expand our vocabulary.

My teacher is Victoria and she is just lovely. Very professional yet approachable. She clearly takes a lot of time to prepare materials for our lessons and uses such a variety of media which I really like.

Anna has made the experience so enjoyable and encouraged all the students to feel comfortable – I know this isn’t easy to achieve online but Anna has managed it really well!

As a total beginner it’s been a great start. Thank you RLC!

I have really enjoyed with learning Russian with Larissa – she is very friendly, knowledgeable, open and kind:) she makes the classes so interesting and fun!

I think the lessons are set up really well and supported with materials.

Great book. Love the story

I have tried learning Russian is two other institutions but learning with Liliya at RLC is the first time I feel I’ve really made progress.

I always thought that learning a new language, especially Russian with the Cyrillic alphabet, would be an onerous task. However the brilliant RLC course book along with our fantastic teacher Liliya, has made learning Russian achievable and fun.

I’m very much enjoying the course. It is particularly enjoyable having the course in person and also with a hybrid option for when group members might be travelling.

And the Russian Language Centre, with its wonderful ethos, does so much to provide a positive, constructive, even nurturing learning environment!

Delighted I chose to learn Russian with the RLC. Irina is a great teacher and I always enjoy her classes.

I find the course book well structures and like the way that areas are reintroduced from time to time for revision purposes.

I really enjoyed the set up of the course – a part dedicated to the teacher speaking to each student individually, and the second part dedicated to going through the homework.

I have experience of both Maria and Irina. Both are outstanding, wonderful teachers. I would recommend them to anyone wishing to study this beautiful language. Thank you – Maria and Irina!

Lyuda is absolutely fantastic.

Great for improving my listening skills. Like the format and concentrating on one topic in detail.
Look forward to more!

it was wonderful for me to experience such a marvellous example of Russian/Soviet film-making, the way it conveyed subtle and sensitive emotions and the play of human relationships in such a short space of time

Well structured course, friendly and helpful teacher

I liked the opportunity for role-playing (reading the script) as well as watching and discussing the film. The language level seemed right for me.

I really enjoyed the Conversation Club on Sunday. The format with the materials sent in advance is very useful and it is great to have interesting content.

The course was very interesting and lively, Victoria obviously knows her subject well. I enjoyed it very much.

Natasha is an excellent teacher, and this course has been very enjoyable!

I studied modern languages at Cambridge. The tuition I am getting from Lena is at least as good as I had at university.

I am really enjoying my course. I like the range of interactive tasks provided during the online classes. The textbook and online content is an excellent resource.

I really enjoy studying at RLC 🙂

I had not spoken any Russian before I started and now, after 9 weeks, I am starting to feel more confident with the pronunciations and grammar. I look forward to the next term.

The conversation club is really excellent. Actually I was quite scared the first time, as just talking Russian is a bit daunting. But it is a really friendly environment.

I really enjoyed the handwriting course . It was well thought out and worked perfectly using Zoom and What’s App . I especially liked seeing and trying to decipher examples of Russian handwriting.

Love it!

I really enjoyed the film that I studied with Tatiana …Tatiana explained the vocabulary/dialogue in the film really well. The exercises that were prepared to accompany the film were useful, enjoyable and tested comprehension well.

I really enjoy coming to the classes and I feel as though I have learned a lot.

The topics in the course book are very interesting and topical.

The course is great and Larissa is fantastic!

I’m just getting back in touch to let you know that today I received a 2:1 Degree in BA French and Russian and I wholeheartedly believe it’s because of all your help during my first year.

I was very impressed with the course (especially since it is the first time I take online classes) and the teacher is excellent dedicating time to each student.

RLC is brilliant in all aspects. I especially appreciate the ability to join remote when I’ve been unable to attend classes in person.

The course provides a good insight into everyday Russian life and customs as well as the language which is very interesting

It’s very thorough and carries the learner forward gradually, with lots of reinforcement

Irina and Maria are both great teachers – very impressive!

The course is well run. I’ve really enjoyed it and Maria has been a great teacher!

She was very helpful and encouraging, I’d definitely recommend it to others. I particularly liked examining the historical letters and documents.

The textbook is phenomenal.

I have been taking lessons with RLC for almost two years which I enjoy enormously and feel I have made real progress.

It was brilliant! I really enjoyed both sessions…. I feel I learned a lot.

The course book is well planned and thorough, leaving no gaps in our knowledge. This thoroughness really helps to give us confidence.

I believe the teaching, teaching format, and teaching materials are all excellent. I enjoy the lessons. Thank you RLC!

In the Conversation Club, I never feel stupid when I can’t find the right way to express myself, which is 100% my biggest worry when I try to speak Russian.

I really enjoy my lessons and Irina is a wonderful teacher. My knowledge and understanding of Russian has grown immensely since starting with the RLC.

The approach is crystal clear, comprehensive, and allows to build step-by-step very solid grammatical foundations

The lessons are the right mix of predictable and unpredictable, relaxing and challenging.

Irina is great. Patient, interesting and explains things really well. I like learning about little bits of language history.

The session with Maria was really good – a nice pace, mixture of activities and at the right level for our expertise. I would definitely love to join another session with Maria.

The course was brilliant. It was exactly at the right level and Maria was super encouraging

I love my course! It’s a highlight of my week.

I really enjoyed this session. Tatiana was really well prepared with loads of interesting exercises. I found it quite hard work, which is not a criticism!

it was very useful and teacher provided individual feedback which was much appreciated

I have learned several languages, usually with good teachers, but Irina is definitely among the very best. Her feel both for the language and for learners’ needs are of the highest level.

I love the course. It’s part of my weekly routine. I am learning new things every week. Thank you.

The highlight for me was the survival skills style games Maria led during the lesson…