Tandem Face2Face - University of Padova Language Centre

Tandem Learning is an exchange between two students with different native languages, allowing both to improve their linguistic skills through conversation or other means of communication. The Language Center organizes Face-to-Face Tandem sessions, which enable participants to meet in person.

Why participate?

Because it is:

Useful: it’s an opportunity to improve oral communication skills.
Accessible: anyone with a formal relationship with the University of Padua can participate.
Instructive: it’s a means to better understand a different culture.
Enjoyable: you learn while having fun and meet new people.
Flexible: meetings are scheduled with complete autonomy.

Who can participate?

The following can register for the Face2Face Tandem project:

Students of the University of Padua
Foreign exchange students at our University under any agreement (e.g., Erasmus+, Mundus, Boston University’s Padua Programme, etc.)
Volunteers of the Universal and Regional Civil Service and European Civil Service
Those with a formal relationship with the University of Padua or with Padua Hospital Trust (administrative and technical staff, research fellows, doctoral, master’s, specialization students, and faculty)

When, where and how the meetings take place?

The meetings take place in total autonomy: the participants decide when, how often and where to meet.

When: We recommend meeting at least once a week.
Where: Tandem partners can decide together when to meet, and wherever they want (in a park, canteen, bar, square, library, etc.). Upon request, the CLA provides participants with a small classroom which must be booked by writing an email to autoapprendimento.cla@unipd.it, indicating the name and surname of the participants, the requested time and date.

The partners can also decide to have some remote meetings (Zoom, Skype, etc.) by mutual agreement.

Important note: during the meetings it is important that the time be distributed equally between the two languages.

Registration

To register, it is necessary to sign up on the dedicated platform. After registration, users will receive an automatic email with instructions on how to complete the registration process and must fill in all the necessary data to be matched with a Tandem partner.

Once matched by the system, users will receive a notification via email of the successful pairing. They can then independently get in touch with one another and plan meetings. It may take several weeks for the matching process to occur.

It is not always possible to guarantee a Tandem partner to everyone who requests one: it depends on the number of students participating in the initiative. Those who are not matched can still register again in the following semester.

The relationship between the Tandem partners is not your typical “teacher-student” relationship, but rather a mutual exchange to practice the “living” language.

Registration is currently closed.

The registrations will open again on the 1st semester of the 2025/26 a.y.

Tandem diary and certificate of completion

At the end of the meetings, presumably by the end of the semester, on handing in the diary completed in all its parts for at least 8 meetings, it will be possible to obtain a certificate of participation in the project.

The diary can be handed in to the CLA Teaching Secretariat in Via Venezia 16 on the 5th floor, or uploaded directly into your personal area (My Data) of the Matorix platform.

F.A.Q.

1) Do I have to pay anything to take part in the Tandem Learning project?

No.

2) How and where can I sign up for Tandem Learning?

To register, simply register on the dedicated online platform by the set deadline.

3) How many times a year does the Tandem Learning project run?

The matches are updated weekly starting from the opening date of registration approximately until the end of the semester.

4) How many times a week should I meet my Tandem partner?

It depends. You can meet once or more times a week.

5) What can I do if I don’t get on well with my Tandem partner?

6) Is it true that I am asked to fill in a diary? Where can I find it? Should I fill in the diary each time I meet my partner?

Compiling the diary is not mandatory, but is necessary to obtain the certificate of participation (at least for 8 meetings). The diary can be downloaded in the appropriate space within the platform and must be completed and submitted by the end of the semester. It is recommended to use it as a tool for reflection and planning and to keep track of new knowledge acquired.

7) If I participated in Tandem once, can I sign up for this project again?

Yes.

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