Conference Presentation Abstracts
You can now view the full final conference schedule. For more detailed information on the presentations that will be given, see the abstracts below.
"Crisis Management: Preparing for the Unexpected"
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , University of Alabama
Abstract
Natural disasters can strike anywhere at any time, with barely any warning. In this circumstance, it is nearly impossible to come up with a plan of action for after the disaster, especially if you have been personally affected. Many institutions affiliated with NASILP use external examiners to give the final grade, and often that is the only way to decide the students' grades. If disaster strikes preventing the administration of all external exams, such as happened in Tuscaloosa, what would you do?
This presentation will describe the recent experience in Tuscaloosa, where an outbreak of numerous and deadly tornados on April 27 suddenly hit right before the final exam week. Due to the town's destruction and deaths of 6 students, faculty and students were sent home and all exams cancelled. Fortunately, the UA Critical Languages Center had been using an informal system of in-class performance evaluation that I would like to discuss and urge other directors to implement, just in case of a similar incident.
Presenter Bio
Koji Arizumi grew up in Tokyo, Japan. He went to Waseda University and majored in physics. While in college, he started playing the flute and went on to get a master's degree (MA) and doctoral degree (DMA) in music. He has been teaching Japanese on Satellite TV/video as well as in the classroom almost 20 years while researching the educational use of technology. Dr. Arizumi also teaches Modern Japanese Literature and Film in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics of University of Alabama.
"What Happens When Things Go Terribly Right: The Perils of Starting a Language Program through NASILP and Succeeding"
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. & Christopher Jespersen, North Georgia College & State University
Abstract
Drs. Mann and Jespersen (Dean of the School of Arts & Letters) will address how North Georgia’s accomplishments in critical languages started with its association with NASILP and have grown to the scope and diversity its programs now enjoy. It will also address the challenges and difficulties that come with such growth, such as curriculum design, student and faculty recruiting, program funding and scheduling, standardization and coherence of offerings, managing expectations, and how they survived experiences in cultural diversity that simply never could have been anticipated.
Presenter Bios
Dr. Brian Mann is Department Head and Professor of Modern Languages at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Georgia, where he also teaches French and Spanish. He earned his Ph.D. in French Literary Modernism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his M.A. & B.A. degrees in French & Spanish at the University of North Texas. He has published articles, essays, reviews, workshops, and translations in academic journals for the disciplines of Modern Languages, History, Sociology, and Foreign Language Pedagogy. His area of specialization is 20th-century French narrative and the work of Raymond Queneau, with additional foci on French Renaissance and Enlightenment studies, 20th century Latin-American narrative, Don Quixote, and comparative literature.
He has been coming to the NASILP conference since 2006, when North Georgia began its critical language program in Chinese and needed some assistance launching SILPs in Arabic and Korean. In the intervening five years and with the enthusiastic cooperation of his faculty his administration, and especially his dean, Mann has helped North Georgia’s language offerings grow far beyond its traditional majors in French & Spanish and coursework in German. Programs now include regular minor programs in all seven of its languages, a new Major in Chinese Language & Literature. and several new study-abroad programs. Since 2008, thanks to a number of several significant federal grants, the Department has added summer and year-round intensive programs in all of its critical languages, as well as in Spanish. Last year, more intensive opportunities were extended to rising high school juniors & seniors who came to North Georgia to participate in its new Foreign Service Language Academy program.
Christopher Jespersen is Dean of the School of Arts and Letters at North Georgia College & State University. He has his B.A. and Ph.D. in History from Rutgers University. He is author of American Images of China, 1931-1949 (Stanford University Press, 1996), which was published in Chinese from Jiangsu People’s Publishing House in 2010. In addition to editing two books, he has served on the editorial boards of Diplomatic History and Pacific Historical Review, and published numerous chapters and articles in academic journals and books.
He was named an Honorary Professor at Liaocheng University (PRC) in 2009, was a
recipient of the Organization of American Historians-Japan Association for American
Studies Short-term Residency in Japan Award at Kyoritsu Women’s University in 2005, and received a Meritorious Service Award from the United Negro College Fund in 2000. He is completing a book titled Becoming the Redcoats for Stanford University Press.
"Establishing and Maintaining a NASILP Program: From A Large University to a Small Liberal Arts College"
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, University of Maryland, NASILP President
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, Grinnell College, NASILP Secretary
Abstract
A roundtable discussion of the NASILP model: the main challenges new and experienced SILP directors face with text, tech, tutor, examiners, and students.
Presenter Bios
Naime Yaramanoglu received a Ph.D. in French Language and Literature from the University of Maryland. She taught French language and literature at UMD from 1974 - 2008, first as a TA and then as a part-time instructor. She began to work with the University of Maryland SILP in 1986, with the late Dr. William MacBain. Dr. Yaramanoglu has been an examiner for Turkish at UMD since the mid-eighties.
Dan Gross, NASILP Secretary, established the Alternate Language Study Option (ALSO) Program, Grinnell College's self-instructional language program, 28 years ago with the help of NASILP. He was director of the program until Fall 2011 when he retired.
"Strengthening Our Human Resources: Training and Maintaining the Native Speaker Base"
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Five Colleges, Inc.
Abstract
This presentation will look at some ways of training tutors, mentors, conversation partners and/or FLTAs to work with our students.
"The Pros, Cons and Legalities of the Recorded Final Exam"
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Five Colleges, Inc.
Abstract
The Pros, Cons and Legalities of the Recorded Final Exam will examine the various questions that have to be weighed before recording (with either audio or video) student work. This will be a group discussion of practices in current use.
Presenter Bio
Professor Mazzocco received her PhD in Italian Studies in 1988 from Bryn Mawr College and since 1990 has been the Director of the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages and the founding director of both of its LCTL programs. She is currently in the midst of a new grant project sponsored by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation entitled "Mainstreaming the LCTLs" and is finishing up a new addition to the CultureTalk site, sponsored by the US Department of Education.
"Meeting Accreditation Requirements in Critical Languages Programs"
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , University of North Alabama
Abstract
The critical role of examiners’ credentials, documented on the Faculty Credentials Checklist, and the importance of other types of supporting program documentation will be discussed.
Presenter Bio
Dr. Christy directs the Critical Languages Program at the University of North Alabama, where he is Professor of German, Linguistics, and International Studies, and Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages. He received his PhD from Princeton University in 1980, and conducts research in linguistics and intellectual history.
"Access to effective language study in the US: NASILP and emerging opportunities"
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland
Abstract
One clear consequence of accelerating globalization is that the US has more urgent needs for people who speak a wider range of languages. Both K-12 and higher education lag in providing these opportunities – while technological tools for bringing teachers and learners together with rich language content continue to improve. NFLC’s experience with STARTALK, a large-scale program to support summer programs for language learning and teacher development in ten critical languages, suggests ways in which NASILP’s instructional models could be applied to expand access to language learning.
Presenter Bio
Dr. Catherine Ingold is the executive director of the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) at the University of Maryland. She serves as principal investigator for the Analysis and Language Learning (ALL) contract, which was formerly LangNet, the NFLC's federally funded project to develop e-learning materials at high levels of proficiency in critical languages. She is also the principal investigator of the STARTALK project, which sponsors summer programs for teachers and learners of critical languages in more than 40 states. In addition to her leadership role, Dr. Ingold's other interests include US language policy, heritage language development, education of translators and interpreters, and support of language access under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Her languages, in descending order of proficiency, are English, French, Spanish, American Sign Language, German, Italian, and Portuguese. Dr. Ingold joined the NFLC in 1996 after a varied career in higher education that included service as a foreign language department chair, dean of Arts and Sciences, and provost at Gallaudet University, and as president of the American University of Paris. Dr. Ingold holds an MA in Romance Linguistics and a PhD in French from the University of Virginia.
“Distance Learning and Teaching with Skype for Critical Languages Program”
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, University of Arizona-CLP
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, University of Hawaii
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, Independent Language Instructor
Abstract
This session is a demonstration of using some features of “Skype” and other free and available applications to conduct a distance learning class at the Critical Languages Program (CLP) at the University of Arizona. Participants experience the feeling of being in an actual classroom through the demonstration of activities during the presentation. In addition, the presenters briefly share techniques in using simple “Skype” features such as screen sharing, video conferencing, and using the camera to conduct reading and writing exercises. Two presenters are online to demonstrate activities, and one is onsite at the conference.
Presenter Bios
Prawet Jantharat Ed.D. is an Independent Language Consultant specializing in language teaching, teacher training, and test development. Currently, he is the Thai instructor at CLP-Arizona and a consultant for a Thai proficiency test development project at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok Thailand, and a consultant for Thai reading test development for University of Hawaii. Dr. Jantharat retired from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) after 25 years of working as Language Training Supervisor.
Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong Ph.D. is Head of the Thai language program at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to joining UH, Dr. Hoonchamlong taught Thai linguistics at Thammasat University in Thailand. She is the author of many online Thai Language activities for her students and a two-volume Thai language textbook entitled “Thai Language and Culture for Beginners”. In addition, she is a consultant for a Thai language test development project for Chulaongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand and a certified ACTFL/ILR tester.
Somanat Chupinit B.A. and Dip in TESL is an Independent Thai language tutor in Washington D.C. area. Ms. Chupinit taught English in Thailand at college level many years prior to immigrating to the U.S. Ms. Chupinit also taught Thai at FSI for a few years before becoming an independent tutor. In addition to her teaching, Ms. Chupinit also works as a freelance translator and interpreter when requested. She received a BA in English and Thai from Chulalongkorn University and TESL Diploma from New Zealand.
“A Quantitative Examination of the Effectiveness of One SILP-Based Program”
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Drake University
Abstract
During the academic year 2010-2011, language students at Drake University took the Standards-based Assessment and Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) examination in the skill areas of speaking and reading. The students took the STAMP exam at the end of each semester and their scores were then compared to national norms. This session examines that comparison in context and draws some tentative conclusions about this on-going assessment study.
Presenter Bio
Marc Cadd is Director of the World Languages and Cultures Program at Drake University. He completed a doctoral degree in German at the University of Illinois. His research currently focuses on program assessment, intercultural communication, the effects of study abroad on proficiency, and the use of technology in language instruction.
“Creating an Alternative Language Study Option Program”
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. & This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , St. Olaf College
Abstract
St.Olaf College began its first Alternative Language Study Option (ALSO) Program for Arabic this year. This is a credit bearing program run under the cooperative team work of the Dean of Interdisciplinary and General Studies, the World Languages Center Director, and an Arabic speaking French faculty member. The sixteen students who are involved in this program have already fulfilled their Foreign Language Requirement. An Arabic speaking FLTA from Algeria acts as the conversational partner. Dr. Amine Bekhechi, a member of the advisory committee for ALSO and I would like to share our experience about this specific model for learning a foreign language. We will discuss the administrative hoops we went through, the role of technology in enhancing the learning along with many other aspects.
Presenter Bio
Renata Debska-McWilliams is the Director of World Languages Center at St.Olaf College. She came to St.Olaf with rich foreign language teaching experience. She taught German in Germany, Canada and in the USA. She studied in Poland, Germany and Canada and earned a Double Master Degree from Stuttgart University in German Literature and Philosophy, as well as a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto.
Her experience of living and teaching in foreign countries has made her a strong supporter of unconventional methods of foreign language learning.
Renata has worked for several years with the Dean for Interdisciplinary and General Studies at St.Olaf College in promoting and developing the Alternative Language Study Option program.
Currently she combines her responsibilities as the WLC Director and ALSO Coordinator.
“The All-New 2011 www.dliflc.edu: A Guided Tour”
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Defense Language Institute
Abstract
This presentation will provide an overview of the enhanced and updated website for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in California. Some highlights include increased numbers of learning objects for listening and reading in GLOSS at the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Levels 1 and 1+ (equivalent to ACTFL Intermediate level proficiency), a new phone conversation resource reflecting a wide range of dialects for Arabic and Spanish, and the ever-expanding Legends and Folktales collection representing over 50 countries or geographic areas.
Presenter Bio
Dr. Scott McGinnis (Ph.D. Ohio State University, 1990) is the Academic Advisor for the Washington Office of the Defense Language Institute (DLI). He also holds the academic rank of professor at DLI. Between 1999 and 2003, he served as Executive Director of the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages at the National Foreign Language Center in College Park, Maryland. In over 26 years in the language teaching profession, he has held positions at institutions including the University of Pennsylvania and Middlebury College, and has a decade of experience as supervisor of the Chinese language programs at the University of Oregon and University of Maryland. Dr. McGinnis has authored or edited five books, and over 50 book chapters, journal articles and reviews on language pedagogy and linguistics for the less commonly taught languages in general, and Chinese and Japanese in particular. He previously served two terms as President of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, as chair of The College Board Chinese Language Test Development Committee for the Educational Testing Service, and as a member of the Board of Examiners for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. His current professional responsibilities include serving as Coordinator for the Interagency Language Roundtable for the United States Government.
“Skype for the Modern SILP Classroom”
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , University of South Alabama
Abstract
This presentation gives information regarding the various uses of Skype in the foreign language classroom, with particular attention to its benefits in the SILP classroom. Many recent research studies have focused on how this technology can be employed in the classroom in a way that encourages communication and knowledge of other cultures and peoples. Skype is designed to give students the opportunity to have contact with the culture and people represented by the language they are studying without the necessity of having to study abroad.
This paper addresses the following key question: how can Skype be incorporated into our daily classroom use and what benefits are inherent from use of such technology? This presentation will incorporate leading research ideas in regards to the benefits of technology such as Skype, as well as personal experience with using this technology in our language learning classrooms.
As with all educational topics there is room for debate about the advantages and possible disadvantages of the use of cutting edge technology in the language learning classroom. This study invites a discussion about how Skype (as well as other current and future technological advancements) can best be incorporated in the classroom without compromising the academic integrity of the course.
Presenter Bio
Jenny Faile has a B.A. from the University of South Alabama in Spanish and Latin American history M.A. from the University of Alabama in Spanish - Applied Linguistics. She has taught Spanish full-time at the University of South Alabama since fall 2008, and since fall 2009 has been Director of the Lesser Taught Language program, which includes 9 languages - Arabic, ASL, Chinese, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.
“Languages at a National Crossroads: Education vs. Security”
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. & This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Joint National Committee on Languages
Abstract
The 112th Congress has attempted to seriously reduce federal education funding and foreign languages, and international studies are paying a disproportionate price. The defense, intelligence and diplomatic communities are enhancing their commitments to languages but in the reauthorization of ESEA and education funding, both Congress and the Administration are eliminating programs like FLAP, Javits and Civic Education, while decreasing higher education funding for Title VI and Fulbright-Hays.
Presenter Bios
Representing sixty-five scholarly and professional associations concerned with languages and international education, Dr. J. David Edwards is currently Executive Director of the Joint National Committee for Languages and the National Council for Languages and International Studies. Dr. Edwards is a past Chairman of the Council of Washington Representatives, a charter member of the American League of Lobbyists, a former Trustee of the International Development Conference, and a founder of the English Plus Information Clearinghouse. He has served on a number of Advisory Boards, such as: the National Security Education Program, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the National Capitol Area Language Resource Center and the President’s Leadership Council.
Prior to JNCL, David worked for the Government Executive Institute training senior federal executives in legislative affairs. In fact, he designed a simulation of the hearing process that is still in use. A former Program Director for one of the nation’s oldest education associations, he first came to Washington as a Research Associate for a State Department “think tank” where he produced books on Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia.
With a Ph.D. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, Dr. Edwards has attended the University of Pittsburgh, Southern Illinois University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and West Virginia University. He has taught at Loyola University, West Virginia Tech, Trinity College, and the University of Virginia. The author of numerous books and dozens of articles on international relations and national policy, David has served as a consultant on education, human rights, and international affairs.
He is a recipient of the Central States Conference’s Paul Simon Award and the New York Association’s Presidential Award. In 1994, he was awarded a prestigious Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship to Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Advanced Studies where he became a national authority on education reform. In 2005, Dr. Edwards was recognized for 25 years of service to the House/Senate International Education Study Group which he helped create. In 2008, he was the lead author on the definitive article on National Language Policies: Pragmatism, Process and Products. In April of this year, he was awarded the A. Ronald Walton Award in recognition of a career of distinguished service on behalf of the LCTLs.
Lisa Rough graduated from Western Washington University in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and a minor in French. She possesses conversational skills in French, Arabic, German and Spanish and American Sign Language. Lisa has spent time living abroad in Europe during her childhood and has travelled to a plethora of countries throughout her life. She brings a serious commitment and devotion to languages and international understanding to her position as Policy Analyst/Office Manager at Joint National Committee for Languages and National Council on Languages and International Study