PACE PD Event: Intercultural Competence Conference: Virtual Presentations

The PACE Project and CARLA are hosting the virtual presentations of the Conference on Intercultural Competence presented by CERCLL (a Language Resource Center like CARLA) at the University of Arizona most Thursdays between February 4 and April 14, 2016 in Jones 117. These events are open to all language instructors. Registration is not required and coffee will be served.

Here is an overview of the presentations:

• Amani Alageel (University of Arizona), Language Practices, Transcultural Identity, and Negotiating Membership in Social Media - Thursday, February 4, 2016, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Maria del Carmen Arau Ribiero (Instituto Politécnico da Guarda), Finding the (Inner) Interculturality of the (Seemingly) Monocultural - Thursday, February 11, 2016, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Adriana Brandt (Dixie State University) Between and Beyond the Lines: Interculturality in STARTALK Student Programs - Thursday, February 25, 2016, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
• Gael Fonken (St Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical College), Tematización [theme-building] “In the Wild”: YouTube Cinema and Audience Engagement - Thursday, March 3 2016, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Gina Ioannitou (Universite du Maine), Multiliteracies and Intercultural Experience of International Students - Thursday, March 10, 2016, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Hye-Yeon Lim (Defense Language Institute) and W. I. Griffith (Defense Language Institute), Developing Intercultural Communication Competency in Foreign Language Learning - Thursday, March 24, 2016, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
• Margarida Morgado (Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco), Kay Livingstone (University of Glasgow), and María del Carmen Arau Ribeiro (Instituto Politécnico da Guarda), Lessons Learned: Intercultural Education through Children’s Fiction and Picture Books - Thursday, March 31, 2016, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Elba S. Ramirez (University of Auckland), An Intercultural Communicative Teaching Lens on Language Teachers’ Practices - Thursday, April 7, 2016, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Paola Rivieccio (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle), The Autobiographies of Intercultural Encounter: a Co-Constructed Account of International Relationships - Thursday, April 14, 2016, 3:00-4:00 p.m

The PACE Project is funded by a grant from The Language Flagship.

New LC Professional Development & Classroom Support Specialist

Please welcome Adolfo Carrillo Cabello as the new Language Center Professional Development and Classroom Support Specialist. A native of Mexico, Adolfo holds a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and Technology from Iowa State University. Adolfo has extensive experience teaching languages in different formats (e.g., hybrid, online) at all proficiency levels and has developed and taught courses in translation, linguistics, and Spanish. His professional experiences include developing, integrating, and investigating multimedia materials for language teaching, learning, and assessment. His research interests include intercultural communicative competence, computer assisted language learning and teaching, and curriculum and program assessment. Adolfo has presented his research at regional, national and international conferences such as ACTFL, MLA, CALICO, TESOL, and AAAL. He looks forward to sharing his experience with faculty and staff at the university and collaborating in multiple projects.

Language Center Events Now on Events.umn.edu

The Language Center is now advertising events and handling registration for events on Events. All upcoming event information can now be found at the Language Center Events page. Some events require registration and other events do not. All Language Center events are free. The system will email you a ticket when registration is required. However, tickets are not required for entry to Language Center events and do not need to printed. Events replaces the managed Google Calendar CLA-Elsie.

PACE PD Event: Intercultural Competence Conference (Day 2)

Saturday, January 23, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Note time change
Jones 35
Register Online (required)

The PACE Project and CARLA are hosting a livestream of the symposium, plenaries, and selected breakout sessions of the Conference on Intercultural Competence presented by CERCLL (a Language Resource Center like CARLA) at the University of Arizona. Since lunch will be provided, please register in advance. You may plan to attend any of the sessions listed below.

(Times adjusted to CST).

• 10:00-11:00 a.m., Plenary Presentation Paige Ware (Southern Methodist University), Intercultural Competence Inside Digital Contact Zones: Spaces of Reification, Negotiation, and Suspense
• 11:30-1:30 p.m., Session 13 / Symposium

This event is open to all CLA language instructors. Registration is required. Lunch is provided.

The PACE Project is funded by a grant from The Language Flagship.

PACE PD Event: Intercultural Competence Conference (Day 1)

Friday, January 22, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 7:15 p.m. Note time Change
Folwell 104 Note location Change
Register Online (required)

The PACE Project and CARLA are hosting a livestream of the keynote, plenaries, and selected breakout sessions of the Conference on Intercultural Competence presented by CERCLL (a Language Resource Center like CARLA) at the University of Arizona. Since lunch will be provided, please register in advance. You may plan to attend any of the sessions listed below.

(Times adjusted to CST)

• 10:00-12:00 p.m., Session 1
• 12:15-1:15 p.m., Keynote Presentation Fred Dervin (University of Helsinki, Finland), Intercultural Competence Beyond Orthodoxies
• 3:00-5:00 p.m., Session 5
• 5:15-7:15 p.m., Session 9

This event is open to all CLA language instructors. Registration is required. Lunch is provided.

The PACE Project is funded by a grant from The Language Flagship.

Welcome Jonathan Prestrud, New Office and Communications Specialist

The Language Center is pleased to announce that Jonathan Prestrud, the interim Classroom Support Coordinator has been hired in a new 100% position as the Office and Communications Specialist. He will work with the PACE team to document professional development and sustainability activity, and will also assist with the management of the Main Office.

Jonathan has worked in many positions at the Language Center since he started in 2013 as an undergraduate: Classroom Support, TandemPlus, the Multimedia Lab, Testing and more. He has studied languages for many years, earned a B.A. in Linguistics, German and History from the University of Minnesota, and has also a TEFL certification. Already having worked alongside the majority of the LC staff, Jonathan is excited to bring his experience to this new role.

PACE Project: Spring 2015 Final Report Available

Each semester, data from the PACE Project is sent to the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC, for analysis. For each individual student tested, the data includes the ratings on the three ACTFL tests (Speaking, Reading, and Listening), Self-Assessment responses and ratings, and information on language background and use culled from the PACE survey and PeopleSoft.

The research questions the report seeks to answer:

1. What levels of proficiency do students demonstrate at which course levels in which languages?
2. Do students in higher level courses demonstrate higher levels of proficiency than students in lower levels?
3. Are there patterns in responses on surveys and proficiency scores?
4. Are there correlations between self-assessments and actual ratings?
5. What factors contribute to advanced proficiency in study abroad experiences (given a sufficiently robust sample)?

The final report on assessments conducted during Spring 2015 is now available.
The PACE Project is funded by a grant from The Language Flagship.