DiLL Server Update on October 2, 2018

On October 2, 2018 the DiLL server is scheduled to have an OS update and will not be available for class use. The DiLL website will also be unavailable during this time. Instructors who wish to review student recordings should plan around this date.

CEI: Advancing Engagement & Course Design in Spring 2019

You’ve taught an online or hybrid course in the past and have experience creating activities and interacting with students in those environments. Now what? If you’re interested in building your online teaching skills with a supportive group of colleagues, this seminar is for you.

The modules in the online seminar will address teacher-tested strategies for online discussion that move beyond “line up and answer”; practical ideas about creating online assignments, feedback, and evaluation options that engage learners; and effective practices teachers have developed to support team-based learning in online spaces.

You’ll engage this four-module seminar via Canvas to gain a sense of the student experience. In addition to exploring the topics mentioned above, you’ll have an opportunity to develop and present a new or revised teaching strategy that you plan to pilot in a future version of your course.

On successful completion of the seminar - active participation in the modules and presenting a teaching strategy - you will be awarded $200 in professional development funds.

Register your interest to receive a message when the application opens for this seminar.

CEI Online Seminar: Developing Effective Online Learning Spaces

Apply by September 28, 2018
Seminar runs October 11 to November 16, 2018.
Canvas site opens October 4, 2018

The Center for Educational Innovation is pleased to announce the Fall 2018 Online Participatory Seminar: Designing Online Courses. This seminar will take place from October 15 until November 16, 2018 via Canvas. This guided experience will familiarize instructors with key ideas and principles for designing and teaching online courses. Applicants should plan for 15-20 hours of engagement from start to finish (approximately three hours per week).

Participants who are active in all online discussion forums, who regularly participate in WebEx sessions, and who share a presentation will be awarded $200 in professional development funds.

This five-week online seminar for University of Minnesota instructors is set up in Canvas to explore, experience, analyse, and try out pedagogical practices that you might incorporate as you (re)design your online or hybrid courses. In this way, you will experience Canvas as would a student.

Throughout the seminar, you will explore ways of applying course design principles with support from CEI consultants, experienced in online teaching and course design, who lead four synchronous WebEx practice-oriented conversations, and who will join you in discussion forums throughout the seminar. The discussion forums provide opportunities to interact with readings and peers as you thoughtfully develop your ideas about creating online experiences that are fulfilling for you and compelling for your students.

The seminar closes with each participant sharing a recorded presentation capturing their ideas about the “something new” they will implement in an upcoming course.

You must apply to participate in the seminar by September 28, 2018.

Multimedia Lab Jones 135 Closed for the Week

Jones 135 is closed the week of September 24-28, 2018 for a critical ceiling painting project.

The closest open computer lab is Walter Library. Students are encouraged to use that space for most general lab activities. Students who require access to Language Center-specific software or services should come to Jones 110 for assistance. Jones 135B is open for scheduled classes.

We apologize for the inconvenience. When the lab reopens (hopefully on October 1!), we will provide coffee for patrons for a week.

Proficiency testing in French: Post-secondary results informing the K-16 curriculum

Thursday, September 27, 2018
1:25 - 2:15 p.m.
Jones 35

This presentation reports on a statistical analysis of data gathered at the University of Minnesota on undergraduate students of French during the Proficiency Assessment for Curricular Enhancement (PACE) project. The analysis focused on three themes:

1. The role language study prior to university has on proficiency
2. The student background for achieving “advancedness” 
3. The accuracy of students’ French proficiency self-assessment scores

Results show that language study in secondary schools play a role in advancing proficiency. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of several factors that may contribute to advancedness, and a possible avenue for improving listening proficiency. Come hear these insights and add to the discussion of French student proficiency which Brian Barnett and Sean Killackey first presented in July at the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) convention on the island of Martinique.

Presenters: Brian Barnett and Sean Killackey, Department of French and Italian

CARLA and LC Presentation: Blended learning and online coaching

Investigating differences of instructional interventions in the self-assessment of fluency and class participation

Thursday, September 20, 2018
12:20 - 1:10 p.m.
UIC 101

This study examined the use of online coaching as a pedagogical intervention for the development of speaking skills and its connection to assessment practices. Using quantitative and qualitative data, we analyzed self-assessment ratings of oral performance and class participation of 54 Spanish learners. In addition, the study aimed to identify and explicate any differences in ratings of these categories based on pedagogical interventions, instructor’s ratings, and learners’ perceptions of the interventions. Results revealed that different technology tools triggered contrasting reactions to speaking engagement rules and approaches to task completion. Implications of the results and implementation will be discussed.

Presenters: Dr. Frances Matos and Olga Salazar Pozos, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies; Adolfo Carrillo Cabello, Language Center

Fall semester LATIS Research Workshop Series

Liberal Arts Technologies & Innovation Services (LATIS) is offering a series of workshops during the fall semester. These workshops are created by their experts and are free and open to all faculty and graduate students. Join the LATIS Research Workshops Google Group to learn about their workshops.

This semester's topics include:

• Intro to Nvivo
• Intro to R
• Intro to Github
• Intro to ATLAS.ti
• Intro to Python
• Advanced NVivo

Learn more about the workshops online and register today.

MWALLT Conference October 13, 2018

Call for Proposals: Extended to September 15, 2018
The Midwest Association for Language Learning Technology (MWALLT) is seeking proposals for its upcoming conference, hosted partially by the University of Minnesota on October 13, 2018.

The conference will be held simultaneously on three different campuses so that presenters and attendees can gather at the site closest to them.

These campus hosts are:

• Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
• University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Proposals are sought for sessions on topics relating to the teaching of languages and cultures using technology.

The conference will include three different session formats:

• Presentation (30 minutes, lecture/demonstration format)
• Panel and Discussion (60 minutes)
• Lightning talks: 10-minute presentations on teaching language, culture, and(or) technology integration in specific contexts.

The presentation proposal deadline is extended to September 15, 2018. Submitting authors will be notified of their acceptance by September 17.

TandemPlus for Fall 2018

Class-to-Class Exchanges:
Instructors: If you have been thinking about setting up a class-to-class exchange for your course this fall, but haven't yet, please contact Beth Kautz at tandem@umn.edu. She is happy to assist you!

Face-to-Face Exchanges:
Students: Intrigued by the thought of having a language partner this year? The TandemPlus Face-to-Face program registration is now open for the Fall 2018 semester! TandemPlus searches for people who are learning one another’s native language in order to pair them together for a semesterly exchange of language and culture. The program is free and voluntary and partners have the autonomy to decide when, where, and how often they meet for the semester. The only requirement is that half of the time partners spend together is conducted in each language.

To register and learn more about the program visit tandemplus.umn.edu. Click on the “My Account” menu item on the top-right to sign up with either your UMN Internet ID, or a personal email account. Registration takes 5 -10 minutes. As more join the program, we will open self-matching and you’ll be able to search for a partner using the software; additionally, TandemPlus staff will continuously search for a partner for you throughout the semester.

Have questions about registration or the program? Email tandem@umn.edu, or read our program overview.