ALTEC

Modified Language Program drops the ‘f’ word

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 19:49:50 +0000

Modified Language Program drops the ‘f’ word Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/01/2024 - 13:49

The former CU �鶹ӰԺ Modified Foreign Language Program has dropped the word ‘foreign’ from its name to emphasize inclusivity and recognize the harm inherent in the word

The �鶹ӰԺ Anderson Language and Technology Center (ALTEC) and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese are dropping the “f” word.

Beginning today, the former Modified Foreign Language Program is now the Modified Language Program, dropping the word “foreign” to emphasize a commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable educational environment and recognize the harm inherent in the term “foreign” when applied to languages other than English.

The Modified Foreign Language Program (MFLP) was established in 1998 and initially focused on speech pathology and language learning disabilities. Over 26 years, it transformed into a collaborative between ALTEC and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, offering modified Spanish courses for students with dyslexia, learning disabilities, PTSD or who otherwise experience difficulties learning another language.

The now-Modified Language Program (MLP) is one of the few university programs in the field of modified language instruction nationally. While some schools and universities allow at-risk students to waive language requirements or take substitution courses, research suggests that at-risk students have the ability to learn another language. Also, feedback from former students emphasizes how important and impactful the program was for them.

The MLP provides support to students facing language-related challenges. Class sizes are capped at 14 students, allowing instructors to give personalized instruction that caters to individual needs and learning styles. A multisensory teaching approach enhances memory and retention, while accommodations ensure every student has the chance to succeed. Additionally, free tutoring services offered through ALTEC further supplement classroom learning.

Dropping the word “foreign” from the program name signifies a commitment to linguistic justice and acknowledges the exclusionary connotations of the term when applied to languages other than English.

In the United States, MLP administrators note, the adjective “foreign” has become a shorthand when referring to languages other than English. This trend previously extended to leading professional organizations like ACTFL, previously known as the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, as well as publications and other educational institutions, including CU �鶹ӰԺ.

Now, CU �鶹ӰԺ has replaced the adjective “foreign” with “world” when describing languages other than English, and ACTFL has dropped the word “foreign” from its materials and website as well as from the organization name. This change reflects the understanding that diversity and inclusivity should be celebrated and that the word “foreign” can be alienating and exclusionary, MLP administrators note. Moreover, for Spanish-heritage speakers and Latinx-identifying individuals, Spanish is not "foreign," but a local language and part of a cultural identity.

The name change happened April 1 to coincide with the start of Celebrate Diversity Month. The name change and continuing evolution of the program were spearheaded by Elizabeth Huard, program coordinator in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese; Ayelen Costa, educational services coordinator at ALTEC; Susanna Pàmies, director of ALTEC; Esther Brown, chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese; and Tracy Quan, a linguistic expert who consulted on the name change.

Did you enjoy this article? Subcribe to our newsletter. Passionate about learning languages? Show your support.

The former CU �鶹ӰԺ Modified Foreign Language Program has dropped the word ‘foreign’ from its name to emphasize inclusivity and recognize the harm inherent in the word.

Off

Traditional

White

Preserving culture by learning an endangered language

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:32:19 +0000

Preserving culture by learning an endangered language Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/10/2023 - 12:32

An online beginning Tibetan language course offered at CU �鶹ӰԺ allows learners worldwide to access contemporary resources for a less-frequently taught language

A new �鶹ӰԺ online language class is aiming to preserve an endangered language and create access to an important aspect of culture and identity.

Beginning Tibetan is the result of a collaboration between the Anderson Language and Technology Center (ALTEC) and the Center for Asian Studies (CAS), and the work of Tenzin Tsepak, a teaching professor of Tibetan in the CAS, and Maggie Rosenau, an ALTEC lecturer of German and learning design expert.

Drawing on Rosenau’s experience creating open educational resources and Tsepak’s expertise in Tibetan and Himalayan studies, the collaborators began designing the free online course in 2021. A significant goal was to create a Tibetan language course highlighting the language’s rich history and cultural significance, as well as addressing issues of accessibility and quality educational resources.

“Most of the resources out there and pedagogical tools for Tibetan that we have now are very traditional, like old-school textbooks and audio recordings that have not been updated for decades,” Tsepak says. “There is certainly nothing really digitally interactive out there for Tibetan language learners.

Tenzin Tsepak contributed expertise in Tibetan and Himalayan studies to developing the online Beginning Tibetan language class.

“And these traditional materials focus mostly on reading and producing one-to-one written translation, not other skills like conversational listening and personal, verbal expression. So now, with this course, we have really interactive materials for students. Learners now have an online tool to better engage with the language. This is very new for Tibetan.”

Contemporary resources for language learning

Studying endangered and less-commonly taught languages is important for both understanding how languages grow and develop and for preserving the native languages of those who speak them. Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, enabling access to the Tibetan language has been an important way to protect and preserve Tibetan culture and identity.

“There are wonderful organizations, institutions and individual educators out there offering important cultural history and language resources,” Rosenau says. “We have included and credited some of these in the course build—like the Tibetan and Himalayan Library, which is a collection hosted by the University of Virginia Library; the Tibet Film Festival in Switzerland; and the Tibetan Equality Project out of the New York/New Jersey area.

“But during my initial research to understand what is available for learners, what really stood out was a gap in contemporary multi-modality we could fill. So, this became a priority within the scaffolding, and I asked a lot of Tsepak for this project. His family even generously contributed to many of our listening dialogue activities. And I have to give a big shout-out and thank you to Tsepak’s spring 2023 first- and second-year students, who contributed blog posts to the unit dedicated to traditional holidays and festivals.”

Creating the Beginning Tibetan course was one of the goals supported by a 2020-2023 Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant was awarded to Tim Oakes, a professor in the Department of Geography, and Danielle Rocheleau Salaz, executive director of CAS, in partnership with ALTEC and Director Susanna Pàmies, as well as the departments of anthropology, geography and religious studies.

The grant provides funds to plan, develop and carry out programs to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages. It also supports the Tibet Himalaya Initiative, an interdisciplinary hub for research, teaching and public engagement on Tibet and the Himalayas. The center also offers scholarship opportunities for Tibetan and Nepali summer language study and supports Directed Independent Language Study in Tibetan and Nepali through ALTEC.

A worldwide resource

The Beginning Tibetan course is self-paced and includes modules on Tibetan sounds and basic grammar, greetings and introductions, communities, weather, clothing, foods, hospitality, travel, directions, festivals, holidays and customs. It also includes a broad collection of resources including dictionaries, archives, maps, short films, a podcast, social justice organizations and music.

Maggie Rosenau is a learning design expert who will give an online faculty workshop Nov. 7 about the H5P learning platform.

“Traditional textbooks focus just on grammar and maybe a few cultural elements that logically connect to vocabulary,” Tsepak says. “But now, I feel like this new course is like a mandala, you know? We have basically everything circling around this package—interactive learning that is really modern and engaging. And there are amazing, authentic images, contemporary culture, representations of the Tibetan diaspora, music, local Tibetan restaurants in �鶹ӰԺ, trans and queer representation and non-binary language elements. Our goal is to better engage our students and make the process of language learning much more fun and inclusive.”

One of the course’s innovative technological features is H5P, integrated on the Canvas learning platform, which helps make the content interactive by providing instant and automatic feedback to users, an essential aspect of effective language learning. Also, as an open-source tool, the H5P content can easily be shared, reused and adapted by others, making it a cost-free resource for interactive online learning.

“Building in Canvas and (open educational resources) for language learning is my love language,” Rosenau says. “I’m especially excited about all the H5P elements built into this resource. My hope is that instructors of Tibetan around the globe will use these materials by integrating the vocab cards, audio recordings and interactive grammar activities into their own educational platforms.”

ALTEC will host an online faculty workshop with Rosenau on H5P at 1 p.m. Nov. 7, as well as a roundtable discussion focusing on less commonly taught languages and language acquisition next spring.

Rosenau and Tsepak’s collaborative project offers learners worldwide the opportunity to delve into the Tibetan language and culture and underscores the importance of making less commonly taught languages accessible and available. The Beginning Tibetan course is free and can serve as a supplement to other Tibetan courses or as a stand-alone course.

While the course is not comprehensive, it is a valuable first step in providing more contemporary resources for Tibetan language learning. “It is just a start,” says Tsepak, “and if we have the opportunity to expand the project, then we would love that.”

Did you enjoy this article? Subcribe to our newsletter. Passionate about Asian studies? Show your support.

An online beginning Tibetan language course offered at CU �鶹ӰԺ allows learners worldwide to access contemporary resources for a less-frequently taught language.

Off

Traditional

White

Students, staff, others honored for diversity work

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 20:10:03 +0000

Students, staff, others honored for diversity work Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/14/2022 - 14:10

Recipients, chosen by faculty committee, ‘work tirelessly and most times in the dark’ for diversity and inclusion

Students, employees and a unit are being honored for their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the �鶹ӰԺ College of Arts and Sciences.

The winners are the recipients of the second annual awards from ASCEND, or the Arts and Sciences Consortium of Committees on Climate, Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.

The 2022 winners were selected and announced by the Diversity Committee of the Arts and Sciences Council, which is the primary representative body for the college’s faculty.

Celine Dauverd, associate professor of history and diversity-committee member, said the awards aim to acknowledge the “outstanding work of faculty, staff and students who work tirelessly and most times in the dark” in support of diversity and inclusion.

Emily Frazier-Rath

The 2022 faculty winner is Emily Frazier-Rath, a lecturer of German through the Anderson Language and Technology Center (ALTEC). She is an active member of the Coalition of Women in German, the German Studies Association, the forum for Diversity and Decolonization and the German Curriculum, the Modern Language Association, and the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages/American Association of Teachers of German.

Additionally, she is the executive director of the Black German Heritage and Research Association, a nonprofit dedicated to documenting and supporting the activities of Black Germans internationally and promoting scholarship relating to the historic and contemporary presence of Black people in Germany, Black Germans in the United States and beyond.

Claudia Numan

The 2022 staff winner is Claudia Numan, whose passion for volunteering is perhaps what best describes her, the committee states. Within a few months of joining CU �鶹ӰԺ as an academic advisor for physics and math students, she volunteered to join the physics department’s Equity, Inclusion and Cookies committee, where she has helped organize many workshops and events designed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines.

She has also volunteered her time as an integral member of the CU �鶹ӰԺ Rural Network, which operates with no budget, and where she “put to work her remarkable combination of expertise and approachability to support rural students who often come from very diverse backgrounds,” the committee states.

Irfanul (Irfan) Alam

The graduate-student winner is Irfanul (Irfan) Alam, a PhD student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, who has been instrumental across campus in enhancing equity, diversity and inclusion. Alam has had a particularly large effect in the transformation of curricula, the committee states.

Alam has mentored underrepresented undergraduates through the SMART and the Uplift research program. As the Graduate and Professional Student Government DEI chair, Alam re-designed the DEI award in collaboration with BIPOC students to acknowledge the social-justice efforts taken by students and professionals for their departments.

Alam represented graduate student voices at the IDEA council and was asked by the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance to serve as a stakeholder for the Campus Culture Survey. As the Center for Teaching and Learning’s graduate student lead, Alam served as a pedagogical resource for teaching assistants in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Also, as one of the designers of Center for Teaching and Learning’s Just and Equitable Teaching micro-credential program, Alam established a network of faculty and staff members who will mentor participants undertaking DEI capstone projects.

Jordan Lee

Jordan Lee is this year’s ASCEND undergraduate student winner. Ever since joining CU �鶹ӰԺ in 2019 to study linguistics and geography, she has devoted her boundless energy to the advancement of DEI.

Following the latest wave of violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, she co-founded a group called Unmask the Racism. The impressive work she has done for this student-led initiative includes organizing social media campaigns and workshops designed to raise awareness about the history and contributions of the AAPI community. She has also been a strong advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.

One of her projects was especially noted by the committee: the Queer Conversations and Cookies event series, which created an empowering space that, in Jordan’s words, “foster vulnerability, authenticity and inclusion.”

At the top of the page and above: Honors Residential Academic Program students in Smith Hall use artwork to demonstrate diversity, inclusivity and community.

The 2022 Departmental DEI Passion Project Winner is the Honors Residential Academic Program (HRAP), which launched a mural project titled "Deeper than Demographics.”

The mural is a visual representation of the HRAP’s goal to depict and integrate the themes of diversity, inclusivity and intersectionality into its community living and learning spaces.

The original concept, which provides the foundation of the mural, is to demonstrate social inclusivity as it is perceived and represented through student voices.

HRAP students participated in focus groups, art workshops and individual interviews to generate information that led to the mural. The mural contains images based on student voices and includes student haikus and framed student artwork, which is updated through an art competition each year.

The Arts and Sciences Council’s ASCEND and Departmental DEI Passion Project Awards are supported by James W.C. White, acting dean, and Patricia Gonzalez, assistant dean of inclusive practice. The diversity committee includes:

Cecilia J. Pang, theatre and dance, chair
Aun H. Ali, religious studies
Celine Dauverd, history
Kieran Marcellin Murphy, French and humanities
Stephanie Su, art and art history
Nicholas Villaneuva, ethnic studies

ASCEND Awards go to faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students who have demonstrated a commitment to the principles and actions of diversity and inclusion in curriculum, creative teaching practice, community building endeavors and/or communication.

Departmental DEI Passion Projects honor a department or unit that has completed a special project that promotes DEI and creates a lasting impact by applying one or more of the following values: creativity, originality, interdisciplinary, social impact and sustainability.

Recipients, chosen by faculty committee, ‘work tirelessly and most times in the dark’ for diversity and inclusion.

Off

Traditional

White

Broaden your horizons with languages this spring

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 18:22:28 +0000

Broaden your horizons with languages this spring Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/04/2021 - 11:22

ALTEC announces spring language offerings and a chance to win a free class

Develop your world perspective this spring with the Anderson Language and Technology Center.

ALTEC at the �鶹ӰԺ will be offering 20 classes in 6 languages and 5 levels at multiple time options this spring, all from the comfort of your home

These non-credit language classes run February 1 through April 8, meeting twice a week at noon or in the evening for remote, live learning. Choose from American Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. Current CU affiliates receive a discount and pay just $150.

Visit us online to learn more and discover the ALTEC advantage. Classes fill up quickly; enroll today!

Enter to win our raffle! The lucky winner will receive a free class this spring in American Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese or Spanish.

Enter to win

Want a built-in conversation partner? Invite your friends and relatives to learn with you. Better yet, give the gift of languages to your loved ones by purchasing a gift certificate (available via the registration link above).

ALTEC announces spring language offerings and a chance to win a free class

Off

Traditional

White

Announcing the Virtual Language Corner

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 20:39:12 +0000

Announcing the Virtual Language Corner Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/22/2020 - 14:39

ALTEC is launching the new initiative to help language students practice their languages of interest and connect through languages

Would you like to improve your conversation skills in English or other languages, or help others improve their speaking abilities in your native language?

The Anderson Language and Technology Center is launching the Virtual Language Corner to help students connect remotely through cultural events and languages they may be learning or already know.

The Virtual Language Corner @ALTEC is a self-enrolled Canvas course available to all CU students, staff and faculty that offers language resources and connections as well as conversation exchange opportunities; please note that you need to have an Identikey to access it.

Learn more and get connected!

Have an upcoming cultural event, question or idea? Feel free to reach out to ALTEC at any time at altec@colorado.edu.

ALTEC is launching the new initiative to help language students practice their languages of interest and connect through languages

Off

Traditional

White

Travel virtually with languages this fall

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 18:16:29 +0000

Travel virtually with languages this fall Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/14/2020 - 12:16

ALTEC announces fall language offerings and a chance to win a free class

The world awaits you this fall when you study a language or culture with the Anderson Language and Technology Center.

ALTEC at the �鶹ӰԺ has expanded their program offerings this fall with 20 classes over six languages and five levels, plus additional time options. With beginner and intermediate levels as well as advanced conversation classes, there's no better time to commit to broadening your horizon from the comfort of your home, the center says.

ALTEC's fall non-credit language classes meet twice a week at noon or in the evening from Sept. 14 through Nov. 20 for remote, live learning. Options include American Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. Current CU affiliates receive a discount and pay just $150. Registration for all courses opens next week.

Visit us online to learn more and discover the ALTEC advantage. Classes fill up quickly—Enroll today!

Enter to win our raffle! The lucky winner will receive a free class this fall.

Enter to win

Want a built-in conversation partner? Invite your friends and fellow language-lovers to learn with you.

ALTEC announces fall language offerings and a chance to win a free class

Off

Traditional

White