| 7:30 | Depart hotel lobby |
| 8:00 | Buffet Breakfast
Iron Arrow Room Shalala Student Center |
| 9:15 | “Playing Around in the Target Languages: Increasing Motivation and Accountability through Learner-created Games”
Lauren Parnell Marino & Katrina Daly Thompson University of Wisconsin – Madison
For the past three years, we have worked together in a course for self-directed learners of African languages (Katrina as instructor; Lauren as a learner of Luganda). Describing herself as competitive and data-oriented and having benefited from using pedometers to track her exercise, Lauren created a point system to track and motivate her language learning. This method helped her stay motivated and accountable to her learning goals, so much so that that in her third year teaching herself Luganda she became a mentor to students teaching themselves other African languages, leading to several of them adopting and adapting her game-based system for their own needs. Through analysis of learner diary entries, we will share the systems that self-directed learners of African languages designed; and discuss these systems in light of SLA literature on motivation and accountability. |
| 10:00 | “Using Video Conferencing to Broaden the Reach of our Course Offerings: Lessons Learned”
Brian Mann & Mariana Stone, University of North Georgia
As language programs group and expand beyond the introductory level, the challenge to maintain enrollment numbers grows. At UNG, we decided to try a combination of technologies to maximize teacher/student ratios while building and maintaining a program that is both academically viable and economically efficient. We incorporated video conferencing tools, OneNote, Extempore, and other tools to facilitate the delivery of instruction. This venture does come with a cost. In addition to the administrative and financial challenges, there are important pedagogical accommodations to be made and expectations to be managed. This presentation will give attendees a brief history of UNG’s young VCT program, a snapshot of our status and results, and a perspective on what we have learned. |
| 10:45 | “Assessing Students’ Attitudes, Motivation, and Metacognitive Readiness for Self-directed Language Learning”
Joelle Bonamy & Seon Jeon, Columbus State University
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of self-directed language learning programs. Successful implementation of such self-directed programs should be based on an accurate assessment of students’ attitudes and motivation toward their target languages and their metacognitive knowledge for independent language learning tasks. As the first step toward this goal at a regional university, the current study set out to diagnose students’ motivation and attitudes toward a particular language they choose, personal needs and objectives, learning styles and metacognition. The participants, selected from honors college programs, study abroad programs, language classes, and international student clubs, were given a survey to measure meta-awareness of language learning strategies and to assess desire to study or continue studying world languages. It was hypothesized that these students would be highly motivated to learn languages due to curriculum and social exposures but would lack the metacognitive knowledge to adequately address challenges that autonomous learners encounter. The preliminary results of this study indicated that participants are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to pursue a self-directed language study of a world language. Often times, their choice of language was tied to their personal heritage or identity. Students also showed some level of metacognitive knowledge about use of effective language learning strategies, indicating a level of preparedness for self-directed programs. Some pedagogical and theoretical implications are discussed with respect to the findings of the study. |
| 11:30 | “Fostering Learner Autonomy and Accountability Through Online Platforms” Claire Frances, Grinnell College
The Director of the ALSO program at Grinnell College and two of the tutors working for the program in Korean and Portuguese will present on how they have created structures to ensure learner autonomy and success, including developing a boot camp approach to teaching learners to teach themselves, creating proficiency-aligned course modules in the LMS for students to access and use on their own, and implementing gamification tools for tracking student learning. |
| 12:15 | End of Round Two Sessions |
| 12:30 | Buffet Lunch |
| 2:00 | Business Meeting
NASILP Member Institutions (One vote per member institution) |
| 3:00 | Adjourn |
