The Language Collaboratory – Past Events

The pandemic offered us opportunities to deepen our existing collaborations through virtual connections across distance and institutions. In the Fall of 2020, we launched a robust professional development series focusing on three challenges – accessibility, inclusivity, and learner autonomy and agency. Representatives from all five institutions informally addressed one of these challenges from their perspective as a practitioner or researcher and engaged with what we hope has been a stimulating dialog with both their local conversant and the session attendees.

Academic Year 2022-2023

Postgraduate success: Connecting language students with needs, wants, and expectations of the world beyond the classroom

From New Pathways From College to Career: Preparing Students for a Rapidly Changing Workforce

“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” was an answerable question for graduates in an era when workers started and retired from the same company. But, not only are few of today’s college graduates likely to stick with a single employer, their job responsibilities will change many times over the course of their careers. Preparing students for career exploration and flexibility is a skill they will need throughout their work lives. The challenge for colleges will be to design pathways to careers that remain navigable even as the jobs themselves morph and shift.

The Language Collaboratory’s fall sessions focus on situating language programs, language learning and instruction in the rapidly-changing world society, responding to the needs and wants of spaces beyond the classroom. Specifically, our discussants will address elevating career readiness in the language curriculum, promoting service learning and other forms of community engagement, articulating the value of transferable skills and competencies gained during one’s language-learning journey, and other ways of preparing students for success after they graduate.

Guiding questions

  • How do you forge connections with life and work skills in your teaching?
  • How can the language curriculum better equip students with global competencies?
  • How do you prepare students for career exploration?
  • How can the language classroom better connect students with career networks?
  • How can the language classroom better prepare students to adjust to change and flexibility?
  • How can language programs remain competitive to recruit and retain students in a changing job market?
  • What role and responsibilities do language faculty have in career readiness approaches?

 

Fall 2022 Discussion Themes 

  • Career Readiness/Postgraduate Success

Schedule

 

Spring 2023 Discussion Themes 

  • Career Readiness/Postgraduate Success

The Spring series of the Language Collaboratory will continue the umbrella theme of postgraduate success. It aims to focus on three sub themes:

  • Formal recognition of proficiency levels
  • Marketing competencies vs degrees
  • Students’ career-driven agendas for their studies

The sessions in the series will focus on programmatic and strategic collaborations and partnerships with outside partners and industry. In addition, sessions will address competencies sought-after and valued in industry-jobs. 

The first session of the series explores a look within by examining the success rates of proficiency programs, and discusses implications for language programs. 

 

Schedule

 

  • Thursday, April 20 
    • From language students to Duolinguists.
    • Parker Henry & Elisa Camps Troncoso, Duolingo