The Language Collaboratory

THE LANGUAGE COLLABORATORY

Spring 2023 Series – Postgraduate success: Connecting language students with needs, wants, and expectations of the world beyond the classroom

About the Language Collaboratory

The Language Collaboratory was established in the Fall 2020 as a partnership that promotes the advancement of intercollegiate dialogue on the teaching of languages and cultures. It represents collaboration between the language centers and institutes at the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The purpose of this initiative is to provide collaborative professional learning opportunities for educators of language, culture, and literature at the five institutions.

About this Series

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 that language programs may pursue to increase opportunities for postgraduate success of students. 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.

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 for the job market?
How do you prepare students for career exploration?
How can the language classroom better connect students with career and community networks?
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?

About the Sessions

All sessions are held synchronously via Zoom. Sessions are scheduled for Mondays or Thursdays, 3:30-4:00 (4:15) pm central, 4:30-5:00 (5:15) pm eastern. Sessions are 30 minutes in length, with additional 15 minutes of optional discussion for those interested in digging deeper into the topic. Fall schedule coming soon.

All sessions will be recorded and available at a later date via the Language Collaboratory YouTube Channel.

Target Audience

While we welcome any educator to join our professional development sessions, it may be helpful to know that these discussions are specifically oriented to language research and practice in the context of higher education in the USA. As such, K-12 instructors and international participants may find the parameters of our discussions less relevant to their teaching and learning contexts.

Accommodations

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. Automated live-captions are available for every session. To request accommodations or discuss access needs please contact Adolfo Carrillo Cabello (carri093@umn.edu) from the University of Minnesota, at least a week in advance prior to the event. Requests made after that point cannot be guaranteed.