Instruction to would-be learners, both serious and casual, in the uncommonly taught languages is often completely unavailable unless the interested party happens to live in one of a few specific locations. As such, the directors of UH language programs such as Ilokano, Samoan, and Tagalog/Filipino regularly receive inquiries from interested parties throughout the United States regarding self-instructional materials that would enable individualized distance learning. In 1998-99, credit-bearing lab courses will be taught by Dr. Prescila Espiritu (Ilokano), and Drs. Teresita Ramos and Ruth Mabanglo (Tagalog/Filipino). These lab courses for advanced students in these languages will provide a venue for the creation of specifically targeted, self-instructional, credit- and/or non credit-bearing distance education courses and materials, defined by priorities identified in each specific language, i.e., basic introductory non credit courses, or advanced, modality-specific, credit-bearing courses. Materials developed in these three courses will feature lessons utilizing authentic materials created and posted on the Web or lessons coordinated with authentic materials already existing on the Web. CD-ROM-based instructional programs will also be created, depending on the priority identified by each language. In addition to meeting an immediate, pre-existing national need, these new self-instructional, distance education courses will also serve as models for Internet- and CD-ROM-based foreign language instruction, especially uncommonly taught languages.
1999 SUMMER INSTITUTE
The program offerings of the 1999 Summer Institute will be organized around the theme of self-instructional materials development. Instruction to would-be learners, both serious and casual, in numerous uncommonly taught languages is often completely unavailable unless the interested party happens to live in one of a few specific locations. To address this problem and to facilitate the offering of credit- and non credit-bearing distance education courses in targeted languages nationwide, a workshop on technology-based, self-instructional materials, CD-ROM-based materials in particular, will be conducted at the 1999 Summer Institute. Models generated via the 1998-1999 lab courses will form the cornerstone of the self-instructional materials development workshop to be offered at the 1999 UH NFLRC Summer Institute. Technology-based materials development workshops for contexts other than self-instruction will also be conducted at the 1999 Summer Institute.
TIMELINE
Fall 1998
- Initiate materials selection and development for Ilokano laboratory course.
- Initiate materials selection and development for Tagalog/Filipino course.
Spring 1999
- Teach Ilokano course and finalize materials for dissemination via WWW and CD-ROM.
- Teach Tagalog/Filipino course and finalize materials for dissemination via WWW and CD-ROM.
- Foreign language methods staff to coordinate, finalize, and disseminate materials from all projects.
Summer 1999
- Offer Summer Institute on self-instructional materials, using Ilokano and Tagalog/Filipino staff and materials.