Best Practices in Online Language Instruction
To meet the needs of a growing contingent of world language educators developing language instruction online, the NFLRC, in partnership with the North Carolina Virtual Public School, will offer three targeted online modules on Online Language Pedagogy (OLP). Each of the three modules will be developed in accordance with principles of design-based research. The NFLRC will create and conduct a nationwide survey of online language instructors to determine training priorities. Based on survey results, the NFLRC will develop a series of online modules on a unified topic (e.g., “Designing Interaction for Online Language Learning.”). The facilitated versions of these modules is offered as an online professional development institute and provides the foundation for the creation of self-paced equivalents, which will be made available after the completion of the facilitated cohorts in Fall 2015, 2016, and 2017.
2015 Designing Interaction for Online Language Learning
2016 Materials Development for Online Language Courses
2017 Assessment in Online Language Courses
Online Symposium on Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL)
This Symposium brings together experts, educational leaders, and world language teachers to foster the conversation on the potential for PBLL to transform and enhance language education, exploring PBLL’s intersections with content-based instruction, task-based language learning, and performance assessment. The Symposium Site contains recordings of all presentations.
Fundamentals of Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL)
These online institutes take place annually. Their purpose is twofold: a) to ensure that participants in the Intensive Summer Institutes (ISI) acquire a basic understanding of PBLL in order to optimize the use of time during the ISIs; and b) to provide language professionals nationwide an opportunity to learn about PBLL. The content of these online institutes is developed by NFLRC staff in consultation with ISI facilitators and slightly varies every year. These online institutes are required as part of the application for all ISIs in Hawaii. A self-paced version and associated badges is developed based on the facilitated version and is made available to independent learners as an Open Educational Resource. Both online institute module materials and badge structure are offered as OERs to facilitate implementation by other institutions. If you have questions about using institute content, please contact the NFLRC.