The Ivory Tower of Babel:
When Departments Say No
in Every Language
Chair:
Nanette Hanks, Assistant Dean for Curriculum, College of Liberal
Arts Undergraduate Programs
Presenters:
Martha Johnson, Assistant Dean, Learning Abroad Center,
University of Minnesota
Mark Lenhart, Executive Director, CET
Holly Zimmerman LeVoir, Program Director, Learning Abroad
Center, University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This Power Point is available in alternative formats upon request.
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
¿Cuál es el problema?
• Language study=study
abroad
• History of study abroad
as essentially a project of
seeking language
proficiency
• Intensive and immersed=
linguistic progress
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Hvad er problemet?
• What is going on in the world
of languages?
– Budget and funding cuts
– Shift to professional focus
– Impact of technology on
language learning
– Massive shifts in pedagogy
– Generational shifts in
departments
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Ποιο είναι το πρόβλημα;
• Concerns specific to education abroad:
– “Survival” language
– Students from different institutions with different
goals
– Students from same institution with different
goals
– Sequencing and pedagogical
– Pre-requisites and credit load
– Desire for more professional focus
– Content courses
– Integrated courses
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Cad é an réiteach?
The LAC philosophy on language learning abroad:
• Promote language study wherever possible and work
to have our programs support student goals for
language study as part of their U of MN education.
• Language learning abroad should support the
programs, majors, and minors on campus
• Always interested in creative ideas for developing and
refining language programs
• Always recommend, and in many cases require,
language study at sites where English is not the
native language. (Korea, Italy)
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Cad é an réiteach?
The LAC philosophy on language learning abroad:
(continued…)
• Promote language learning for non-CLA students,
and many add the major or minor
• Create resources to promote language intensive
options
• Icon in the LAC catalog to promote programs with
language intensive options so that they are easier to
find
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Languages We Can Accommodate
A sample of languages we can accommodate
through sponsored or co-sponsored programs:
Afrikaans
Greek
Russian
Arabic
Hindi
Setswana
Bulgarian
Hungarian
Swahili
Cantonese
Icelandic
Swedish
Croatian
Irish
Thai
Czech
Korean
Turkish
Danish
Malay
Twi
Dutch
Mandarin
Urdu
Estonian
Norwegian
Vietnamese
Fijian
Polish
Xhosa
Finnish
Portuguese
Flemish
Romanian
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Study Abroad Programs
U of M programs developed in cooperation with College of
Liberal Arts language departments:
• Study in Montpellier, France
• Minnesota Studies in International
Development (MSID), Senegal
• Minnesota Studies in International
Development (MSID), Ecuador
• International Program in Toledo
• Study Abroad in Venezuela
• Intensive Arabic in Morocco
• Intensive Chinese in Beijing
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Programs Offering Critical or Less
Commonly Taught Languages
• University Study in South Korea
• University Study in Norway
• University Study in South Africa
• Arabic Language and Culture in Morocco
• IRSEP exchange in Iceland
• IRSEP exchange in Tanzania
• Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID), Kenya
• Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID), India
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
MOVING BEYOND THE WALLS
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Successes Are Possible
Preaching to the Choir? Not always,
even in areas you would think should
be easy
The Case of Spanish
• Newly added requirement for study abroad for
majors but also added requirement that good
percentage of classes must be taken in the
department.
• Change for their major making research, writing
and literature the focus
• Change for their minor making communication the
focus but no study abroad requirement
• How do you reconcile these two different goals
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Determining Need
• There are Spanish programs everywhere. Is there
really a need for another one?
• Looking at student input
• Researching what is available so we are not
reinventing the wheel
• Working with the Department to find out what they
would like to see
• Faculty involvement is crucial
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Faculty Involvement
• Needs to be early and often
• How do you help them to feel
ownership?
• Understand their office
politics (they always have
them)
• Clarify the benefits to them
as a department
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
You Need Allies
• Find and develop allies
in the department
• How?
•
•
•
•
Reach out
Site Visits
Site Reviews
Offer Assistance –
Advising -help – MAPS
• Stay in Touch
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Reining Them In
• “I have this colleague in........”
• Sometimes a faculty person
may want to work with
someone they know
overseas. How do you
approach that?
• Printed resources provide
guidance
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
The Key is Collaboration and
Communication
• Having a good relationship
with the department
encourages feelings of
partnership
• Working too independently
can cause resentment. Don’t
want to be viewed as “rogue”
• Sometimes less is more
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Reluctant Faculty
• What’s a good place to start for reluctant faculty?
– Reasons for reluctance may be varied – ask
questions
• Provide RESEARCH
• Remind them of the benefits of better prepared
graduates and how it reflects on the Department
2009 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights
reserved.
Departmental Concerns as
Building Blocks of Progress
• Role of language learning in departments
• Specific pedagogy for language
instruction
• They are the language experts
• Language instructors are not
tenured/tenured track faculty
Departmental Concerns
continued
• Instructional budget concerns
• Enrollment goals and guidelines
imposed by the college
• Summer employment opportunities for
language instructors
Laying a Solid Foundation
• Get the right people to the table in the
right order
• Help the department to articulate the
concerns – get them all in the open
• Prioritize the concerns and begin to
consider solutions
• Identify a “champion” in the department
Cementing the Relationship and
Finding Solutions that Stick
• Be clear about the goal/timeline
• Keep track of the concerns and
solutions
• Be prepared to revisit concerns but
keep focus on the goal and moving
forward
• Don’t be thrown off by “out of the blue”
problems
When the Walls Come
Tumbling Down
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t be discouraged
Salvage what you can
Reiterate the goals/timeline
Rely on the “champion”
Call on the college for support
Out of the Rubble
• Success can be small wins that create
firm foundations and lasting progress
• Continue to nurture the relationships
throughout the process
• Celebrate the progress
Getting to Yes:
What a Provider Can Do
MARK LENHART,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CET ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
An outside/inside perspective
 The benefit of being an outsider
 Helping to set the table; the act of bringing people
together
 Leveraging expertise as an insider
 My own experience working with Chinese language
faculty
 The generation gap: traditional biases among older
Chinese language faculty
Budget cuts and world events: The real impact
US university-level Chinese language enrollment
Source: MLA
70000
60000
50000
Number of Students
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
1980
1983
1986
1990
1995
1998
2002 2006 2009
My standard argument
 The best way to build your language department is to
send your students away.
Getting to yes
 Reiterating the provider’s role
 Taking sides as appropriate
 Correcting false or outdated impressions
 Formalizing the faculty role in the program:
directorships, teacher exchanges, training programs,
source material collaboration
 Sorting out and then revisiting articulation issues
 Hearing and responding to faculty feedback
 Fine-tuning the faculty message to students
Getting to yes
 In this case: much thanks to the LAC! Following the
LAC’s lead has resulted in success.
 CET Intensive Chinese = LAC sponsored program.
We are approaching year 2.
 Future opportunities for collaboration include
expanding student options at other CET sites,
accessing UMN’s alumni network in China for
internship placements, and developing new
programs exclusively for UMN students.