SHAPE??
SHAPE??
Superb
Holidays
At
Public
Expense!
Immersion Programs
at the
Defense Language Institute
DLIFLC, USA
Betty Lou Leaver, PhD, Provost
Detlev Kesten, Associate Provost for
Academic Support
(as presented by Steve Henly – Swedish National Defence College – at the
BILC Professional Seminar, Stockholm October 2013)
Immersion
Language Office
(ILO)
Outside Continental U.S.
(OCONUS)
Field Training Exercise
(FTX)
Immersion Programs
Immersion Programs
Planning and executing DLI-wide incountry Immersion programs
Planning and executing DLI-wide
in-school Immersion programs
FY13
60 programs for 600 students
FY13
200+ programs for 4,000+ students
OCONUS Immersion: Overview
From August 2005 to July 25, 2013:
•
•
•
•
234 OCONUS programs
2,071 participants
16 countries/regions
70 +% for Arabic, Chinese and Korean
No. of Events
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












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59 Korea
41 China
25 Egypt
27 Ukraine
13 Jordan
16 Puerto Rico
24 Morocco
10 Taiwan
5 Turkey
3 Tajikistan
3 Russia
3 France
2 Chile
1 Costa Rica
1 Philippines
1 India
(Inactive sites )
OCONUS: ILO Responsibilities
• Pre-program:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Identify and set up new sites (Embassy guidance, site visit)
Student selection (academic and military conduct)
Curriculum development
Pre-departure briefings
Country Clearance, Funding Request
Travel arrangement (DTS, international and domestic transportation)
• During-program:
–
Daily SITREP
• Post-program:
– Documentation of students’ progress
•
•
•
•
Pre- and post-immersion Diagnostic Assessment (DA) tests
End of course DLPT scores
OCONUS self-assessment questionnaire
After Action Reports
– Quality control and program improvement
A Typical OCONUS Program
• Program Length:
– 4-6 weeks for Basic Course students
• China and Korea: 6 weeks
• Other countries: 4 weeks
– 2-4 weeks for Intermediate/Advanced students
• New program: 2 weeks
• Established programs: 3-4 weeks
• Group Composition:
– Group of 10, including a Group Leader (MLI or highest-rank
student)
• Time to attend OCONUS immersion
– Usually at the beginning of the 3rd semester
OCONUS Curriculum
Basic Course
• Intensive language and culture instruction/training (30-35
hours/week)
• Daily homework (1-2 hours)
• Field trips/Guest lectures (more in-depth discussions with
local professionals in area study contents)
• Cultural excursions (weekend day trips)
• Home-stay in most countries
(Korea, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Ukraine…)
• On/off campus student housing (dorm, apartments)
(China, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Jordan…)
OCONUS Curriculum
Intermediate/Advanced Courses
• Academic experience emulates that of a native student
– Same lectures as native students (language not adjusted)
– In university classrooms with university professors
– Lunch & free time spent on campus with university students
• Academic support
– DLIFLC teacher accompanies & assists with strategies for intensive
reading (up to 20 pages per day, authentic ILR Level 4-5)
– Native students as peer tutors and big brothers/sisters
• Daily homework (1-2 hours)
• Field trips on topics related to curriculum
– e.g., Jordan: tribal law lecture, field trip to law office & to sheikh
– Weekend excursions to cultural artificacts
• Home-stay in most countries
OCONUS FY12 and FY13
FY12
FY13 (Planned)
Country
Events
Ss
Country
Events
Ss
Korea
10
97
Morocco
15
150
Morocco*
9
90
Korea
13
130
China
6
75
Ukraine
8
80
Puerto Rico
7
60
Puerto Rico
7
70
Ukraine
7
46
Taiwan
7
70
Taiwan*
4
33
China
6
60
Tajikistan (P-F)
2
18
Jordan
2
20
Turkey
2
15
Turkey
1
10
France/Morocco
1
10
TOTAL
60
600
TOTAL
* New sites
47
434
Effect of Immersion:
Increased Language Proficiency
• Basic course immersion students outperform others:
– At 2/2/1+, 92% (immersion) vs. 78% (non-immersion)
– At 2+/2+/2, 41% (immersion) vs. 33% (non-immersion)
– Immersion group is 14% higher in listening comprehension
• Intermediate & Advanced students typically gain ½
proficiency point in all four skills, as determined by
diagnostic assessment, in 2-4 weeks
• Immersion effect detected after a 4-week stay in country
for basic course, 2-4 weeks for I/A students
(researchers usually call for 6-12 months to detect effect)
OCONUS Self-Assessment
Results (N=1,110)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Confidence in using the language
Motivation in using the language
Understanding culture
Improving overall proficiency
Taking linguistic risks
Less anxiety in speaking to NS
Using communication strategies
Tolerance of linguistic unknown
Using available resources for learning
Making decisions about learning
4 = maximum benefits, 1 = minimum benefits
3.62
3.60
3.60
3.58
3.56
3.55
3.53
3.39
3.24
3.18
Projected OCONUS Funding
FY11 – FY15
YEAR
Students
$ Per
Student
DLI Base
Increase
TOTAL
(RMD 700)
FY10
170
$6,470
$1.1M
FY11
298
$7,053
$1.1M
$1.1M
$2.2M
FY12
400
$7,323
$1.1M
$2.2M
$3.3M
FY13
520
$7,673
$1.1M
$3.4M
$4.5M
FY14
650
$7,777
$1.1M
$4.6M
$5.7M
FY15
650
$8,051
$1.1M
$4.7M
$5.8M
FY11 - FY15 TOTAL INCREASE (RMD 700)
$1.1M
$16.0M
Future Plans:
Maximize the Immersion Effect
• Increase OCONUS participation from 5% to 20%
of DLI students between FY11 and FY15, with
RMD700 funding
• Establish new immersion sites to accommodate
program growth
• Expand hosting capacity at established sites
• Enhance program quality
FIELD TRAINING EXERCISES AT DLIFLC
FTX Overview
(isolated immersion at DLI facility)
History:
• First 3-day iso-immersion conducted in 2003
• Dedicated Immersion Facility in April 2006
Full implementation:
• FTX is part of the basic curriculum for Arabic, Korean, Chinese,
Russian, Spanish, and Persian/Farsi
• Category IV languages conduct three
events (Semester I, Semester II,
and Semester III)
• Other languages conduct one or two
events in Semester II and Semester III
FTX Summary
Fiscal Year
Number of Events
Number of Students
2007
152
3,415
2008
183
3,713
2009
178
3,165
2010
213
3,688
2011
208
3,917
2012
252
4,295
FTX: ILO Responsibilities
•
Pre-program
–
–
–
–
•
During-Program
–
•
Student services
• Briefing, checking students in/out
• Picking up lunches
• Technology and emergency support
Post-Program
–
–
•
Scheduling
Coordinating transportation, food, supplies
Materials development and collection
Assisting w/set-up
Evaluation (collecting and analyzing ISOQs)
Program Improvement
On going
–
–
Facility maintenance
Purchasing program supplies (office supplies and culture decorations)
FTX Activities
•
•
•
•
•
Target Language Only
Expansion of classroom learning
Military and FLO content
Simulating real life
Problem solving
(linguistic, cultural,
high-level thinking skills)
Activities with Military Content
More military content since FY08. Sample topics:
– Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW),
Humanitarian Relief Operation (HUMRO), or Noncombatant Evacuation (NEO)
– Military to Military Joint Exercises, Training, Exchange
– Civil Affairs/ Reconstruction
– Base Camp Assessment
– Local Incidents
Student Feedback
Questions
DLI Mean (FY06-FY12)
No. = 23,722
Immersion Student Opinion Questionnaire (ISOQ)
1. Used listening skills during FTX.
3.43
2. Used reading skills during FTX.
3.01
3. Used speaking skills during FTX.
3.63
4. Gained a better understanding of culture/language.
3.02
5. Spoke target language only.
3.14
6. Target language only policy was enforced.
3.28
7. Improved comprehension ability in conversations.
3.10
8. Increased speaking ability.
3.08
9. Increased confidence in speaking the language.
3.05
10. Reduced anxiety in speaking to native speakers.
3.14
FTX/Immersion: Student Feedback
• “This one day was worth a month of classes because I was
forced to communicate, rather than concentrate on being
correct.” (Arabic Student)
• “I got back from my China immersion a week ago and this
was a similar environment.” (Chinese student)
• “It was relieving to know that I can survive a day only in
Chinese. I feel much more confident about speaking Chinese
as a result.” (Chinese Student)
• “The investigation into the Lebanese weapon smuggling was
thoroughly enjoyable and we were able to use all skills.”
(Arabic Student)
• The immersion experience is far superior to normal classroom
activities as far as experience gained compared to time and
energy expended. If these kind of evolutions could be
included more in the curriculum of the language program, it
would be of immeasurable value to the language student.
(Korean student)
• “I learned a lot about job related tasks and skills. It's
refreshing to shy away from the textbook and experience
challenging and job related activities.” (Korean Student)
Immersion Programs
at the
Defense Language Institute
DLIFLC, USA
Betty Lou Leaver, PhD, Provost
Detlev Kesten, Associate Provost for
Academic Support
(as presented by Steve Henly – Swedish National Defence College – at the
BILC Professional Seminar, Stockholm October 2013)