A forum for WISLI instructors to explore student engagement and community-building in virtual language classrooms. The session will begin with brief presentations from instructors sharing practical tools, activities, routines, and approaches that have worked well in their online courses, followed by an overview of recent research on student engagement in WISLI programs. During an informal discussion and Q&A, participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and collaborate on a shared Google Doc of best practices, strategies, and tools.
Instructors will receive a Zoom link via email.
Presenters
Umar Anjum has taught at Michigan State University and University of Wisconsin–Madison and received specialized Urdu pedagogy training at University of California, Berkeley. He was affiliated with UC Berkeley through its study abroad program in Pakistan. In addition, he is a co-founding member of the Punjabi Boliyan Research Initiative (PBRI). He is a TED-Ed Fellow and a TED translator. His areas of interest include translation, Urdu pulp fiction, and populism in Pakistan. He is currently working with the University of Michigan.
Precious Arao teaches Filipino language and culture courses at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Filipino Language and Literature and her Master’s degree in Second Language Studies from the same university, where she is now pursuing a PhD in Second Language Studies. Her research focuses on heritage language learners, sociolinguistics, and the connection between Filipino American identity and language learning.
Jana Martin serves as the Associate Director of the Language Institute. With the goal to strengthen and promote the teaching and learning of languages, Jana’s role focuses on the development of lecture series, workshops, and other professional development programs for faculty and staff in departments of languages, linguistics, literatures, and cultures. Jana’s native language is Slovak and she earned her PhD in German with a doctoral minor in Second Language Acquisition from UW-Madison in 2016. Jana’s administrative experience comes from diverse organizational contexts that include UW-Madison, a private PreK-12 school, and a non-profit organization.
The session is co-sponsored by the UW–Madison Language Institute.