Sharing Less Commonly Taught Languages in Higher Education: Collaboration and Innovation

This edited volume explores how institutions, programs, and less commonly taught language (LCTL) instructors can collaborate and think across boundaries to enhance LCTL sharing and offer innovative solutions for students. It highlights the benefits and challenges of LCTL programs and courses and provides a valuable resource for language educators and administrators.

Format: Hardback
Length: 250 pages
Publication date: 22 December 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Sharing Less Commonly Taught Languages in Higher Education is a groundbreaking edited volume that delves into the dynamic realm of collaboration and innovation among institutions, programs, and less commonly taught language (LCTL) instructors. By transcending traditional boundaries, this collection brings together diverse voices representing various approaches to LCTL sharing, highlighting both the affordances and challenges that arise across different institutions.

The core objective of this volume is to showcase how innovation and reform can breathe new life into LCTL programs and courses, making them more appealing to students whose interests and needs may go unnoticed in traditional language programs. It emphasizes the importance of collaboration among institutions, programs, and LCTL instructors, fostering a collaborative mindset that enables them to explore innovative solutions for offering a wider range of languages and levels.

One of the key challenges facing LCTL programs is instructor isolation, which can hinder their ability to stay updated with the latest research, share best practices, and receive support from colleagues. This volume addresses this issue by promoting cross-institutional collaboration, allowing instructors to exchange ideas, resources, and experiences, thus enhancing their professional growth and improving the quality of their teaching.

Another challenge is the difficulty in offering advanced courses or sustaining course sequences, particularly for languages that may not have a large student population. This volume provides valuable insights into strategies and approaches that can help institutions overcome these obstacles, such as developing hybrid courses, leveraging technology, and building partnerships with other institutions.

Furthermore, LCTL programs often face minimal availability of pedagogical materials compared to commonly taught languages, which can limit their ability to provide high-quality instruction. This volume highlights the importance of resource development and sharing, encouraging institutions to collaborate in creating and disseminating teaching materials, textbooks, and other resources that support LCTL teaching and learning.

In conclusion, Sharing Less Commonly Taught Languages in Higher Education is a vital resource for language educators and language program administrators. By highlighting the potential for collaboration and innovation, this volume empowers institutions to embrace the diversity of languages and cultures, providing students with a broader range of language learning opportunities. Through cross-institutional partnerships, innovative teaching practices, and resource development, LCTL programs can thrive, fostering a more inclusive and diverse academic environment.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032394176