The e-LCTL Initiative

• LCTLs in the US
• LCTL Priorities
• LCTL DL-Database
• DL Conference
• Back to New e-LCTL Site

About the e-LCTL Initiative

In a time of national and international need for an enlarged pool of learners of key languages around the globe, a strategic effort has been needed to enlarge the number and depth of offerings of the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) and their availability to learners across the nation, especially at the post-secondary levels. This requires greater collaborative effort among the nation’s universities in deciding among themselves, with attention to broad national needs, which languages to offer, at what levels, when and where, and what new learning materials are required. These emergent plans then will require the support of funding agencies to achieve those goals. Planning will focus on courses and language-learning materials for on-campus academic year, summer, and distance learning. Without planning and coordination among institutions, we will be left with the small number of LCTL offerings, dictated largely by the market of graduate and heritage student demand and other short-term needs.

During 2001-2002, with funding from the Office of the Provost at Michigan State University (MSU) and the U.S. Department of Education (US/ED), and with consultation with the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC), the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL), and the Language Resource Centers at the University of Hawaii and the University of Minnesota, we engaged in planning activities and in preparation for a national conference, “Distance Learning of the LCTLs,” at Arlington, Virginia, February 1-3, 2002. This conference brought together experts on distance learning, language acquisition, and area studies to discuss potentials for expanded LCTL offerings.

With additional funding from US/ED, we have invited participation in a broadened collaborative effort for surveying offerings and enrollments and for setting priorities for LCTL instruction in each world region. Although begun at MSU, the Initiative seeks to engage all the National Resource Centers (NRCs), Language Resource Centers (LRCs), the Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBERs), and the American Overseas Research Centers (AORCs) in the process.

The principal elements of this e-LCTL Initiative are:

• To facilitate planning, develop a unique dataset of LCTL offerings for each world region by the Title VI National Resource Centers and other U.S. government agencies and universities that will serve the broad national need for LCTL instruction. (See the data at www.elctl.msu.edu/summaries/)
• Build a consensus about the criteria to be used for setting priorities among the LCTLs for instruction in the U.S. by consulting key stakeholders, including the NRCs, LRCs, CIBERs, language coordinators, and administrators in funding agencies and the federal government. (See the initiative criteria paper at www.elctl.msu.edu/wileypaper.pdf.)
• Convene national discussions among area and language specialists about how to apply the criteria to languages in each world region for deciding which LCTLs in each world region should be given priority for developing academic year, summer, and distance learning courses, as well as the requisite supportive learning materials. (Read the papers from each world region at www.elctl.msu.edu/prioritizing.php)
• Disseminate the resulting draft priorities for each world region for continuing review and revision as well as a basis for collaborating in developing materials, avoiding duplication of efforts, and offering courses cooperatively. This review process began at the meeting in September 21-23, 2003 hosted by US/ED IEPS for NRC directors and staffs and continued at the e-LCTL Initiative Conference in Santa Fe, February 2004.
• Create a web-accessible database of electronic language teaching materials, modules, and learning objects, as well as course plans for distance-learning of the LCTLs to assist the Title VI community to keep abreast of tools for expanding LCTL offerings and to register plans for developing DL courses in the LCTLs. (Search the database at www.elctl.msu.edu/aboutdb.php.)
• Identify venues to enable Title VI NRCs, LRCs, CIBERs, and AORCs to participate in an increased and continuing effort of planning for broader dissemination of instruction in the LCTLs in the U.S., in coordination with interested federal agencies.

Collaborating Partners

The four Title VI Centers at MSU with funding from the MSU Provost and utilizing their Title VI grants are:

• The African Studies Center (ASC)
• The Asian Studies Center (ASN)
• The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS)
• The Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID) and Women and International Development (WID)

The other MSU partners are:

• The Title VI Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR)
• The Title VI Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)
• The Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages
• The College of Arts and Letters
• MSU International Studies and Programs

The National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland serves as a consulting partner. The Evaluator of the e-LCTL Initiative is Dr. Scott McGinnis, Defense Language Institute, Washington Liaison Office and former executive director of NCOLCTL.

MSU Project Personnel

Co- Principal Investigators:

• Michael Lewis, Director, Asian Studies Center
• Scott Whiteford, Director, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• Jeffrey Riedinger, Director, Center for Advanced Study of International Development
• David Wiley, Director, African Studies Center, Lead Principal Investigator
• Susan Gass, Co-Director, Center for Language Education And Research
• Patricia Paulsell, Co-Director, Center for Language Education And Research

Members of Steering Committee Additional to Principal Investigators:

• John Bratzel, Graduate Coordinator, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• David Prestel, Chair, Department of Linguistics, Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages
• Margo Glew, Coordinator, Less Commonly Taught Languages Program
• Deidre Dawson, former Chair, Department of Romance and Classical Languages, and Professor of French
• Dennie Hoopingarner, Director, Language Learning Center and Assistant Director for Technology Implementation, Center for Language Education And Research

e-LCTL Data Collection, Analysts, and Designers

• Stephen Backman, Linguistics and Teacher Education
• Natalie Bourdon, Anthropology and African Studies
• Christine Root, International Studies and Programs

Distance Learning Database

• Jayne Marville-Niemann, DL Database Coordinator; MSU Doctoral Candidate in French; Instructor of French, Cornerstone University
• Vicki DeVries, Assistant DL Database Coordinator
• Vineet Bansal and Ning Liu, Database Programmers

Database Language Data Search and Collection:

• Africa:
  • Lanre Williams
  • Pierre Nzokizwanimana
• Asia:
  • Jennifer Maceachern (Southeast, South, and Inner Asia)
  • Angelie Tumaghap (Southeast Asia and Pacific)
  • Priya Varaprath (Inner and South Asia)
  • Thomas Cho, Drew Kelly (East Asia)
  • Vashishtha Kadchhud (South Asia)
• Middle East and North Africa
  • Anas Shallah
  • Moad Alrubaidi
  • Marsha Chandy
• Western Europe:
  • Melinda Berry (and Africa)
• Eastern Europe:
  • Amanda Zimmerman
  • Michonne Omo
• Canada and Latin America
  • Renee Chovanec
  • Allison Lugo-Saenz

Distance Learning Conference Planning and Administration

• Margo Glew, Coordinator, Less Commonly Taught Languages Program

Joe VanDeventer, Webmaster, African Studies Center

Joanne Peterson, Financial Administrator, African Studies Center