Projects

Launched in 2006, the Mapping and Enhancing Language Learning (MELL) project tracks and reports on world language learning and trends in Washington State. For example, what languages are students learning? Are language enrollments declining or increasing? What is the impact of world language competency-based credit testing? Dual language programming? How can we ensure equitable and consistent access to world language learning? MELL represents a significant effort to help policy makers, educators, students, and parents understand which languages students are currently learning in our K-12 schools, community colleges, and in after-school language programs. MELL is an ongoing collaborative endeavor by the UW Jackson School of International Studies, UW Language Learning Center, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington State Coalition for International Education, and Washington Association For Language Teaching (WAFLT).

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This unofficial working group seeks to work with educators, administrators, educational orgs and the Washington State OSPI to increase options for inter-institutional access to language education.

This project was partially inspired by the current situation at the University of Washington. While there are a very few language classes that currently allow non-matriculated UW students to attend, there is no formal policy to allow for this to happen. For example, many years ago, a language course taught at UW Seattle was also taught remotely to UW Tacoma students. The course was assessed and found to be a success (academically and from student feedback). Unfortunately, the course was cancelled as there was no formal policy for the administrative details (e.g., credit sharing).

Although we recognize that these administrative challenges exist, they are not insurmountable. Other institutions, such as the University of Michigan system have found solutions and now have a thriving remote language education system.

Maintaining language enrollment for less-commonly taught languages can be difficult. We are at risk of losing some incredibly valuable and rare language classes (e.g., Indigenous) if we do not find ways to increase and maintain enrollment. External recruitment is a key tool in both preserving these important courses. It is also crucial to provide equitable access to students at other institutions where it is even less likely that unique language programs will be offered and sustained.

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Folk Linguistic Online Mapping Application is designed as an open-source, customizable suite of tools for collecting mental maps for linguistic research. FLOM is a tool for collecting perceptual dialect maps and subjective reactions to language variation online. This tool enables researchers to create online surveys that incorporate maps as a means of framing the responses.

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The Language Learning Center is assisting the Klamath Tribes by digitizing and archiving cassette and VHS recordings about the Klamath Language. Learn more about the Klamath Tribes by following the link below:

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In 2022, the LLC was awarded a Open Educational Resource (OER) development grant from the WA Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to create a week-long module of lessons on the topic of cybersecurity for American Sign Language (ASL) learners and students. The resources are targeting grades 9-12, but will be appropriate for individuals in the 7-16 grade range.

There is currently a great need for more ASL OER resources. ASL OER resources for deaf students and more advanced learners in the STEM domain are rare. Deaf students need additional opportunities to learn about current STEM domains and career paths, and L2 ASL students need to also expand their ASL-for-specific-purposes competency. Also, there is the career and technical education need, as deaf and L2 ASL students should be provided representation that demonstrates the real value of ASL in STEM fields.

In addition to a series of lesson plans, the project involved the creation of 50 cybersecurity vocabulary videos, 15 mini-lesson videos, and 1 video interview with a professional.

The project was a collaboration between the UW LLC and Drew Treacy, MA, who is an American Sign Language Specialist at the Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth. We worked with Kyle Murbach, Ph.D. (Principal Research Engineer, Center for Cybersecurity Research and Education (CCRE), The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH)) who is an ASL signer who has worked in the field of cybersecurity and now is a researcher at UAH.

In the fall of 2022, Drew, Kyle and two talented ASL interpreters traveled to the UW LLC studio for a full day of video recording.

Upon completion of the project (mid-2023), the resources will be deposited in the Washington State OER hub (linked below) and freely available to all instructors and learners.

UW Open Commons -link*