Developing Useful Evaluation Practices in College Foreign Language Programs conference program

Abstract

Foreign language (FL) programs in U.S. colleges are expected to meet educational and societal needs for the development of learners capable of using languages other than English for a range of professional, academic, cultural, humanistic, and other valued purposes. A key component in the effectiveness of any educational program is the inclusion of systematic evaluative processes, which enable educators to understand, improve, demonstrate, and ensure the quality of their services and their learners’ outcomes. However, FL programs may not be prepared to incorporate evaluation processes into their practices, despite increasing requirements to do so. Furthermore, available evaluation guidance, examples, tools, and strategies that are articulated to the actual needs of FL educators are scant.This NFLRC Summer Institute is designed to help college foreign language administrators and teachers engage in useful, practical, and effective program evaluations to meet a variety of purposes. As a starting point, it takes seriously the values, goals, and constraints that characterize college language programs. In light of these realities, it will provide language educators with a user-oriented approach to developing evaluations that maximize benefits for language learners and teachers, while minimizing potential negative consequences. It will also provide participants with tools and strategies for making program evaluation a systematic and consistently useful component of their FL departments. Practical topics will include: (1) learner needs analysis, (2) student learning outcomes assessment, (3) curriculum development and improvement, (4) program review, (5) personnel/teacher evaluation, (6) course evaluation

strategies for professional development in evaluation