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LRC Programming and Events

The Language Resource Center (LRC) is committed to offering focused, personalized, and customized professional development opportunities for faculty teaching world languages at Northwestern. Our goal is to design well-thought-out programming that promotes and advances faculty development, while fostering collaboration and connectivity across campus units. By partnering with organizations such as the Searle Center and other institutional resources, we aim to create initiatives that are meaningful, innovative, and supportive of scholarly growth in language instruction. 

             LRC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING
2nd IMMERSION WEEK: INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE IN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION

This three-day event will feature a keynote address by distinguished scholar and author and leading authority in intercultural competence Dr. Manuela Wagner, Associate Dean for the Humanities and Faculty Inclusion and Success and Professor of Language Education at the University of Connecticut. Opening remarks will be delivered by Dr. Dévora Grynspan, Vice President for International Relations. Attendees will also attend a panel discussion with leaders from various Northwestern units, highlighting initiatives that promote intercultural competence for both students and instructors. The week will conclude with a workshop, also led by Dr. Wagner, focused on integrating intercultural assessment into the curriculum.

📅 December 3-5, 2025 | 9-10:30am CT | Zoom* 

Organizers: Language Resource Center, Office of the Vice President for International Relations, and Media and Design Studio

*Please note that registration is required to receive link. 

PROGRAM AND REGISTRATION
TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM - WORLD LANGUAGE CONCENTRATION

These information sessions are designed for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as instructors interested in Northwestern’s Teacher Certification Program and its world language concentration.

Organizers: School of Education and Social Policy and Language Resource Center

SESSIONS AND RESOURCES
RESEARCH IN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION SERIES

This presentation series aims to showcase available resources on campus (and beyond) and to assist interested faculty with their research-focused professional activity. Q&A is built in all the sessions to provide an opportunity to engage directly with presenters for deeper understanding. 

 

Organizers: Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, Language Resource Center, and Media and Design Studio, with the collaboration of the Council on Language Instruction

SESSIONS AND RESOURCES
LUNCH AND LEARN SESSIONS ON LANGUAGE STUDY [COLLEGE ADVISERS]

The Academic Advisers Working Group (Office of the Provost's Undergraduate Advising) creates resources and events to support and enhance the sense of belonging to an academic community. 

Lunch & Learn sessions are one point of connection, in which campus partners are invited to share information and resources from their offices with college advisers. The LRC was invited to facilitate the following sessions: 

"Navigating Language Pathways: Placement, Progression, and Proficiency at Northwestern"
 📅 April 16, 2025 |12-1pm CT

"Leveraging Language Learning on Campus and Beyond: Unlocking Career and Global Opportunities for Students"
📅 January 22, 2025 |12-1pm CT

"Language Study Orientation for Advisers"
📅 June 3, 2024 |12-1pm CT

 SESSIONS AND RESOURCES
GENERATIVE AI IN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION [HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS] 

1. "HANDS-ON WITH COPILOT" 

This workshop, focused on the use of Copilot from the instructor perspective, expanded on examples presented in a fall quarter seminar series by allowing participants to directly interact with various NU-approved generative artificial intelligence ("Gen AI") tools. Participants learned how to use AI to develop lesson plans and materials and to create and shape various forms of multimedia for teaching use.

📅 February 17, 2025 | 3:30-4:30pm CT

📅 February 27, 2025 | 3-4pm CT


2. "COPILOT FOR STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS"

This workshop explored the potential uses of Copilot by your students, both for specific assignments and as a supplemental study aide. Our previous workshop on faculty use of Copilot provided an excellent opportunity to workshop ideas and to continue the conversation.

📅 April 28, 2025 | 3:30-4:30pm CT

📅 May 8, 2025 | 3-4pm CT

 

3. "STUDENT PERSPECTIVES AND FUTURES"

This was the final event of 2025 deep dive into the role of artificial intelligence and language instruction. The workshop reviewed the latest student perspectives in the use of AI for learning and assignments, as well as opinions about instructor's use of AI tools for the creation of teaching materials and assessments. This data was used to brainstorm ideas for future curricular design. 

📅  June 5, 2025 | 10-11am CT

Presenter: Matthew Taylor, Director of Media and Design Studio

Organizers: Media and Design Studio and Language Resource Center

If you're considering integrating AI tools into your classroom, the document below containing guiding questions informed by student survey responses might be helpful.

Considerations for Implementing AI Tools
1st IMMERSION WEEK: GENERATIVE AI IN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION 

This dynamic professional development programming explored how generative AI can transform language instruction through four engaging and customized sessions for Northwestern faculty and graduate students.  The event featured keynote speaker Dr. Kevin Gaugler, Assistant Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Professor of Spanish, and Director of the Weiss Language Center at Marist University, an internationally renowned expert in the field of AI and language instruction. Opening remarks were offered by Dr. Ricardo Court,

Assistant Dean for Academic Integrity and Undergraduate Research, and Professor in Political Science at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. The subsequent sessions were led by in-house, subject-matter experts and provided in-depth guidance on institutional AI policies and authorized tools, best practices, practical strategies, and resources to help participants strengthen their knowledge of AI-related content applied to language instruction.

📅  December 3-6, 2024 | 9-10am CT

 

Organizers: Language Resource Center, Media and Design Studio, Teaching and Learning Technologies, and Searle Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning, with the collaboration with the Council on Language Instruction


SESSIONS AND RESOURCES

 
 CANVAS ACCESSIBILITY FOR WORLD LANGUAGE FACULTY [WORKSHOPS]

Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) hosted and organized two workshops (in person and virtual) to assist language faculty with the creation and/or revision of fully accessible digital content in Canvas, as part of Northwestern's Mission: Accessible initiative.
📅 December 3 & 4, 2024 | Times varied

Presenters: Jim Stachowiak and Victoria Getis

Organizers: Teaching and Learning Technologies and Language Resource Center
ROBERTA BUFFETT FACULTY LUNCH ON MULTILINGUALISM
The Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs hosted this engaging thematic lunch for Northwestern faculty members, which provided the opportunity to meet faculty colleagues from diverse academic backgrounds with a shared interest in multilingualism.
📅 October 2, 2024 | 12-1pm CT 

Organizers: Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and Language Resource Center