How long does this Initiative last?
We currently have funding through Summer 2025.
Are all of the workshops mandatory?
Mostly yes for first-time LII participants. Please see more details below:
- Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) training (led by an ACTFL trainer): Required for new test developers, prerequisite for the Language Assessment Workshop (LAW)
- LAW (led by CLC staff): Required for new test developers; prerequisite for the Test Design and Development (Test D&D) Workshop
- Test D&D Workshop: Required for new test developers; one of the prerequisites for the Curriculum Design Workshop (Note that you also need to complete a test before you are eligible to participate in the Curriculum Design Workshop for the curriculum that corresponds to the test you have completed.)
- Curriculum Design Workshop: Required for new participants. If you have already designed a curriculum through the LPII, your attendance at the workshop is welcome but optional.
If you have already designed and developed a test, you may choose to attend a Test D&D Refresher Workshop.
Can I attend a workshop a second time?
Yes, except for the OPI training workshop.
Can I attend a workshop even if I likely won’t be (re)designing an exam?
Yes. Please let Phuong Nguyen, the CLC’s Test D&D workshop coordinator, know that you will not be developing a test.
Will the workshops be offered multiple times during the academic year?
No, these workshops are only offered once a year.
Are there any restrictions for curriculum design projects?
There must be an assessment in place in order for you to be able to align your curriculum with it – that is a key element of reverse design.
Can I use this grant for “LxC” courses?
At this time we are not including courses with an LxC component in the initiative. We expect course design proposals for language courses to exceed demand. If we can include LxC courses, we will let everyone know.
What about language courses taught in or for other Divisions?
Courses taught in or for other Divisions are eligible, as long as they are language courses.
Can part-time lecturers take part in this initiative?
Full-time senior instructional professors, instructional professors of all ranks and L2 lecturers are eligible for the LPII.
Who owns the assessments and materials created in this grant?
All materials produced under the Language Pedagogy Innovation Initiative will become the exclusive property of the University of Chicago, and the University has sole discretion in approving and implementing the materials and curricula developed under the Initiative.