Speaker:

Natalie Amgott, Ph.D. [she/her]
Associate Director of Online Language Learning, Department of Modern Languages, Carnegie Mellon University

Title: “Building a Multimodal Language Curriculum to Enhance Student Agency and Motivation”

Abstract:

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how to design engaging language learning curriculum through digital multimodal projects as summative assessments. We will discuss the benefits of moving beyond traditional written assessments to promote more thorough language learning with tasks like vlogs, blogs, and digital poetry.

The workshop will equip participants with a backwards design approach, starting with the desired learning outcomes and media to then craft multimodal project rubrics. We will explore practical strategies for fostering student agency and motivation, as well as critical digital literacy, through these projects. We will also discuss how AI tools can be leveraged in both the creation of the rubrics for these projects and to scaffold the multimodal design process.

Participants will learn how to convert in-person activities to engaging online or flipped classroom formats, and vice versa. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to build a project-based, multimodal unit for a language course that fosters student agency, motivation, and growth mindset.

Bio:

Natalie Amgott is associate director of online language learning at Carnegie Mellon University, where she also teaches French and applied linguistics courses. Her research focuses on language learning through designing multimodal projects, including blogs, video blogs (vlogs), and multimedia poetry. Natalie’s teaching philosophy adheres to multiliteracies, or incorporating multiple channels of communication to explore, discuss, and design multimedia projects. She is recipient of the ACTFL Early Career Research Award and has published in Foreign Language Annals, System, TESOL Quarterly, and L2 Journal. She has also published an online Spanish course for beginners and an intermediate online French course.