UGA’s Portuguese Language Flagship program was recognized as a model for both effective language learning across the curriculum and dynamic partnership building across national borders at the Conference of the Americas on International Education held last month in Brazil.
More than 600 high-level university and government representatives gathered in Rio de Janiero from April 25-27 to discuss the latest trends in internationalization, including academic mobility and best practices for inter-American partnership development and program management.
Solange Aranha of the Universidade Estadual Paulista, or UNESP, the State University of São Paulo, showcased UNESP’s innovative “Teletandem” method of language training, which will be utilized by students accepted to UGA’s Portuguese Language Flagship program.
The Language Flagship is a major initiative of the U.S. National Security Education Program. UGA was the sole institution chosen to develop the program, receiving a renewable federal grant exceeding $1 million during the first grant cycle pending congressional approval.
UNESP is UGA’s partner for both the overseas portion of the Flagship, as well as for the Teletandem learning that will occur while students study at the university. Teletandem is a multi-faceted type of language learning developed by UNESP faculty, which utilizes computer-mediated exchanges between students of different countries. UGA taught its first Teletandem-centered Portuguese classes in spring 2011.
