Erika celedonio-peñaflor



Teaching American Diplomats: Best Practices in the Distance Learning Program at the Foreign Service InstituteErika Del Rocio Celedonio-Pe?aflor University of Maryland University CollegeAbstractCurrent best practices in education have not always been part of the traditional educational system. As in many other disciplines, the field of education sets out standards for each subject and quantitative goals for schools in almost every state in this country. Many teachers in this country and around the world want to provide the highest quality education for their students. Innumerable educators implement best practices to attempt to supply students with a first-class education. To implement best practices effectively, educators need to change and adapt their teaching methods and keep up with new research. Best practices is a term used in every educational setting, and distance learning is no exception. Teachers should take advantage of new ideas and utilize new developments in teaching to continue to educate global citizens. Distance education professionals need to understand the differences between distance learning and face-to-face instruction to ensure quality instruction for distance education students. This research project examines the contemporary literature on best practices in distance education applicable to distance language teaching particularly to the Distance Language Program at the Foreign Service Institute. This paper will also propose recommendations to improve the program based on research-based findings. As with many subjects, distance language instruction has grown in recent years because of increased usage of the Internet. It is imperative to understand which methods work best for teaching languages in a face-to-face setting in order to analyze what practices could be useful in providing a meaningful experience to language learners in distance education.IntroductionAccording to Cynthia White (2003), distance education (DE) has emerged through different generations as a result of technological advances. In her book Language Learning in Distance Education, she notes that the most common way to classify the waves of distance education is 1. correspondence systems,2. multimedia systems, and3. online systems. These systems have had an impact in distance language course design and delivery and will most likely continue to affect the way teachers prepare their classes and guide their students. Currently, language distance learning programs have expanded with the accelerated progress in information and communications technology and the demand for global education (White, 2003). The need for language learning has always existed, and distance learning has been an option for students to learn a foreign language. According to White, distance language professionals and other stakeholders who see the endless possibilities offered by distance learning have a widespread desire for modernization in the field of distance language learning. This desire for modernization is true of the School of Language Studies faculty at the Foreign Language Institute (FSI). Currently, the Distance Learning Program at FSI offers 35 distance language learning courses taught by 32 language and cultural instructors who are native speakers of the language they teach. The learners are Foreign Service officers who are seeking to develop proficiency in a specific language to work at the US embassies or consulates around the world. The context of teaching students who are working all over the world brings unique difficulties for the teachers and learners, such as security issues. Another challenge for teachers is scheduling because students are dispersed around the globe. It is difficult for teachers to maintain the flexibility and adaptability to distance learners’ needs. Presently, the teachers at FSI use the Learn Center as their Learning Management System, a Share Point site to promote asynchronous students’ participation, MS Outlook, a telephone, a chat room, and sometimes Skype to interact with students synchronously. As in many other institutions, at FSI, there is a focus on technology. The following quote from the director’s vision statement exemplifies the way in which he sees technology as the defining feature of the institution’s mission: The Institute is an internationally renowned center of excellence, which utilizes a broad array of cutting edge technologies to maximum impact in fulfilling its core mission to train and develop a globally deployed workforce across an entire career span. We use technologies as a tool to energize and engage, to boost impact, accelerate learning, and enable a training environment that is experiential and hands-on. (Foreign Service Institute, 2013) Despite the difficulties of teaching in such a unique context, the faculty members of the School of Languages at FSI have expressed the need to improve the distance language teaching program. Language and cultural instructors are also willing to enrich their teaching abilities. Best practices are a demonstrable way to uphold the State Department’s mission, which is to advance the national interests of the United States and its people (Diplomacy?State, n.d.). Best practices are ideas, approaches, or policies teachers and administrators use to promote student-centered learning that combine research-based information and professional wisdom.The aim of this paper is to answer the following questions: What are the best teaching practices used effectively in different distance learning environments? What are the current teaching practices in the language courses at the Foreign Service Institute? The answers to these questions will provide information that could be used to improve the performance of language and cultural instructors and, ultimately, to enhance the learning experience of US diplomats who participate in the Distance Learning Program at FSI. This paper includes a thorough literature review; a context analysis about the Distance Learning Program at FSI; and, finally, a set of recommendations to improve teaching and learning through the implementation of best practices.Literature ReviewThe investigation carried out for this paper has been gathered from many scholarly articles, books and some internal documents from the Department of State, particularly from the Foreign Service Institute. The scholarly articles sited through the paper provide a general overview of best practices in face-to-face and distance learning courses. In order to show how distance language teaching has evolved a short explanation of distance language teaching throughout the years and specific recommendations for teachers and a proposal released by the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages. Background on Distance Language Courses Most people associate distance education with Internet availability. However, distance education has affected many students around the world since the 19th century. Moore and Kearsley (2005, p. 2) defined distance education as planned learning that normally occurs in different places than traditional teaching does and, therefore, it requires special course design and instructional techniques, communication through various technologies, and special organizational and administrative arrangements. Like many other subjects, distance language learning has gone through a transformation, and the variety of courses is immense. Marie-Noelle and Regine Hampel (2007) summarized key events in computer-assisted language learning:1.During the era of behaviorism, computer-assisted language learning techniques comprised the use of computers to focus on drills, preferably used to develop reading and writing skills in a foreign language.2.During the 1980s, there was a shift to more interactive activities and greater student choice and control to complement a communicative teaching approach. 3.From the 1990s to the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a combination of media used in distance language learning instruction because of increased accessibility to the Internet. Currently, teaching a language through an online course allows for the ability to teach to a group, which before on the first generation of DE was not possible, and there is a greater possibility than in face-to-face instruction to implement socio-cognitive and collaborative pedagogies.This summary of the evolution of distance language teaching demonstrates how pedagogies and technology have influenced language courses and how different times call for improvements and adaptations in instruction techniques. Language courses must adapt to the students’ needs and incorporate technologies and instruction strategies from the three generations of computer-assisted language learning. In distance language courses, the use of synchronous tools allows students to communicate and engage in real-time from different places. Learners and instructors can access asynchronous tools anytime, which permit dialogue and knowledge sharing. However, it is difficult to coordinate and integrate these learning opportunities with the needs and willingness of the students. What Are the Best Practices?Steven Zemelman, Harvey Daniels, and Arthur Hyde (2005) defined “best practices as solid, reputable, state-of-the-art work in a field” (p.6). In their book, Today’s Standards for Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools (2005), these authors also explained that this term originally comes from the professions of medicine, law, and architecture. Best practices comprise techniques, activities, and approaches congruent with the latest research that have proven to be adequate for the target audience. Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde (2005) provided three key principles of best practices (see figure 1).Figure 1. Key principles of best practices.These three characteristics are essential for teachers to understand what suits their students and to take advantage of the environment in which they find themselves. Student-centered describes a suitable environment for learning; student-centered teaching means encouraging active learning through the use of hands-on activities. It also implies the use of authentic material such as videos or newspaper articles to teach. Student-centered instruction also suggests including challenging activities with adequately explained objectives that allow the learners to be accountable for their own learning. The constructivist approach presents learning as a series of obvious steps that give the learner and the teacher enough flexibility to modify activities if necessary. In addition, this principle empowers students to express themselves through writing, drawing, speech, or simulations. Finally, the social principle demands cooperation and the establishment of classroom rules. These principles are correlated, influence each other, and should guide teachers in deciding how to implement best practices in the classroom. Best Practices in Online TeachingLarry Ragan, from Rice University in Houston Texas, wrote a thorough guide for distance learning instructors. The best practices in table 1 are applicable to most subjects available through online instruction. However, there are some that do not apply to the Distance Language Program at FSI.Table 1: Best Practices in Distance Learning InstructionBest practiceExplanation Prepare for success.Get familiarized with the classroom and the LMS features before class begins. Contact instructional designer to learn about course operation. Use course management system in teaching. Use the learning and management tools the course management system offers to communicate, assess, deliver content, and grade students. Prepare students for learning online. Welcome students. Make a brief orientation for students. Provide contact information and guidelines for participation. Specify course goals, expectations, and policies.Provide a course syllabus and guidelines for netiquette. Create a warm and inviting atmosphere in which to build a learning community. Welcome students. Post a personal introduction and try to send weekly emails to students to remind them about assignments and to motivate them to continue to work hard. Promote active learning.Encourage students to think critically and be proactive in their learning. Model effective online interaction. Respond to student comments or questions. Provide general and specific feedback and reassurance to students who have completed assignments. Monitor student progress and encourage lagging students. Contact students who are not participating actively and those who have not completed assignments. Assess messages in online discussions. Set standards for online discussions to encourage student participation and dialogue in class. Sustain students’ motivation.Set up collaborative activities. Make students feel comfortable conversing online to mitigate feelings of isolation for DE learners. Provide feedback and support. Stimulate students to express questions and concerns. Provide meaningful feedback on graded and non-graded assignments. Manage grades and municate grading policies to students in the syllabus. Assessment activities must correspond with learning objectives presented in the syllabus. Follow intellectual property guidelines. Be knowledgeable of intellectual property guidelines. Make sure students follow copyright laws. Manage time and workload effectively.Use the Course Management System tools for the appropriate task (gradebook). Establish a routine for asynchronous and synchronous interactions. Communicate with an expert. Get advice from an experienced distance learning instructor. Participate in institutional distance learning instruction training. Larry Ragan shares a compendium of exceptional best practices that many teachers may find valuable in performing their jobs. It is important to begin a course by making students feel at ease. Most learners do not have previous experience in distance education and it is challenging for students to deal with the content and the technology. As a teacher it is imperative to provide feedback and encouragement throughout the assigned task. Students tend to feel isolated and confused at times. Constant communication and support substitute the lack of face-to-face interaction. Another valuable practice suggested by Larry Ragan is to communicate with those students who are not participating actively. Distance learning intimidates many students and some others feel their contributions are not meaningful to the group. It is important to differentiate those students who are lurkers and those who are in risk of withdrawing. Larry Ragan also emphasizes the importance of teacher organization. Working at a distance is demanding and most communication happens asynchronously. Teachers must set up a routine and manage their workload. Teaching and Learning Tools It is not a mystery that teaching online is not the same as face-to-face instruction. Teachers should not replicate the instructional techniques or the same activities they use in a traditional classroom setting with their distance learning students. Robert Thiede (2012) offered the following ideas to engage students and to challenge and enrich the learners’ experiences. The techniques are (a) discussion boards, (b) blogging, (c) simulations/case studies, (d) wikis, (e) videos tapes, and (f) e-portfolios. Table 2 includes a summary of some of the advantages of these techniques.Table 2: Benefits of Online Instruction ActivitiesResource BenefitsDiscussion boards Generate debate.Provide a location where teachers and students can clarify doubts if necessary.Encourage discipline and communication.Archive student comments and posts so teachers can assess students’ participation.Blogging Promotes collaboration and knowledge creation.Allows creative and analytical participation.Permits frequent updates for posted work.Provides linking capabilities. Simulations/case studies Represent real-life problems.Encourage students to be analytical and make decisions.Give students time to reflect on their learning and how they solved the problem.WikisAllow students to organize their learning.Make collaborative feasible.Provides a virtual space where students can present research and redefine problems.Videos Allow students to use their creativity to show what they have learned.Facilitate the explanation-Comprehension of concepts. E-portfoliosEncourage learners to reflect on their own learning.Promote problem-solving skills.Promote creativity and discipline in completing assignments.Allow teachers to visualize students’ needs and modify curriculum if necessary. Robert Thiede offers a variety of activities to challenge students in distance learning environments, which are both challenging and engaging. Discussion boards allow students to participate and maintain a dialogue with classmates and teachers. Students feel free to share concerns and doubts and more importantly, the instructor presents the objectives and activities and students see discussion boards as a guide to their learning. Blogs, wikis and e-portfolios can be a group or an individual activity. These tools invite the students to reflect on their learning or t propose new ideas or alternatives to topics discussed in class. Teachers must have a clear objective and provide clear guidance when assigning these applications. Students may feel overwhelmed or may lose focus on the course objectives and competencies the learner needs to develop. E-portfolios document achievements, reflections and the learning process of each student. The student creates, reflects and demonstrates how meaningful a course has been and primarily, the impact it has made on the student. E-portfolios enable students to document their own learning in a systematic and organized way. Teachers are also able to assess students’ learning and modify curriculum or class activities. Simulations and case studies promote active learning and students are faced with real-life situations they may encounter in the future. Simulations and case studies also leave room for auto evaluation while collaborating with others. The student sees his accomplishments or his challenges, all of these techniques promote the three principles cited earlier. Teachers must exercise caution and elect what is pedagogically sound with their objectives and learning environment. Best Practices for Language LearnersJoy Kreeft Peyton, Sarah Catherine K. Moore, and Sarah Young (2010) wrote an article that discusses best practices specifically for the language classroom teacher and student. These practices encourage instructors to do the following: 1.promote interaction among learners, 2.use native language when possible and appropriate,3.connect instruction with learners’ lives, and 4.teach learning strategies explicitly.According to these authors, promoting interaction among learners through collaboration with other learners results in compressible output, and students feel comfortable producing language at their level (2010). Fostering these types of interactions among distance language learners is complicated because most students live in a different place and probably live in a different time zone. The authors encourage the use of native language when possible and appropriate as a best practice; however this is a controversial topic among language instructors. The authors argue that using the native language in activities such as reading and interviewing people and then translating the product into the second language can help students to use both languages effectively. Teachers can also include instructions in the native language to let learners know what is expected of them. The third suggestion is to connect instruction with learners’ lives. In a changing world that demands learners to be global citizens, it is imperative that learners see the applications of their learning. The authors suggest using the learners’ lives and work as a resource for class discussion and interaction. The language teacher needs to point out and suggest specific strategies in reading, writing, speaking, or grammar to maximize students’ understanding. For example, reading in a foreign language can be difficult; nonetheless, understating how discourse works in the second language or the purpose of connectors in readings can make an enormous difference when learners try to comprehend a text. Competencies for Distance Language TeachersFor best practices to work, teachers should possess specific qualities to allow them to take advantage of the different approaches, ideas, and techniques for teaching at a distance. Cynthia White (2003) has identified the following competencies for the successful distance language educators:Adjust to the new distance language learning settings.Help learners adapt as well.Identify the characteristics and needs of language learners at distance sites.Provide ongoing support for learners in a new learning environment that often has unfamiliar elements.Respond to a range of issues and affective states in relationships with learners, beyond what may generally emerge in face-to-face settings.Motivate learners at a distance.Support students at a distance in taking responsibility for their learning. Work as part of a team with, for example, technology experts and learning support staff. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of new language learning environments, and develop appropriate strategies and relevant responses.Work within a context of ongoing change and innovation.It is important to mention that teachers may have most of these qualities when they begin teaching, whether the instruction is online or face-to-face. Nevertheless, the institution where they work should be supportive and must provide the adequate training and resources to make a smooth transition into distance language teaching. Best practices are ideas, approaches, or policies teachers and administrators use to promote student-centered learning that combine research-based information and professional wisdom. Best practices can be described as what works in a particular environment and circumstance. Teachers in distance education may be new to distance education and need to find out what works. How do teachers know what works in DE? To adapt to DE, educators should have constant communication with instructional designers, access to adequate training, and a support system. There are many approaches and ideas applicable to language teaching at a distance. However, the teachers must know their limitations as well as what is appropriate for their contexts. General recommendations from the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages According to their website The National Council of State Supervisors for languages (NCSSFL) is an organization for agency personnel from all states of the United States who have the responsibility of foreign/world language education at the state level (NCSSFL, 2014) This organization is aware of the potential and growth of distance foreign language instruction and has prepared a statement to expatiate on the topic. These are the guidelines that should be taken into consideration (NCSSFL, 2014): Foreign language distance learning courses should be interactive and should include a combination of multimedia forms.The courses should focus on the four linguistic abilities and the activities presented should help students to improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities. Students should have the 2-3 opportunities every week to practice the target language orally with a certified teacher. Foreign language distance learning programs present an understandable and sequential program. Each distance learning language course is evaluated annually. The foreign language distance learning program focuses on the students’ needs instead of the novelty of technology. There should be 20 students or less on each course. The distance learning teacher is a qualified professional with enough training to perform his/ her duties as a distance language teacher. The distance language teacher provides a syllabus with clear expectations and shows organization warning students about up-coming activities and tasks. The instructor provides opportune feedback on the students’ achievement. The institution that offers the language course provides training in classroom management, course organization and technical support for the teachers. The institution responsible for the course also provides information about best practices in foreign language teaching and learning. There is technical support available to install, maintain and upgrade equipment. The distance learning teacher has an alternate strategy in case of technical difficulties. Students have access to supplementary materials which allow them to review, repeat, practice concepts reviewed in class. Homework is also a fundamental part to reinforce content from class. These general suggestions are ideal for a distance language courses. There are several ideas from the instructional design point of view, which should be emphasized. The need to focus on instructional needs that complement the students’ learning styles rather than focusing on the technology is an important piece of information to keep in mind. Additionally, to provide practical activities in different presentation formats that allow students to continue developing their written, oral, reading and listening skills. Most of the other suggestions address teacher experience and training and how the instructors must provide timely feedback and constant oral interactions for students. Throughout the NCSSFL report cited before there is a recurring theme which is teacher training before teaching at a distance and the need for technical support for students and teachers. It also suggests that teachers must provide clear objectives and enough flexibility to provide students with daily or at least 2-3 oral interactions between the student and the teacher. According to the NCSSFL a course should be evaluated every year. These guidelines represent an exemplary model to follow. Nonetheless, each institution should strive for the best language experience for their students within their context limitations. AnalysisThe Foreign Service Institute and the Distance Learning ProgramThe distance language program at the Foreign Service Institute is only a small section within the school of languages nonetheless it provides a significant and robust distance language programs. The uniqueness of the context results in many adversities such as time differences and security bans to use some technology. The following paragraphs contain important information about the context, the stakeholders and some recommendations based on best practices for language teaching and learning. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the main professional training institution for Department of State employees and other federal agencies. The training programs offered by FSI are administrative, consular, economic, political, management, security, medical and public diplomacy courses for Foreign Service officers. In addition, FSI’s course offerings include 70 languages that are taught on site. FSI has five schools: The School of Language Studies,The School of Applied Information Technology,The School of Leadership and Management,The School of Professional and Area Studies, andThe Transition Center.Table 3: Type of courses offered by the Distance Language ProgramType of coursePurposeDiplomatic Security This course assists security officers with a level 2 speaking proficiency. The course focuses on speaking, listening comprehension and reading skills specific to security. Express 1This kind of course provides basic familiarization with the language. The focus of the course is to be able to operate in basic life situations. Express IIIs a continuation of Express I and focuses on everyday interactions such as giving and getting directions, food and dining and making appointments. Intermediate I and II These courses are designed for learners who have a basic understanding of the language. A minimal S1 proficiency is required to take the course. The students will engage in casual conversations, request information and make a presentation. Introductory Language The two primary goals of these courses are to provide students with basic grammar structure and high frequency vocabulary.Language Conversion These courses help students who have a level 3 language proficiency in one language and wish to use that proficiency to learn a similar language. Instruction focuses on essential differences between the source and target language.Language for Consular Tradecraft Courses assist consular officers with a speaking 2 proficiency or higher to acquire speaking, listening, comprehension and reading related to consular work.Listening Comprehension This course enhances listening comprehension skills through video and audio clips and practice activities. The learner is required to have a speaking 2 proficiency.People to People A specialized language course that focuses on cultural and linguistic nuances of the languageReading Maintenance Designed to maintain highly-developed reading skills in the target language. Learners with a speaking 3 proficiency are advised to take the course. The Distance Language program is an offering of the School of Language Studies. There are 35 language courses available that are taught by 32 language and cultural instructors. Courses are offered three times a year with duration of 14 weeks. The language courses go from elementary to advanced levels and are aligned with different proficiency levels. The students study independently the content of the course and complete the multimedia activities on each lesson. The student and the teacher hold a weekly meeting to interact using the target language to accomplish the learning objectives for each unit or lesson.Teachers Working in the Distance Learning Program The role of the Distance Language Instructor is to serve as a mentor and to monitor the students’ performance. Most instructors work with an average of 25 students every term and tailor his or her class to the students’ needs and level. The teacher also tracks students’ progress and sends out a completion assessment for the students’ file. There is no letter grade for the courses. Most Language and Cultural Instructors are contractors, hired through commercial schools. The requisites to be a teacher at a distance are to be a native or near-native speaker of the language. It is desired that the instructors be educated in their native language at least up to secondary school. The instructors must also demonstrate ability to use Microsoft tools such as Word, Excel and Outlook. The instructors must be familiar with tools such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and be skillful using the Internet and a variety of asynchronous and synchronous tools for example web video chat, and video sharing websites. The instructors’ abilities in English and technology vary greatly. Most of the instructors are familiar with the Interagency Language Roundtable, a scale used by different federal agencies that provide language training to government employees. The scale consists of a set of descriptions for 6 different skills (Brau and Brooks, 2009) listening, reading, speaking, writing, translation and interpretation) with a scale from 0 to 5. In most cases, distance language instructor do not have access to the internal network of FSI. In Proposal for Distance Learning Mentors (2013), Dora S. Chanesman, training specialist in the European Language Department, elaborated the diagram presented in figure 2 to describe the language and cultural instructors.Figure 2. Describing the Language and Cultural Instructors at FSIA particularity of the Distance Language Program is that it relies on the telephone as the primary tool to teach students. Teachers may use the chat packaged in the language management system to communicate with students at the same time they are having their weekly class by the phone. The use of the phone has proven to be the most reliable way to communicate with students who live around the world in places with undependable Internet connections. Who are the students?The Foreign Service Institute provides training for State Department employees and eligible family members, as well as other employees from 50 other U.S. agencies. It is important to note that any U.S. Government agency may send employees and their adult family members to FSI for language training in connection with their jobs. According to an internal Foreign Service report (2013) about 90% of the students are career Foreign Service Officers or Foreign Service Specialists.There are five career tracks for Foreign Service generalists:Consular OfficerEconomic OfficerManagement OfficerPolitical OfficerPublic Diplomacy OfficerForeign Service Specialists provide different kinds of services in embassies and consulates around the world and here in the United States. There are seven specialized functions for these diplomats:Administration SpecialistConstruction Engineering SpecialistInformation Technology Specialist International Information and English Language Programs SpecialistMedical and Health SpecialistOffice Management SpecialistSecurity Specialist It is important to understand the different types of Foreign Service Generalists and Foreign Service Specialists because they take distance language courses to improve their proficiency to communicate with their counterparts overseas. The distance language courses not only provide the students with a foundation in the language but also job-related professional language training. Why do students take distance language courses?Most students who decide to take a language course with the DLP are motivated to learn the language. Many external factors encourage Foreign Service Officers to learn or maintain a level of proficiency in a specific language, including (1) monetary incentives, (2) job opportunities in the future for Foreign Service Officers and their family members, (3) requisite for tenure, and (4) many positions overseas are language designated, which means the student needs to acquire a specific level of proficiency.Instructional design for the distance language courses at the Foreign Service InstituteThe ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model is used by the Instructional Design Department at the Foreign Service Institute. The most common approach for distance language learning courses is the collaborative approach, which allows all the contributors to engage in different aspects of course design and promotes professional development for the different participants. The collaborative model enables the different experts to think critically about their role and the roles of others and to come to a consensus to improve the course as a whole. The collaborative team consists of the following experts:Project managersContent developersInstructional designersProgrammersAudiovisual producers (if needed)Graphic designersCopyright expertsIt is imperative to clarify that in the last couple of years the production of situational videos to illustrate everyday language has been reduced due to the constraints on funding. What does a language course look like?Figure 3: Screen shot of Spanish express course cover Most language courses in the Distance Language program at FSI are very uniform. The menu is on the left side of the screen. The first tab on the menu is a general introduction that provides clear explanations about how to study, technology and tools used in the course, and student and teacher roles. The introduction starts with a student guide. This includes an introduction to the course and the role of the teacher throughout the course, the course syllabus, the expectations for the students, the basic system requirements to use the Language Management System, and the synchronous and asynchronous ways of communication while taking the course. There is also a brief description on learning strategies. Figure 4: Course introduction showing course overviewFigure 5: Features of the course Figure 6: Explanation of features record and play Within the first tab is another subtopic that the program navigates. There are specific guidelines on how to use the main menu, the search menu, and activity buttons and icons, as well as explanations on how to use specific features such as record and play, which allows students to record their voice and play it back to check their pronunciation. Some courses also include a special keyboard feature to type in some activities; an explanation on how to utilize this tool is also included. Figure 7: Acknowledgements The last part of the introduction includes acknowledgements, including the names of the collaborative team that developed the course and some copyright acknowledgements. The second part is the course content, which is divided into units and lessons. There also are some supplementary resources, such as glossaries, cultural information, and grammatical information.How are the distance language courses taught?The language and cultural instructors working for the Foreign Service Institute are assigned an average of 25 students. The courses span over 14 weeks; the students’ are provided with a syllabus and they generally have to cover a lesson per week. The language practice happens between the instructor and the student via telephone. All students have to pick a specific day and time to call the teacher for the quarter. There is some schedule flexibility and there are constant changes in the instructor’s schedule, which are reflected on the LMS calendar. The instructors have a weekly interaction with the students to complete the speaking task in most cases, and to review grammar or lexical topics if necessary. Generally, the instructors are contractors hired by the School of Languages. Some instructors work at the Foreign Service Institute and others telecommute. Due to the security measures on the FSI network, those who work on-site are unable to use some tools, such as Skype and any downloadable application. Additionally, teachers who work onsite has access to lab materials available to all language instructors at the Foreign Service Institute and could find appropriate resources to recommend to students. The clear differences between the onsite and telecommuting instructors create training barriers because there are two distinct teaching contexts within one distance language teaching department. It is recommendable that the Department makes adequate accommodations for all instructors to work at a distance or to work on-site to reduce the differences among the instructors’ access to technology. Moreover, the training the instructors receive on their weekly meetings could address similar problems and create less division among the instructors. This decision would have to be made by the upper management and due to on-site space and conditions not all teachers are able to work from the Foreign Service Institute. Additionally, some technologies may not be used even if the instructor has access to them and students may be in countries where the Internet speed is too slow or the security rules at the embassy or consulate forbid their accessing the tool. The language and cultural instructors must be ready to teach with no technology other than the phone. Why the phone?Historically, the phone has been used to teach distance learning courses because security restrictions prohibit a webcam installation in any State Department computer or the download of programs such as Skype. Even though technology has advanced greatly in the past few decades, the phone remains relevant and appropriate in this context. To improve the use of the phone during classes, the language and cultural instructors blend different tools such as the chat in the learning management system to share messages and to provide corrections for the students. Security measures have made it difficult for instructors to use some other tools to communicate synchronously with the students. Nonetheless, talking on the phone without an image sets a more comfortable environment, especially for introverted students. Weekly telephone conversations reinforce a close teacher-student relationship and also encourage the students to communicate without relying on body language, a common aid for learners in face-to-face language teaching. Additionally, rescheduling a phone call is easier than setting up another synchronous interaction; the teacher and the student only need to pick up the phone and begin with class immediately. Moreover, phone conversations permit the student and the instructor to have equal participation during the individual session and the teacher can adapt his/her accent and tone of voice to simulate different speaking scenarios to reenact with students. The telephone may not be the latest technology in the market available to teach a language, but it serves its purpose within the objectives of distance language courses. It will take time and changes in the security policies at American embassies to allow other technologies for language training purposes. The DL program has used the telephone satisfactorily as a primary tool of communication between teachers and students. Weaknesses of the Distance Language program at the Foreign Service InstituteThe Office of Inspector General prepared a report in 2013 based on interviews conducted at the Foreign Service Institute in 2012. The report highlights the strengths and weaknesses of this particular office. The inspectors gather and assess information through interviews with employees and supervisors; they also direct observation of the environment. The inspectors interviewed all direct-hire staff and selected contractors in the 5 l largest language programs which are Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. The inspectors asked open ended questions and allowed the interviewees to express their concerns and suggestions at the end of a 20 minute interview with each employee. This report concludes that the Foreign Service Institute has not defined the goals of language learning programs and has not tracked their effectiveness. This observation from the inspector general requires action beyond distance language learning specialists who work with teachers and students who take the courses. Even though this recommendation cannot be solved within the department, it will facilitate introspection and self-evaluation within the staff.In her report, Instructional Need Analysis Dora S. Chanesman cited that the language and cultural instructors needed training in the following areas:Teaching skillsTechnology skillsCommunication skillsOrganizational skillsThe following diagram describes these skills in greater detail. The Distance Language Specialists know that training is the best way to tackle the issues. Kristen Mulligan, the distance language specialist, holds weekly meetings where teachers share best practices on the listed skills. However, the DL department should consider professional training that will allow the instructors to reflect on their current skills and to incorporate research-based proposals, such as the best practices listed in the beginning of this article. Another way to provide high-quality training is to reach out to the Professional Development Division at the Foreign Service Institute. The School of Languages offers has face-to-face training for the rest of the instructors who teach on site. Unfortunately, the instructors who work at a distance cannot attend these sessions because of their class commitments. Perhaps the DL department and the Professional -285750315277500Development division could formulate a plan specifically for distance language instructors. Figure 8: Detailed findingsWhat are the DL program’s weaknesses according to the students and teachers?Students and teachers fill out a questionnaire at the end of every term, although their participation is not mandatory. The students who complete the survey suggest changes they desire in the course. On the other hand, teachers must answer the questionnaire. They are asked their opinion about the weaknesses of FSI’s Distance Learning Language program. The following chart summarizes the most prevalent observations from the students and the teachers. The following chart describes briefly the most palpable changes the Distance Language Program needs to address. This list summarizes the results from the student and teacher end of training questionnaire from the spring of 2014. 202 out of 735 total students responded to the survey and 32 instructors responded to the questionnaire. Students’ opinions Teachers’ opinions There is a lack of intermediate language courses in world languages. The reading content is extremely advanced for some students.One weekly phone conversation is not enough, especially for super hard languages for Anglophobes. There isn’t enough time to have at least two sessions per week with each student.There is a need for concrete grammatical study guides and summary of vocabulary for the whole course. The number of students makes it hard for teachers to schedule makeup hours. MAC users cannot access most courses due to compatibility issues. There is a need to develop supplementary material, but there is no time to do it. The reading content for some courses is outdated.Courses need to be updated. Students wish all teachers had access to Skype or FaceTime. There is a need for more training in technology and a site to share best practices. Most of the program’s deficiencies cited by students and teachers in the end-of-training questionnaire, match each other’s opinions. Flexibility to hold more than one weekly phone call with each student seems to be the greatest obstacle. Scheduling is difficult in the DL program because students are working and taking the course at the same time. They need to reschedule constantly and teachers have very little availability to do makeup hours. The number of students each instructor is assigned depends on the demand for the course, and some students drop due to work and family commitments. The DL program supervisors believe that adding an extra hour will only complicate the scheduling. The Distance Language program is part of the continuing education and students feel that teachers should have more time to reschedule classes. The second biggest challenge is the course materials. Students want more variety and up-to-date materials. The teachers also are aware of the need develop more up-to-date content and take it upon themselves to try to solve this situation. However, there are no clear guidelines for content development and teachers do their best to develop supplementary materials. The lack of congruency in content development may cause more work for teachers, and students may not be receiving quality supplementary materials.Recommendations for the Distance Language Program at the Foreign Service InstituteThe following recommendations are based on the best practices in different teaching and learning styles cited above. Additionally, some of the needs identified through the distance learning (DL) surveys from students and instructors are discussed. These suggestions will allow those individuals involved in the supervisory level to decide what is feasible at this moment. The intent is to promote a procedural change that will encourage the institution to generate a plan, decide which resources are available, and to consider other variables to implement the necessary changes.The need for designing supplementary materialThe instructors and the students both have expressed the need to update content in the language courses. Perhaps updating all courses may not be an option for the Distance Language Program. However, there is also a palpable need to design supplementary materials for most courses.? The learners have expressed the desire to have more challenging activities, perhaps because the content is considerably easy. Designing supplementary materials for the intermediate level learners may alleviate the current need to have more suitable levels for students. Designing supplementary materials in foreign language courses is not an easy task and the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) relies heavily on homegrown developed material because, in some cases, commercial materials do not satisfy the learners’ needs. American diplomats learn languages to communicate mostly in professional settings and as a result the content has to be tailored to their professional setting abroad.?According to Dora Chanesman (2013) in her report Proposed Plan for Distance Learning Mentors, she learned from her interviews with instructors at the DL program that most of them make time to develop supplementary materials. The effort of the instructors is not in question; however,?the instructors should follow clear guidelines and should have standards when designing new activities or informational resources for the students. No such standards are currently implemented. While the teachers have students’ best interests in mind the outcome of such laborious tasks may not help the students in the best ways possible.In his book Language Curriculum Design, John Macalister (2010) offers a simple format for curriculum design that could be used by instructors at the Distance Language Program.Goals List goals and objectives for each lessonContent and sequencing Decide on the number and size of lessons Choose the ideas of the contentChoose language contentConsider students’ current proficiency and wantsChoose high frequency language itemsStart with the most useful language itemsSeparate opposite and closely related itemsVary repetitionsFormat and Presentation Decide on the presentation form for the materialChoose suitable activities to improve the four language competenciesDecide on the lesson format and fit the activities into the lessonProduce materialPrepare a teachers’ and learners’ guideMonitoring, Assessing and Evaluating Decide the measurability and observability of objectives Decide how to evaluate the developed material and revise it after the evaluation The listed steps are a simple guide to produce quality materials for students to expand their knowledge and to provide students with more levels of learning. Following a framework to develop supplementary materials will also promote uniformity and similar quality across languages.Best practices in the Distance Learning Program at FSILarry Ragan (2008), Robert Thiede (2012), and Cynthia White (2003) propose holistic ideas to promote in DL classrooms. Lamentably, the FSI is not a regular school. The teachers and students face security restrictions; therefore, fewer opportunities exist for asynchronous and synchronous individual and group activities. The students and teachers communicate by phone once a week on at individual sessions. The Learning Management System includes features such as chat, forums, and a resource list to external websites with grammar explanations and readings in most cases.The use of forums and discussions is not a priority for the teacher at the DL program because there are strict security measures that discourage students from sharing and dialoguing. E-portfolios and blogs are also not common within the program. Security and confidentiality are huge concerns in the State Department and, regrettably, these best practices cannot be implemented. The teachers working in the DL program strive for quality and try to communicate with students before the beginning of the semester and send out a welcome letter and distribute a syllabus that explains the course structure for each language. The instructors also provide support, especially at the beginning of the semester when students are less familiar with distance language learning. The teachers keep track of students’ participation since the language courses offered are part of continued education and do not require a grade; there is a minimum requirement of 80% course completion. Language and cultural instructors do not have to submit grades; they only have to submit completion assessments. With the restrictions faced by instructors, students find the individual attention to be an asset to the program and feel encouraged to continue improving their language skills. Larry Ragan (2008) emphasizes the need to prepare students for learning online and the Distance Language Program does not have a formal orientation for students. A proposal is to make a video for all the students to communicate general guidelines such as who to contact in case of technical problems, how to use the Learning Management System, and to explain the general expectations the teachers have for students and the time commitment to successfully complete their language course. Robert Thiede (2012) also indicates that the use of simulations and case studies encourage students to be analytical and promote problem-solving skills. The DL program should also study the feasibility to develop more job-related courses for both Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Specialists. A need analysis should to be implemented. Nonetheless, there is a huge benefit for students, like State Department employees, who are seeking professional proficiency.The need for tailored training for language and cultural instructors working in the Distance Learning Program The School of Language Studies at the FSI is privileged to have the Curriculum and Staff Development (CSD) Division. The division’s mission is to assist and improve the quality of language teaching and learning in the School of Language Studies through faculty training and student development. There are specific training needs for the language instructors working from a distance, especially feedback, time management, and business English. In order for instructors to use best practices recommended by the different authors cited in this paper, they need specialized attention form the CSD Division. According to the National Council State Supervisors for Languages (2014), institutions must promote the use of best practices in foreign language learning and training and should train the instructors in course management, course organization, and technical support. The CSD Division could train instructors using Adobe Connect which is used through the FSI to have meetings at a distance. The training would have to accommodate the teachers’ hectic schedules and meet their needs as distance language teachers. Most teachers who work at the DL program have considerable experience teaching face-to-face. It is important that the distance learning DL specialist who is in charge of the training reminds language and cultural instructors how distance language teaching differs from face-to-face instruction. Teachers tend to replicate what has worked for them throughout their career, and it is complicated to understand all the instruction implications that come with DL. The FSI’s role is to train teachers to educate in congruence with Distance Education and also to use technology as a medium for effective teaching. There may be teachers who may not be able to perform all these competencies to perfection; however, adequate training and time to become familiar with a new environment should encourage teachers to transition smoothly and provide quality instruction.Time management: An organizational issueBest practices are methods and techniques that promote a holistic learning environment. However, if teachers know about best practices but do not have time to develop supplementary materials and to mentor and advise students, promoting best practices seems useless. There is an evident desire from students to have more than one weekly phone session with their instructor. Teachers also have expressed the desire to have more individual interactions with students. It may be possible for the DL program to hire more instructors who would teach more than one course in the most popular languages to help those teachers who have more than 25 students every week. Languages such as French, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic have a wide variety of courses that could allow teachers to teach different courses to redistribute students if necessary. It is important to clarify that it is common for students to drop out of language courses and it may not be cost effective to implement this proposal for every language.These recommendations represent the desires and opinions from students and instructors and depict an ideal for the Distance Language Program. Additionally, the best practices discussed in this section of this paper demonstrate the need to continue improving distance language teaching and learning within this department. Nonetheless, the Distance Language Program continues to thrive in a very challenging teaching setting due to the nature of the context. Teachers, training specialists, and administrators in upper management should come together to elaborate an action plan to improve the overall program.ConclusionTeachers at a distance face different challenges and encounter a unique teaching setting. Best practices represent a valuable resource to implement researched based methods in distance language teaching. Distance language teaching at the FSI is an opportunity for many American diplomats to acquire and to improve language proficiency. The DL program has a good reputation with students around the world. Supervisors should take advantage of the opportunities and challenges in the DL arena to continue providing cutting-edge language courses. Language and cultural instructors are at the front line of the program and should be aware and willing to provide quality teaching. Best practices and teacher training are two effective ways to improve the program. The intention to present proposals for designing new supplementary materials and to integrate more professional training for instructors getting the CSD involved are necessary to provide a quality service to the students. Indirectly, the Distance Language Program at the FSI contributes to the mission of the State Department which is to advance the interests of the American people abroad. ReferencesDiplomacy?State. (n.d.). Retrieved from . (2009). ILR 101. Washington, DC: Author Foreign Service Institute. (2013). Proposed plan for distance learning mentors. Washington, DC: Author. Foreign Service Institute. (2013). Instructional need analysis final report. Washington, DC: Author. Lamy, M., & Hampel, R. (2007).?Online communication in language learning and teaching. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance education: A systems view (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.Nation, I., & Macalister, J. (2010).?Language curriculum design. New York: Routledge.NCSSFL position statement on distance learning in foreign languages. (2014, January 1). Retrieved June 1, 2014, from , J., Moore, S., & Young, S. (2010, April). Evidence-based, student-centered instructional practices. Retrieved from , L. (2008). Best practices in online teaching. Retrieved from 5610cb10f9da/1/OnlineEdu.pdfThiede, R. (2012). Best practices with online courses. [Online submission]. Retrieved from States Department of State. (2013). Inspection of the Foreign Service Institute. Washington, DC: Author. White, C. (2003). Language learning in distance education. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (2005). Today’s standards for teaching and learning in America’s schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ................
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