International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Program
Linley Jones Named ITA Program Interim-Director
Linley Jones is a new ESL Instructor and the Interim Director of the International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Workshop. Linley completed her undergraduate education at Texas Tech and then moved to Amman, Jordan where she taught English and managed a language center. She later spent time in Fort Worth, TX working in a refugee resettlement. Most recently, Linley returned to Texas Tech and completed the Master of Arts program in Languages and Cultures with a focus in Applied Linguistics in May 2015, and is now an Instructor of ESL. She enjoys Middle Eastern cuisine and Arabic music. She is looking forward to getting to know her colleagues in CMLL.
Texas Tech ITA Program Expands Assessment Opportunities
The Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures manages the Texas Tech ITA Program under the direction of Linley Jones, M.A, ITA Interim-Director, Greta Gorsuch, Ph. D., Director of Assessments, and Carla Burrus, M.A., Coordinator.
Skype Interviews
The 2015 ITA Program conducted Skype Interviews on May 8 & 22, and June 12, 2015. As a result of the Skype interview English proficiency assessments, 25 new international teaching assistants were exempted from participation in the ITA Summer Workshop and were awarded approval to teach in the classroom beginning in the fall.
2015 ITA Summer Workshop
One hundred and eight graduate students representing the following departments: Architecture, Biology, Chemistry, CMLL, COBA, Computer Science, Economics, Finance, Geosciences, HDFS, HRM, Engineering, Math & Statistics, Music, Nutritional Science, and Physics, participated in the 2015 ITA Summer Workshop from July 20-August 7, 2015. A rich and diverse cultural ambiance pervaded the workshop with representations from: Bangladesh, Chile, China, Columbia, Egypt, Eritrea, France, India, Iran, Istanbul, Jordan, Korea, Libya, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia, S. Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
The workshop opened with a warm welcome from Dr. Clifford Fedler, Sr. Associate Academic Dean, Graduate School.
During the 3 week workshop, students received excellent preparation and training from 6 qualified instructors and 3 teaching assistants. English proficiency and readiness for the classroom were assessed pursuant to the State mandate in the Texas Education code (Chapter 51.917) and the Texas Tech University OP 64.03. Each candidate is assessed with 3 tests: Speak Test, Listening Test, and a Performance Test.
Candidates profited from arriving early to campus by learning about the vast graduate resources offered at Texas Tech during a tour of the library and a demonstration of how to use the Data Base. A writing workshop presented by Dr. Kristin Messuri, a Non-verbal Behavioral Clinic conducted by Dr. Bob Chanda and his team, and several short courses provided by the ATLC, the TLPDC, and Instructor Janie McNutt will aid the candidates' integration into Texas Tech, Lubbock, and American culture. Students also had the opportunity to make new friends at 2 social events: A Meet and Greet in Urbanovsky Park for watermelon and sand volleyball hosted by CMLL, and an Ice Cream Social and Scavenger Hunt hosted by the Center for Campus Life with Dr. Elizabeth Massengale.
Post ITA Workshop Special Interviews
Special interviews were conducted on August 18 for 15 newly-arriving candidates who were unable to participate in the summer workshop due to visa or personal issues or late admissions to the graduate school.
Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures
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Address
CMLL Building, 2906 18th St, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
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