Focus on Language Workshops & Professional Development Sessions

Focus on Language Consulting provides professional development workshops tailored to address your needs, interests, and goals. As an expert in topics related to language learning and teaching, higher education, research, and holistic student success and retention, these workshops respond to the most pressing needs facing academia. Workshops and professional development events can be delivered in-person or virtually, depending on your institutional goals and objectives.

What to Expect:

  • an introductory meeting to talk about your overarching needs and wishes for the workshop or workshop series

  • continuing conversations to tailor workshop content to the intended goals, objectives, and outcomes of your team

  • virtual or in-person workshop delivery, based on your preferences and audience needs

To request or inquire about a Focus on Language workshop, please click below, and I’ll contact you to begin this process.

Here’s a little more information about Focus on Language consulting services. But remember, all workshops are tailored to meet your particular needs and goals.

  • How will you meet the learning objectives of your next cohort?

    I offer program and curriculum design services to support departments of any discipline, as well as divisions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and other academic entities in designing and developing programming and curricula that meet the learning and experiential needs of a cohort. I take a co-design approach to developing tailored programs and curricula that match the goals and needs of a department, unit, initiative, or grant.

    Services include:

    1. Course/Program Design: From scratch design of an entire course or program This includes the number of meeting sessions, topics to be covered, materials and resources, activities, and other elements like guest speakers. Design is grounded in researched best practices that elevate inclusion, access, scaffolding, and communication. I help you design your learning objectives, if you don’t already have them, and integrate them into every program component.

    2. Workshops: I host one or many workshops as a part of the program curriculum if you want me to lead certain content on which I’m the expert. These workshops can be a mixture of educational and professional development, as needed.

    3. Assessment: I develop pre and post surveys and other assessment metrics built into the program so you know how and why it’s working and are able to identify needs for responsive continuity of design. You want your programming to be effective - how will you know if you aren’t intentionally assessing? This is where many programs fail - due to lack of insights about what’s working and what’s not and a lack of metrics to share with stakeholders for funding support. I make sure you have these metrics in place from the beginning of program implementation.

    4. Training: I work with your faculty, staff, teaching assistants, or whoever else on your team to ensure seamless and collaborative program implementation.

    5. Retention Strategy Review: Analyzing the strategies currently in place to retain students. Identifying areas that need attention to improve long-term success and persistence.

    6. Advancement Strategy & Recommendations: Let’s be honest - funding is often a sticking point for educational initiatives. That’s why when I design programming, I look ahead to integrate a plan for continued funding and continuity of experience. If you’ll be in need of funding, I help you by developing a funding strategy, communications materials for marketing, reports for stakeholders, and recommendations for external funding opportunities relevant to your initiative.

    Don’t treat the design of your program or initiative as a quick poster board project. Your programs and initiatives are opportunities to engage and retain students, staff and faculty. When designed and implemented correctly, they can earn your department internal and external funding, awards, research and presentation opportunities. Ensure your team gets the most out of these efforts.

  • Engaging, Interactive Learning Experiences for Educators

    In today’s diverse classrooms, teachers need the skills and strategies to address various linguistic and cultural backgrounds effectively. My workshops and professional development sessions are designed to equip educators with practical, research-based techniques for fostering effective, engaging, and dynamic learning environments.

    Topics include:

    • Social Justice in the Language Classroom: Understanding and addressing the intersection of language learning and social justice to create impactful and effective course environments.

    • Technology for Language Teaching and Learning: Integrating digital tools and resources to enhance language instruction and student engagement. Topics include AI for language education, digital platforms, multimedia activities and assignments, virtual chat buddies, and more.

    I tailor these sessions to meet the specific needs of your department, course, and/or learners.

  • Innovative Solutions for Designing Dynamic Language Curricula

    Effective curriculum design is critical for successful language instruction. I support teachers, departments, and districts to develop, refine, and enhance language curricula, ensuring they are engaging, inclusive, and aligned with educational standards.

    Services include:

    • Curriculum Design: Creating comprehensive language programs that cater to diverse learner needs and goals.

    • Curriculum Evaluation: Assessing existing curricula to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

    • Cultural Integration: Incorporating cultural elements to enrich the learning experience and foster local and global awareness.

    • Textbook & Technology Integration: Incorporating relevant and effective tools to enhance your curricula and create continuity for both educators and learners.

    Integrating educational technology for language learning is a great way to leverage different tools to meet the interests and learning needs of your cohort. The key is to make sure you choose tools that are sustainable for you to manage and support learning rather than distract.

    Enhancing Language Learning through Digital Innovation

    • Advising on best practices and educational technology for language learning at different stages

    • Syllabus writing with technology integration

    • Lesson plan advising

    • Textbook & Technology integration and lesson plan mapping

    • Technology for Assessment

    • Apps, websites, and more.

  • How well is your department meeting the interests, needs, and goals of your students?

    I offer program evaluation services to support academic departments, divisions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and other academic entities in identifying areas of growth and opportunities for improvement. My approach focuses on analyzing student experiences to uncover key elements that might be missing in your department's programming, assessments, and curricula.

    Services include:

    1. Course Engagement Analysis: Evaluating course enrollment trends and student perspectives on offerings. Designing and disseminating student surveys to assess opportunities to increase retention and persistence across courses. The goal being to increase student engagement, major/minor declarations, and overall satisfaction and performance of students in your curricula.

    2. Holistic Inclusion Assessment: Exploring how the department fosters an environment of opportunity for students. Gauging feedback from the Course Engagement Analysis to identify recommendations that will elevate what’s working and identify ways to empower students to excel and feel welcomed.

    3. Improvement Plan Development: Based on the evaluation results, I collaborate with the department to develop targeted action plans that address areas of opportunity and ways to leverage identified strengths.

    Discover what's working and where your department can grow with a detailed program evaluation. Whether you’re wanting to increase enrollment in language courses, increase retention and major/minor declarations, address student performance and satisfaction, or redesign your course offerings with student focused insights, this consulting package provides a comprehensive perspective to guide continuous and sustainable improvement and success, not only for students but also for faculty and staff.