Professional Certificate in Language Program Administration
Program Curriculum
The Professional Certificate in Language Program Administration is a 300 hour online program (30 Continuing Education Units) designed to be completed over two semesters. By the end of the program, learners will be able to:
- Build and review proposals of course materials and curricula for world language, bilingual education, dual immersion, study abroad and ESOL programs at the elementary, secondary and higher education levels.
- Conduct classroom observations of language instructional practice and provide meaningful support for the teachers in implementing recommendations.
- Plan and formulate language program evaluations by interviewing stakeholders and analyzing program documents to assess program needs and future directions.
- Design and justify a business plan for a language program while integrating best legal, marketing and budgeting practices for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.
Learners begin in the fall semester and complete the program at the end of the following spring semester. Each course lasts for 7 weeks and learners will take one course at a time.
Course requirements are as follows:
Curriculum Design and Review
In this course, participants will learn about curriculum design and review for primary, secondary and higher education world language, ESL, bilingual education and dual immersion programs. They will learn about instructional design principles of developing learning outcomes and measurable assessments that align with the program’s mission. By exploring examples of curricula from their own educational contexts, they will learn to assess and develop a curriculum map for their program. Lastly, the course will emphasize the analysis of course materials like textbooks with a critical eye for accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusion and concepts of modern language pedagogy.
Leadership & Teacher Supervision
In this course, participants will learn about principles of leadership for language program administration. Specifically, participants will learn about how to supervise, evaluate and create in-service professional learning opportunities for world language, ESL and bilingual educators. They will design professional development for language educators, conduct instructor observations/evaluations and provide meaningful feedback and create mentor/mentee opportunities for language educator support. The course will also highlight the role of a language teaching supervisor as an advocate for equity and inclusivity, especially with regard to the recruitment, retention and support of educators from minoritized backgrounds and multilingual/multivarietal language educators.
Language Program Evaluation
In this course, participants will learn the administrative skill of conducting internal and external language program evaluations for world language and ESL settings. Participants will be introduced to the standards of a variety of professional language organizations that schools use to build their language programs, including the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) and Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Participants will learn about the different approaches and methods for conducting language program evaluations and will analyze the findings of several case studies. Ultimately, participants will conduct their own language program evaluation by interviewing stakeholders (i.e., administrators, teachers, participants and parents) and analyzing program documents (i.e., mission, program requirements) to determine program needs and future directions.
Language Program Management and Administration
In this course, participants will learn about administrative, operational and programmatic aspects of language program leadership including organizational structure & identity, funding & budgeting, operations management and key performance indicators. This course will also include applied examples of budgeting, planning and personnel management. Participants will ultimately develop an “Operational Plan” for a program related to ESL, bilingual education, dual immersion or world language.