Our Services

The CLC’s primary mission is to serve the needs of instructors who teach a diverse array of languages across different departments within the university. We provide a variety of services to support all aspects of language instruction, from equipment and classroom space to professional development and social events.

Read on for a quick tour of the many ways in which we are here for you!

Using the Language Center Facilities

Room Reservations

The CLC has classroom spaces of various size on the second floor of Cobb Hall that can be reserved for office hours, drill or discussion sessions, or any other instructional needs.

Any discussion sections, drills, or other supplemental meetings not listed with the Registrar must be requested through Rod Edwards via email at redwards@uchicago.edu. Please include the name of the course, meeting time(s), and number of students or participants. We will not start assigning rooms to these requests until Week 2, after all courses have had a chance to meet. Rooms will be assigned on a first come first served basis.

Equipment Borrowing

The CLC has a variety of equipment that language instructors are free to borrow for on-campus use, including laptop computers, iPads, VGA and HDMI adapters, video cameras, and more. Equipment can be checked out at the front desk and is expected back by the end of the day.

Printing

The CLC offers printing, copying, and scanning services for language instructors. Contact Rod Edwards at redwards@uchicago.edu to set up your printing code. Please note that different departments have different policies on how they fund printing, so be sure to check with your department administrator first.

Black and white printing and copying is 7.5¢ per page and color printing/copying 14¢ per page, with a discount of .5¢ per double-sided page.

Pedagogical and Professional Support

Multimedia and Technology Assistance

The Language Center can help instructors with multimedia and technology in a number of ways: creating new audiovisual materials, utilizing Canvas most effectively, troubleshooting classroom equipment, and finding new ways to incorporate online tools and resources into language courses. Contact Nick Swinehart at nswinehart@uchicago.edu for questions about Canvas or creating new materials, or Rod Edwards at redwards@uchicago.edu for questions about classroom equipment.

Language Assessment Expertise

Since its creation in 2016, the Office of Language Assessment has been continuously growing to serve the University’s critical language pedagogy and assessment needs. For instructors, this can include anything from assistance with informal, formative classroom assessment to formalized, university-wide summative assessments. The OLA strives to use theoretical frameworks that lead to assessment-driven curricular and pedagogical practices. Visit their website at languageassessment.uchicago.edu or contact them via email at languageassessment@uchicago.edu.

Professional Development

One key aspect of the CLC’s mission is to provide varied and ongoing professional development opportunities for the UChicago language community. We do this by offering our own workshops throughout each quarter, hosting occasional webinar “watch parties,” and helping instructors find opportunities to attend conferences.

We strongly encourage instructors to hold their own workshops or presentations where they share aspects of how they teach with their peers. Visit our CLC Workshops page for details and be sure to check our Calendar for upcoming events.

The CLC and the Office of Language Assessment (OLA) are also in the middle of a massive, multi-faceted program called the Language Pedagogy Innovation Initiative (LPII), which combines professional development, test development, and course development/re-alignment. Visit the OLA website to learn more.

Visit our page of Professional Development Resources to access information about upcoming professional meetings, funding opportunities, and further sources of support, both on campus and beyond.

Events and Materials that Promote Enrollment in Language Courses

The CLC helps promote language study and the visibility of language programs at UChicago through:

• Language fairs such as the Universe of Languages during Orientation Week and What in the World Can I Do with Language Study in May.
• Administering Foreign Language Proficiency Certifications for Practical and Advanced proficiency through the Office of Language Assessment.
• Creating videos that illustrate language-learning success stories or introduce our languages and instructors, then sharing them on our homepage and on social media.

We also hold social events periodically throughout the year so that language instructors can get to know one another and keep in touch. Check our Calendar for upcoming events!