Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures University of Toronto
Prof. Erol Boran and Prof. Hang-Sun Kim, two of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures’ most dedicated and accomplished teachers, have been awarded a two-year International Student Experience Fund (ISEF) grant.
Underwritten by the Office of the Vice President, International, the grant will support their project, entitled “Targeted Support for International Students: Multilingual German Workspace to Enhance Third-Language Acquisition.”
In-bound students make up a large proportion of language learners in our first-year language classes. They enrich the learning experience in many ways and are typically some of our best students. Nonetheless, international students face special challenges in the German classroom, and Professors Kim and Boran have researched and developed a strategy to help them succeed. Their project will provide international students with the skills they need to navigate a multi-lingual learning environment and potentially unfamiliar learning culture. These skills will benefit international students beyond the language learning context and help them excel in their other courses as well. Finally, the program has benefits for domestic students, providing mentoring opportunities on the one hand, but also allowing them to learn from international students.