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Immersion Programsat the

Defense Language InstituteDLIFLC, USA

Betty Lou Leaver, PhD, ProvostDetlev Kesten, Associate Provost for

Academic Support(as presented by Steve Henly – Swedish National Defence College – at the

BILC Professional Seminar, Stockholm October 2013)

OCONUS Immersion: Overview

From August 2005 to July 25, 2013:

• 234 OCONUS programs • 2,071 participants• 16 countries/regions• 70 +% for Arabic, Chinese and Korean

No. of Events 59 Korea 41 China 25 Egypt 27 Ukraine 13 Jordan 16 Puerto Rico 24 Morocco 10 Taiwan 5 Turkey 3 Tajikistan 3 Russia 3 France 2 Chile 1 Costa Rica 1 Philippines 1 India(Inactive sites )

OCONUS: ILO Responsibilities

• Pre-program: – Identify and set up new sites (Embassy guidance, site visit)– Student selection (academic and military conduct)– Curriculum development– Pre-departure briefings– Country Clearance, Funding Request– Travel arrangement (DTS, international and domestic transportation)

• During-program: – Daily SITREP

• Post-program:– Documentation of students’ progress

• Pre- and post-immersion Diagnostic Assessment (DA) tests• End of course DLPT scores• OCONUS self-assessment questionnaire• After Action Reports

– Quality control and program improvement

A Typical OCONUS Program

• Program Length:– 4-6 weeks for Basic Course students

• China and Korea: 6 weeks• Other countries: 4 weeks

– 2-4 weeks for Intermediate/Advanced students• New program: 2 weeks• Established programs: 3-4 weeks

• Group Composition:– Group of 10, including a Group Leader (MLI or highest-rank

student)

• Time to attend OCONUS immersion– Usually at the beginning of the 3rd semester

• Intensive language and culture instruction/training (30-35 hours/week)

• Daily homework (1-2 hours)• Field trips/Guest lectures (more in-depth discussions with

local professionals in area study contents)• Cultural excursions (weekend day trips)

• Home-stay in most countries (Korea, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Ukraine…)

• On/off campus student housing (dorm, apartments) (China, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Jordan…)

OCONUS CurriculumBasic Course

• Academic experience emulates that of a native student– Same lectures as native students (language not adjusted)– In university classrooms with university professors– Lunch & free time spent on campus with university students

• Academic support– DLIFLC teacher accompanies & assists with strategies for intensive

reading (up to 20 pages per day, authentic ILR Level 4-5)– Native students as peer tutors and big brothers/sisters

• Daily homework (1-2 hours)• Field trips on topics related to curriculum

– e.g., Jordan: tribal law lecture, field trip to law office & to sheikh– Weekend excursions to cultural artificacts

• Home-stay in most countries

OCONUS CurriculumIntermediate/Advanced Courses

OCONUS FY12 and FY13

FY12 FY13 (Planned)

Country Events Ss Country Events Ss

Korea 10 97 Morocco 15 150

Morocco* 9 90 Korea 13 130

China 6 75 Ukraine 8 80

Puerto Rico 7 60 Puerto Rico 7 70

Ukraine 7 46 Taiwan 7 70

Taiwan* 4 33 China 6 60

Tajikistan (P-F) 2 18 Jordan 2 20

Turkey 2 15 Turkey 1 10

France/Morocco 1 10

TOTAL 47 434 TOTAL 60 600* New sites

Effect of Immersion: Increased Language Proficiency

• Basic course immersion students outperform others: – At 2/2/1+, 92% (immersion) vs. 78% (non-immersion)– At 2+/2+/2, 41% (immersion) vs. 33% (non-immersion) – Immersion group is 14% higher in listening comprehension

• Intermediate & Advanced students typically gain ½ proficiency point in all four skills, as determined by diagnostic assessment, in 2-4 weeks

• Immersion effect detected after a 4-week stay in country for basic course, 2-4 weeks for I/A students (researchers usually call for 6-12 months to detect effect)

1. Confidence in using the language 3.622. Motivation in using the language 3.603. Understanding culture 3.604. Improving overall proficiency 3.585. Taking linguistic risks 3.566. Less anxiety in speaking to NS 3.55 7. Using communication strategies 3.538. Tolerance of linguistic unknown 3.399. Using available resources for learning 3.2410. Making decisions about learning 3.18

4 = maximum benefits, 1 = minimum benefits

OCONUS Self-Assessment Results (N=1,110)

Projected OCONUS FundingFY11 – FY15

YEAR Students $ Per Student

DLI Base Increase(RMD 700)

TOTAL

FY10 170 $6,470 $1.1M $1.1M

FY11 298 $7,053 $1.1M $1.1M $2.2M

FY12 400 $7,323 $1.1M $2.2M $3.3M

FY13 520 $7,673 $1.1M $3.4M $4.5M

FY14 650 $7,777 $1.1M $4.6M $5.7M

FY15 650 $8,051 $1.1M $4.7M $5.8M

FY11 - FY15 TOTAL INCREASE (RMD 700) $16.0M

• Increase OCONUS participation from 5% to 20% of DLI students between FY11 and FY15, with RMD700 funding

• Establish new immersion sites to accommodate program growth

• Expand hosting capacity at established sites

• Enhance program quality

Future Plans:Maximize the Immersion Effect

FIELD TRAINING EXERCISES AT DLIFLC

FTX Overview(isolated immersion at DLI facility)

History:

• First 3-day iso-immersion conducted in 2003• Dedicated Immersion Facility in April 2006

Full implementation:

• FTX is part of the basic curriculum for Arabic, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Persian/Farsi

• Category IV languages conduct three events (Semester I, Semester II,

and Semester III)

• Other languages conduct one or two events in Semester II and Semester III

FTX Summary

Fiscal Year Number of Events Number of Students

2007 152 3,415

2008 183 3,713

2009 178 3,165

2010 213 3,688

2011 208 3,917

2012 252 4,295

FTX: ILO Responsibilities

• Pre-program– Scheduling

– Coordinating transportation, food, supplies

– Materials development and collection

– Assisting w/set-up

• During-Program– Student services

• Briefing, checking students in/out

• Picking up lunches

• Technology and emergency support

• Post-Program– Evaluation (collecting and analyzing ISOQs)

– Program Improvement

• On going– Facility maintenance

– Purchasing program supplies (office supplies and culture decorations)

• Target Language Only• Expansion of classroom learning• Military and FLO content• Simulating real life • Problem solving

(linguistic, cultural,

high-level thinking skills)

FTX Activities

Activities with Military Content

More military content since FY08. Sample topics:

– Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW), Humanitarian Relief Operation (HUMRO), or Non-combatant Evacuation (NEO)

– Military to Military Joint Exercises, Training, Exchange– Civil Affairs/ Reconstruction– Base Camp Assessment– Local Incidents

QuestionsImmersion Student Opinion Questionnaire (ISOQ)

DLI Mean (FY06-FY12)No. = 23,722

1. Used listening skills during FTX. 3.43

2. Used reading skills during FTX. 3.01

3. Used speaking skills during FTX. 3.63

4. Gained a better understanding of culture/language. 3.02

5. Spoke target language only. 3.14

6. Target language only policy was enforced. 3.28

7. Improved comprehension ability in conversations. 3.10

8. Increased speaking ability. 3.08

9. Increased confidence in speaking the language. 3.05

10. Reduced anxiety in speaking to native speakers. 3.14

Student Feedback

• “This one day was worth a month of classes because I was forced to communicate, rather than concentrate on being correct.” (Arabic Student)

• “I got back from my China immersion a week ago and this was a similar environment.” (Chinese student)

• “It was relieving to know that I can survive a day only in Chinese. I feel much more confident about speaking Chinese as a result.” (Chinese Student)

• “The investigation into the Lebanese weapon smuggling was thoroughly enjoyable and we were able to use all skills.” (Arabic Student)

FTX/Immersion: Student Feedback

• The immersion experience is far superior to normal classroom activities as far as experience gained compared to time and energy expended. If these kind of evolutions could be included more in the curriculum of the language program, it would be of immeasurable value to the language student. (Korean student)

• “I learned a lot about job related tasks and skills. It's refreshing to shy away from the textbook and experience challenging and job related activities.” (Korean Student)

Immersion Programsat the

Defense Language InstituteDLIFLC, USA

Betty Lou Leaver, PhD, ProvostDetlev Kesten, Associate Provost for

Academic Support(as presented by Steve Henly – Swedish National Defence College – at the

BILC Professional Seminar, Stockholm October 2013)