NASILP Components:

The Program Coordinator

The coordinator or director is the key to optimal functioning of all elements of a NASILP program. The following questions address some of the important issues.

Click each sound icon below to hear the questions answered by NASILP Executive Director Emeritus John B. Means. Click on each question to link to a textual summary of each respective answer.

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John Means with Virginia Marcus

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Is it the coordinator's job to provide any special direction for the students, other than the usual information regarding the textbooks and related materials?
What are some features of the self-directed learner?
How are prospective tutors identified and selected? Are tutors likely to be local college students?
After the tutors are recruited, how are they introduced to their tutorial role?
After their orientation, is it reasonable to expect tutors to do their job without a lot of supervision?
Since program coordinators probably aren't specialists in any of the languages offered through the NASILP program, how do they know which texts to select?
Wouldn't it be best for the students to use whichever text the examiner uses at his or her campus?
Will appropriate pacing become obvious when I see the recommended text?
Since self-instructional learners need all the support we can give them, do the coordinator and/or the tutor add extra materials for enrichment, or create their own cultural supplements?
Is it okay to modify the sequence in which the approved materials are presented, or to omit less important chapters in order to cover the text more expeditiously?
What if the tutor - who is a native-speaker, after all - doesn't feel comfortable with something in the text, or knows how to say something "in a better way?"
Can the coordinator assume that the examiner is well acquainted with the text we've selected?
How does the coordinator locate new examiners for languages being added to the program?
What if there is no conveniently located examiner NASILP can identify for a particular language?
Is it necessary to obtain the services of an examiner for our students every semester?
What should the coordinator include in the program's budget, in addition to expenses related to the examiners?


Q.
Is it the coordinator's job to provide any special direction for the students, other than the usual information regarding the textbooks and related materials?

A.
Students rarely come into a NASILP program with an accurate understanding of what's expected of them. It is the coordinator's responsibility to provide each potential learner with an understanding of all that's involved in being one's own "self-instructional" teacher.

Q.
What are some features of the self-directed learner?

A.
  1. A long-term commitment to self-disciplined study of the language.
  2. Good study habits are essential (learning material prior to each tutorial).
  3. The regular (daily) use of audio & video materials is central, not peripheral.
  4. English is not the language of instruction, and is very seldom used in tutorial sessions.

Q.
How are prospective tutors identified and selected? Are tutors likely to be local college students?

A.
At many schools, it's typical for tutors to be drawn from among the college's international students, but well-qualified native-speakers from the community may be a satisfactory alternative if no qualified speakers of the language in question are students on your campus.
(See also the section on "The Tutor.")

Q.
After the tutors are recruited, how are they introduced to their tutorial role?

A.
Once the tutors have been carefully selected, the coordinator will provide orientation on the role they will play. Tutors should watch the appropriate orientation videos with their students and the program coordinator, and then be given a copy of the corresponding study guides.

Q.
After their orientation, is it reasonable to expect tutors to do their job without a lot of supervision?

A.
Tutors should never be left to their own devices. Weekly monitoring of each tutor's activity is essential, and should require, at the very least, a brief weekly oral report and accurate attendance records which note the degree to which each student was prepared for each day's work.

Q.
Since program coordinators probably aren't specialists in any of the languages offered through the NASILP program, how do they know which texts to select?

A.
Selection of materials - text, tapes, videos, CD-ROM, and so forth - is critically important, and coordinators should turn to the NASILP Secretariat for text recommendations. This is one of the principal services the association provides to all member schools.
(See also the section on "The Text.")

Q.
Wouldn't it be best for the students to use whichever text the examiner uses at his or her campus?

A.
It's never safe to assume that the text preferred for classroom-based instruction is necessarily the best choice for self-accessed language-learning. NASILP may recommend using the same texts that an examiner uses. On the other hand, materials that are ideal for the professor's classroom environment may be poorly suited to the particular needs of self-directed learning. Also, NASILP will be able to tell you the best sources for obtaining the recommended textual and related A/V materials.

Q.
Will appropriate pacing become obvious when I see the recommended text?

A.
Probably not. There are many factors that contribute to determining how much material students should cover, including such considerations as the length of term, number of tutorial sessions scheduled, and the amount of academic credit students receive for the course. The examiner can offer valuable guidance, as can NASILP, too.

Q.
Since self-instructional learners need all the support we can give them, do the coordinator and/or the tutor add extra materials for enrichment, or create their own cultural supplements?

A.
To the contrary, it is never wise to supplement the recommended text (and related materials) with anything that's not part of the package. Pieces of other textbooks or home-grown hand-outs aren't helpful, especially when your examiner is designing the semester's exams based on the assigned text.

Q.
Is it okay to modify the sequence in which the approved materials are presented, or to omit less important chapters in order to cover the text more expeditiously?

A.
No. It is never wise to modify the texts in any way -- by making deletions or additions, or even by rearranging the materials. The text and its companion A/V items constitute an instructional package that shouldn't be "fixed." There is a pedagogical logic to the sequencing of materials, and nothing should be regarded as expendable or replaceable.

Q.
What if the tutor - who is a native-speaker, after all - doesn't feel comfortable with something in the text, or knows how to say something "in a better way?"

A.
There is a pedagogical reason for every structural and vocabulary item in the text. There will almost certainly be occasions when a tutor would prefer to say something - or explain something - differently. We all have our own (or our region's) way of saying things, but the tutor's idiosyncratic preferences can't be permitted to become a part of the curriculum.

Q.
Can the coordinator assume that the examiner is well acquainted with the text we've selected?

A.
Probably -- but professors aren't necessarily acquainted with every text that's available -- so ask if your examiner has a copy of all the text materials that the students are using and knows the pacing for each level of instruction. A week or two before the exam, it is always a good idea to reconfirm exactly which lessons or units each tutorial group is responsible for knowing.
(See also the section on "The Examiner.")

Q.
How does the coordinator locate new examiners for languages being added to the program?

A.
First, you should contact NASILP. Depending on your school's location and the language in question, the association's Secretariat may be able to provide you with some useful references. Depending on how commonly a language is taught in American colleges/universities, the NASILP Secretariat may be able to refer you to an examiner at a conveniently located university. For the least commonly taught languages, there may be only one or two examiners in the association's national network. This may require that the program bring an examiner to your campus from a greater distance than anticipated.

Q.
What if there is no conveniently located examiner NASILP can identify for a particular language?

A.
If NASILP has no suggestions for a near-by examiner, the coordinator has three choices:

  1. If professors of the language simply do not exist in North America, you may not be able to offer the language.

  2. At a conveniently located university where the language in question is taught, one might be able to locate a professor willing to become a NASILP examiner. In such instances, you would need to provide information (readily available from the association) on the function of NASILP examiners and the special characteristics of prochievement testing.

  3. If the issue is simply one of distance, a coordinator probably would be well advised to arrange for an examiner's travel, lodging, etc., even though it may cost the program more than had been budgeted. It is hazardous to impose inordinate austerity in this area of the program's budget.

Q.
Is it necessary to obtain the services of an examiner for our students every semester?

A.
Yes, at least once, at the end of each term. Many programs also bring examiners to their campus for mid-term testing as well, for a briefer exam.

Q.
What should the coordinator include in the program's budget, in addition to expenses related to the examiners?

A.
That is a question best answered in writing, which you should solicit from the NASILP secretariat. There are many budgetary components: tutors, examiners, and your own time are important factors. In addition, there are such recurring costs as association dues and attendance at the annual two-day meeting of NASILP each fall, in Washington.

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