Emily Gillen Ballou

 

 

 

 

 

Email: eballou@ucalgary.ca

 

Department of French, Italian & Spanish

University of Calgary

Craigie Hall D317

2500 University Dr NW

Calgary, AB T2N 1N4

Canada

(403) 220-5296

 

EDUCATION

 

Ph.D.   Hispanic Literature & Linguistics

University of Massachusetts Amherst

September 2002

Major:  Applied Linguistics/Foreign Language Teaching Methods
Minor:  Hispanic Linguistics
Dissertation title: Teaching Language and Culture with Computer-mediated Communications Technologies

 

M.A.  Anthropology

University of Massachusetts Amherst

February 2000

Major: Cultural Anthropology
Thesis title:  Investigating attitudes about aging in relationship to housing and care alternatives for the

elderly of Burgos, Spain
Research conducted in Spain (see “GRANTS”)

 

B.A.     University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

May 1989

Major: Anthropology

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

Department of French, Italian & Spanish

University of Calgary

Calgary, Alberta

Assistant Professor of Spanish

 

Fall 2003 - present

s           Teach four courses annually (two upper level)

s           Coordinate Intermediate level Spanish

s           Latin American Field School Coordinator

 

Department of Spanish & Portuguese

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Lecturer of Spanish

Director of Language Program

Director of Master of Arts in Teaching Program (MAT)

 

Fall 2001 – Summer 2003

s           Taught four/five courses annually (two graduate level)

s           Supervision of 25-30 Teaching Associates and Coordinators, course materials selection, syllabi design

s           Presented teaching workshops throughout year

s           Advised MAT (Master’s in Teaching) students

s           Advised undergraduates for foreign language requirement with placement exams

 

Department of Romance Languages & Literatures
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Lecturer of Spanish

Language Program Director

 

Fall 2000 - Spring 2001

s           Supervision of 12 Teaching Assistants and Adjuncts of Spanish, Italian, and French

s           Course materials selection and syllabus design for lower level language courses

s           Presented bi-weekly teaching workshops

 

Department of Spanish & Portuguese

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Teaching Coordinator

s            Supervision of eleven instructors of intermediate Spanish

 

 

1998 - 2000

 

Teaching Associate

1994 - 2000

Assistant to Director

 Summer Program in Salamanca, Spain

1994 - 1997

 

Department of Anthropology

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Teaching Assistant

1994 - 1995

Assistant to Chair

1995 - 1996

 

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

 

Presentations:

 

“A virtual collaboration between students at the University of Calgary, Canada, and students at the Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador in Caracas, Venezuela,” with Brandee Strickland, BCNET: Lighting the Path, Connections for the Future, Simon Fraser University Harbour Ctr Vancouver, April 2008.

 

“Online interaction between students at the University of Calgary, Canada, and students at the Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador in Caracas, Venezuela,” with Brandee Strickland, Best Practices in Collaborative Online Learning Techniques, Language Research Centre, Craigie Hall D420, University of Calgary, May 2008.

 

“Teaching Language and Culture with Computer-mediated Communications Technologies,” Department of French, Italian & Spanish, University of Calgary, April 2008

 

“Conversing Online from Canada to Mexico, A Practical Study in Teaching Languages Online,” Wimba Desktop Lecture Series (online conference presentation), May 2007

 

“Using Technology to Enhance Language Teaching,” invited presentation for Spanish Teachers & Instructors Seminar, organized by Alberta Education, the University of Alberta, and the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia of Spain, Edmonton, April 2007

 

“Part II: Comparing the use of two computer-mediated communications technologies between native speakers and non-native speakers of Spanish: Text-based and oral chat,” with Isabel Cascante, Final Presentations to Alberta Education on Access Research Projects, Language Research Centre, University of Calgary, April 2006

 

“Using Technology in the Language Classroom”, SAHLA 2005 Fall Symposium, 2006: The Dawn of a New Era, Calgary, November 2005

 

“Uses of Technology in the Language Classroom”, Italian Language Teachers Workshop, Language Research Centre, University of Calgary, November 2005

 

“Text-based and oral chat online interaction between native and non-native speakers”, Forum on the Computer Language Lab: The Computer Language Lab 10 years after: Where are we? Where are we going?, Language Research Centre, University of Calgary, April 2005

 

“Comparing the use of two Computer-Mediated Communications Technologies between Native Speakers and Non-native Speakers of Spanish: Text-based and Oral Chat”, with Isabel Cascante, Kentucky Foreign Language Conference 2005, Lexington, KY USA, April 2005

 

“Comparing the use of two Computer-Mediated Communications Technologies between Native Speakers and Non-native Speakers of Spanish: Text-based and Oral Chat”, with Isabel Cascante, Interim Report Presentations to Alberta Education on Access Research Projects, Language Research Centre, University of Calgary, March 2005

 

“Making the Transition: A Review of my First Year at the University of Calgary”, Highway Two conference (an annual collaborative event between the Department of French, Italian & Spanish, University of Calgary, and the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies, University of Alberta), May 2004

 

“Using the LRC for Teaching and Research”, Presentation at the Inauguration ceremony of the Language Research Centre, University of Calgary, January 2004

 

 

"Investigating the Use of Three Computer-mediated Communications Technologies for Promoting
Communicative Competence in the FL Classroom", WorldCALL Conference in Banff, Alberta, Canada, May 2003

 

"Using the Interactionist Perspective to Compare the Use of Three Technologies and their Role in Promoting SLA", Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, April 2003

“Teaching Language and Culture with Computer-mediated Communications Technologies”

Invited to talk about dissertation research:

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, February 2003

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, January 2003

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA, January 2003

 

"Investigating the Use of Three CMC Technologies for Promoting Communicative Competence in the FL Classroom", Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, Furman University, Greenville, SC, October 2002

"A Multimedia Class for Students at the University of Massachusetts to Practice their Spanish with Students in a Spanish-speaking Country", UMass Instructional Technology Conference 2000/ North East Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) conference, Sturbridge, MA, March 2000

"Discourse Analysis and Native/Non-native Interactions in Communications Technologies", Massachusetts Conference on Hispanic Linguistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, March 2000

"Using Technology to Enhance Foreign Language Learning", Department of Spanish & Portuguese, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, Fall 1999
 

"Teaching Culture in the Foreign Language Classroom", Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, April 1999
 

"Teaching Spanish Pronunciation via Computer Technology", Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA, October 1998

"Developing a CALL program to Meet the Individual Pronunciation Needs of Learners of Spanish as a Foreign Language and to Support Classroom Instruction", Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, April 1998
 

Co-presented: "La /s/ final de sílaba: Análisis sociolingüístico del español de Caracas", Seventh Biennial Northeast Regional Meeting of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, May 1996

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

“Factors Affecting Communication in Text and Voice Chat: Comparing the Use of Two Synchronous CMC Environments” with H. Isabel Cascante. Submitted 2008.

 

“SynchronEyes computer-lab instruction software, A review”, pp. 25-35, in Digital Language Lab Solutions: An Evaluation of Virtual Lab Programs.  Editor: Jack Burston (Rochester Institute of Technology).  Published by the International Association for Language Learning Technology (IALLT), 2005

 

AVE On-line Teacher Training Program: Pilot Project A Report to Alberta Education.  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Ana Val (Project Leader), Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Research Associate), Dr. Brian Gill (Research Associate), Robinson Ayala (Research Assistant).  April 30, 2006.  34 pages.

 

AVE Pilot Project Report 7: A Final Report to Alberta Learning on using the AVE Resource.  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Dr. Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator).  August 30, 2004. 23 pages.

 

AVE Pilot Project Report 6: A Report to Alberta Learning on Student Outcomes when using the AVE Resource.  Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Dr. Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator), Helen Coburn (Research Assistant), Carmen Poon (Research Assistant).  August 30, 2004.  40 pages.

 

AVE Pilot Project Report: A Report to Alberta Learning on the Research component of the AVE Resource. Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator), Helen Coburn (Research Assistant), Carmen Poon (Research Assistant).  June 30, 2004. 23 pages.

 

AVE Pilot Project Report 5: A Report to Alberta Learning on the CONTENT of the AVE Resource.  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator).  June 22, 2004.  61 pages.

 

AVE Pilot Project Report 4: A Report to Alberta Learning on Delivery Issues.  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator).  May 1, 2004.  14 pages.

 

AVE Pilot Project Report 3: An Interim Report to Alberta Learning.  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator).  March 25, 2004.  12 pages.

 

AVE Pilot Project Report 2: A Report to Alberta Learning on Research Instruments and a Preliminary Report on Content.  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator).  March 15, 2004.  24 pages.

 

A Preliminary Status Report to Alberta Learning on the Cervantes AVE Pilot Project. 

Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator).  March 15, 2004.  23 pages.

 

Training for AVE: A Report to Alberta Learning on the AVE On-line Tutor Training Course (January – February 2004).  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Dr. Brian Gill (Principal Investigator).  March 9, 2004.  14 pages.

 

Considering AVE: A Report to Alberta Learning on the AVE Tutor Training Session.  Prepared by The Language Research Centre (LRC) of the University of Calgary.  Co-authors: Dr. Emily (Gillen) Ballou (Principal Investigator), Brian Gill (Principal Investigator), Dr. Sylvie Roy (Principal Investigator).  March 3, 2004.  6 pages.

 

 

CURRENT PROJECTS

 

Writing up articles on the projects below and working on a book on telecollaboration.

 

Winter 2008 Language and cross-cultural collaboration between intermediate-level students of Spanish at the University of Calgary and graduate students in a linguistics course at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela.

 

Fall 2007 Language and cross-cultural collaboration between University of Calgary students in an intermediate Spanish class and students at the Universidad de Caldas, in Manizales, Colombia, in a Popular Education course in the Faculty of Education. 

 

Spring 2008 Research on language diversity in Jalisco, Mexico.  Students in an upper-level undergraduate course participated in a research project documenting through videotaped interviews the range of variation in Spanish found in the state of Jalisco.

 

Winter 2008 A multimedia resource on Spanish language diversity, including website and videos of native speakers, created with an advanced Spanish language class of undergraduate students for the purpose of engaging learners in research as well as inquiry based learning. 

 

 

GRANTS

 

International Project Grant: Virtual collaboration between students at the University of Calgary and students at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela.  UIGC International Project Grants, February 2008.  Amount awarded: $7000

 

International Project Grant, New Research Linkages in Mexico: Jalisco and the University of Calgary's Language Research Centre. UIGC International Project Grants, February 2006.  Amount awarded: $2000

 

Feasability study of the AVE / Cervantes on line teacher training tool, contract with Alberta Education.  Principal investigator: Ana Val; Researchers: Brian Gill, Emily (Gillen) Ballou.

2005-2006.  Amount awarded: $49,870

 

Language Research Centre / Alberta Education Access Grant, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, 2005. 

For a classroom based study on the differences between two online CMC environments: audioconferencing and text-based chat for practicing a second language.  Students at the University of Calgary practiced their Spanish with students in Mexico (native speakers of Spanish) once a week for a semester in collaborative tasks through two different modes of communication.  Amount awarded: $12,500

 

AVE On-line Spanish Course Pilot Project, contract with the Learning Technologies Branch, Alberta Learning (Co-Investigator with Dr. Brian Gill and Dr. Sylvie Roy), 2003-2004.  Amount awarded: $42,000 

 

On-line Tutor Training contract with the Learning Technologies Branch, Alberta Learning (with Dr. Brian Gill), 2003-2004.  Amount awarded: $4,000

 

Instructional Technology for Academic Development: Professional Development Grant
University Information Systems, President's Office, University of Massachusetts Amherst,

1998 - 2000. 

For dissertation research project involving computer-mediated and videoconference collaboration between students in the US and Mexico for language and culture learning.  Additional funding was provided to continue project for a second year. Amount awarded: $2500

 

Sigma Xi Grant-in-aid of Research

The Scientific Research Society, Research Triangle Park, NC, Spring 1994
To support six month fieldwork experience in Burgos, Spain, for M.A. thesis in Anthropology.  Amount awarded: $250

 

University of Massachusetts European Program

Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. MA.
February - June 1994
Additional support for independent fieldwork in Burgos, Spain, “Investigating attitudes about ageing in relationship to housing and care alternatives for the elderly of Burgos, Spain”.  Amount awarded: $4500

 

 

AWARDS

 

Certificate of Appreciation for Demonstrating Excellence in Teaching

Department of Continuing Education University of Massachusetts Amherst, Fall 1997

 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE

 

Spanish Consortium for Province of Alberta

Chair

United Way Volunteer for Department of French, Italian & Spanish

Unit Coordinator

Fall 2003 – ongoing

2005-2006

 

2008

 

UNIVERSITY SERVICE

 

Advisory Committee on Faculty Development

Member

Faculty of Education Full Council

Representative of Faculty of Humanities

Faculty of Education, Graduate Division of Educational Research

Second Language Teaching Specialization

Member of this specialization, including course offerings and graduate student supervision

Fall 2004 – ongoing

 

Fall 2005 – 2007

 

 

Fall 2005 – ongoing

 

LANGUAGE RESEARCH CENTRE

 

LRC Advisory Committee on Research

Member

LRC Steering Committee

Member

LRC Language Teaching Workshop Series

Organizer

Language Pedagogy Reading Group

Co-coordinator & facilitator

2008 - ongoing

 

2004 - 2006

 

2003 - 2005

 

2003 - 2006, 2008

 

DEPARTMENTAL SERVICE

 

Selection Committee for position of Assistant Professor of Spanish

Member

Research Committee

Chair

External Relations Committee

Member

Assistant to FIS Head on “Aula Cervantes” project

In collaboration with Alberta Education & Cervantes Institute of Spain to bring an internationally recognized learning and teaching resource to the University of Calgary

Coordinator

Latin American Studies Field School to Zapotlán, Mexico

2008 - 2009

 

 

2003 - 2007

 

2003 - 2004

 

2005 - 2006

 

 

 

2008, 2006

 

SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION

 

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Provided a professional evaluation of an application for a Standard Research Grant, February 2007

 

Memberships

Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers 2004 - 2009

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) 2008-2010

EUROCALL 2006 - 2007

 

 

GRADUATE STUDENT SUPERVISION

 

Supervisor

Masters
Brandee Strickland
Department of French, Italian & Spanish, University of Calgary
Entered MA program September, 2007

Committee Member
Doctoral
Alejandro Pinzón
Department of French, Italian & Spanish, University of Calgary
Entered PhD program September, 2007

Committee Member

Masters, Course-based
Patricia Molinari-Zehner
Department of French, Italian & Spanish, University of Calgary
Completed September, 2007

Supervisor

Masters, Course-based
Cristina Clemente
Second Language Teaching Specialization, Education, University of Calgary
Date of defense: 2008

Supervisor

Doctoral,
John German Lopez
Second Language Teaching Specialization, Education, University of Calgary
Entered graduate program September, 2007.

Has an M.A. in Education from the Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia.

Date of defense: 2010


Supervisor

Masters, Course-based

Darol Bishop

Department of Spanish & Portuguese

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Completed, May 2002

 

 

OTHER

 

Coordinator Latin American Studies Field School 2006 & 2008 in Jalisco, Mexico.

Supervisor 25 University of Calgary students on a six week study abroad program in Jalisco, Mexico during spring terms of 2006 and 2008. Students lived with host families and took three courses with me and another colleague for credit.

 

Courses taught

 

s           Variations of the Spanish Language

s           Field school in Latin American Studies

s           Using Technology in the Language Classroom

s           Second Language Learning: Theory & Practice

s           Computer Assisted Language Learning

s           Applied Linguistics/Foreign Language Teaching Methods

s           Introduction to Textual Analysis

s           Spanish Composition

s           Advanced Spanish Grammar

s           Spanish Conversation & Composition

s           Spanish Conversation

s           Intermediate Spanish I & II

s           Elementary Spanish I & II

s           Cultures thru Film (Teaching assistant)

s           Applied Anthropology (Teaching assistant)

 

Languages

Spanish (near native), Italian and Portuguese (intermediate level)