This workshop of the Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (CLTL) was held on October 10, 2026 at the Lenfest Center for the Arts at Columbia University. Over 100 language instructors from Consortium schools worked in small groups to think through current challenges related to generative AI in language education by shifting the focus away from enforcement or detection, and instead moving toward coherent course design.
The workshop conceptualized Generative AI as a structural condition requiring a rethinking of how language courses are designed as integrated systems, rather than treating it as a discrete problem to be managed. Drawing on cross-institutional perspectives and concrete teaching contexts, participants will examine how policy statements, syllabus language, classroom tasks, and assessment practices can be intentionally aligned to support meaningful learning and trustworthy evidence of student progress.
Photos From the Event
Program
The workshop will be structured around the following guiding questions:
- What does coherence mean in language course design when generative AI is widely accessible to students?
- How can AI-related policies articulated in syllabi be aligned with actual pedagogical practices in the classroom?
- What forms of assessment continue to provide valid and interpretable evidence of language learning in an AI-mediated environment?
- What are students' experiences regarding AI policies, AI-supported learning activities, and assessment? How can we incorporate their perspectives on AI meaningfully into coherent course design?
Panelists
Alberto Bruzos Moro, Princeton University, Director, Center for Language Study
Wenhui Chen, Brown University, Associate Teaching Professor of East Asian Studies, Chinese Program
Michael Farina, Yale University, Senior Lector in Italian
Betsy Jane Kells, University of Pennsylvania, Technology Director, Penn Language Center
Hisae Matsui, Princeton University, Senior Lecturer in Japanese
Catalina Mendez Vallejo, Princeton University, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Spanish Language Program
Phuong Nguyen, University of Chicago, University of Chicago Language Center
Phuong Chung Nguyen, Senior Lecturer in Vietnamese and Director of the Vietnamese Language Program, Columbia
Fernando Rubio, Yale University, Director, Center for Language Study
Betsy R. Rymes, University of Pennsylvania, Professor; Chair, Educational Linguistics Division, Graduate School of Education
Nader K. Uthman, Harvard University, Senior Preceptor in Arabic & Director of the Modern Language Programs
Organizers
Zhongqi Shi, Columbia University, Senior Lecturer in Chinese
Ninghui Liang, Yale University, Senior Lector in Chinese
Jing Wang, Princeton University, Senior Lecturer in Chinese, Chinese Language Program Director
Ye Tian, University of Pennsylvania, Lecturer in Foreign Languages
Joowon Suh, Princeton University, University Lecturer in Korean Language, Korean Language Program Director
Cosponsors
Click here to learn more about the Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning's two additional Fall 2026 workshops:
Building Effective Assessment Practices for ASL Educators
October 16-17, 2026, Cornell University
Approaching Politics in the Language Classroom: Pedagogical Strategies and Practices
November 6-7, 2026, MIT