2026 New FLTA & New Language Instructor Orientation
This year's orientation will be held August 17-21, 2026.
CeLT's annual orientation program is designed specifically for new FLTAs, AIs, and other language instructors, though any language program affiliates are welcome to attend our orientation events.
Individuals currently in Bloomington are required to attend in person. A Zoom link is provided in the PDF schedule for those who have not yet arrived to campus, for virtual attendance of sessions. A few events will be held via Zoom for all participants, with different Zoom links provided for the individual session.
For orientation registration, please contact Rebecca Ramsey.
Orientation Schedule
Monday, August 17, 2026
Location: GA 0013
Check in and getting ready.
Coffee and snacks provided.
Location: GA 0013
Introduction: Dr. Xiaojing Kou Session Leaders: Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik and Dr. Franziska Kruger
Participant introductions. Overview of the orientation schedule. Pre-session for best practices.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leader: Dr. Franziska Krueger
This session is an overview of best practices in foreign language instruction. Participants will be introduced to standards-based foreign language instruction and important aspects of a student-centered classroom.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leader: Dr. Franziska Krueger
Participants learn to identify key components of performance objectives and to write effective performance objectives.
Pizza and drinks will be provided.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leaders: Dr. Yingling Bao, Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik & Dr. Franziska Krueger
This session will provide background for lesson planning and sample lesson plans focusing on the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leaders: Dr. Franziska Krueger and Dr. Xiaojing Kou
This session provides an overview of generative AI tools available at Indiana University and examples of their application in language instruction.
Location: GA 0013
Speakers (former FLTAs): Twalha Abbass, Heni Pratt, Anam Iktiar (tentative)
Moderator: Dr. Franziska Krueger
Former FLTAs talk about their experience coming to and working at Indiana University and will share helpful tips on how to make this a successful year.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leaders: Dr. Xiaojing Kou, Rebecca Ramsey, Dr. Franziska Krueger
If your IU account is not yet set up, we will help you during this session. If you already have your account set up, you are free to go!
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Location: Zoom
Session Leader: Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, College of Arts and Sciences
This session will cover specific College and Campus policies (e.g., late withdrawals, grade changes, FERPA, Title IX responsibilities, AES accommodations, etc.) that apply in the instructional context, along with information on how to handle common classroom situations. In addition, we will review campus academic integrity procedures that all instructors at IU must follow.
Location: BH 115
Check in and getting ready.
Coffee, tea and sodas will be provided.
Location: BH 115
Session Leader: Rebecca Ramsey, CeLT
This session will introduce resources for audio and video recording, editing, file sharing, and working with images and graphics. Participants will also learn about the Center for Language Technology (CeLT) and the facilities, equipment, consultations, training opportunities, and other services available to support language teaching at IU.
Location: BH 115
Session Leaders: Dr. Xiaojing Kou, CeLT & Dr. Beatrix Burghardt, Department of Second Language Studies
After this workshop, you will be able to:
Access Office 365 (Word, PPT, Excel, etc.) through cloud
Store and share files for work and study with OneDrive and SharePoint
Collaborate with colleagues and students with the Office Suite tools, and
Use Microsoft Teams to communicate and collaborate (phone call, chat, video call, etc.)
Location: BH 115
Session Leader: Dr. Xiaojing Kou, CeLT
Instructional Support: Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik and Dr. Franziska Krueger, Language Workshop
This hands-on workshop provides an overview of the basic features and tools of the Canvas learning management system, which is used in all courses at IU. You will also be given time to work on your own Canvas course if you have one, or create and edit Canvas elements in a mock course site.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Location: GA 0013
Check in and getting ready.
Coffee and snacks provided.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leader: Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik
In this interactive session, we revisit Monday’s best practices and discuss effective teaching of language structures in order to achieve performance objectives.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leaders: Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik & Dr. Franziska Krueger
In this session, you will work independently on your lesson plan. Pedagogy leaders will be available throughout the session to answer questions and provide support as needed.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leader: Dr. Jeff Holdeman, Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures
*It is especially important that you arrive on time (be seated before 10:55 AM) for this session.
This session showcases a sample first-day foreign language lesson. Participants will be exposed to best teaching practices and strategies for using the target language from the first day of class. A guided discussion and analysis will follow.
Location: To be announced
FLTAs, FLTA supervisors, and Orientation instructors are invited to have lunch with the HLS Executive Associate Dean.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leader: Dr. Daniel Whitmer, Senior Associate Director, Sponsored Student Services, OIS
Dr. Whitmer will discuss topics such as class audit registration, health insurance, and immunization reimbursement. You can also ask questions.
Please communicate with your supervisor as to the location of the meeting.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Location: GA 0013
Check in and getting ready.
Coffee and snacks provided.
Location: GA 0013
Session Leaders: Dr. Franziska Krueger (Presentational), Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik (Interpersonal), and Dr. Yingling Bao (Interpretive)
Instructors will present lessons on Best Practices in language instruction. Lessons in three different languages will be modeled in the demos. Participants who do not speak the relevant demo language will take the role of students.
Locations: GA 0013, GA 0011, and GA 0009 (participants will be divided into three groups)
Session Leaders: Dr. Franziska Krueger, Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik, and Dr. Yingling Bao
Each participant will present a lesson plan that clearly reflects best FL instruction practices and (a minimum of) one mode of communication, followed by discussion and feedback from instructors.
Location: Wells Library
Organized by: Indiana University Undergraduate Education
Please talk with your direct supervisor about whether your department participates in this event and whether you are required to attend.
Location: Dunn Meadow (southeast corner of Indiana Ave. & E. 7th St.)
Organized by: College of Arts and Sciences
Please talk with your direct supervisor as to your responsibilities for the College Expo.
Location: Zoom or GA 3022
Session Leader: Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik
If you have any questions about your microteaching, you can drop in any time during the Zoom office hours to ask questions.
Each participant will prepare their own microteaching based on their lesson plans, to be presented on Friday, August 21, 2026.
Friday, August 21, 2026
Location: GA 0013
Check in and getting ready.
Coffee and snacks provided.
Locations: GA 0013 and GA 4021
Session Leaders: Dr. Franziska Krueger, Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik, and Dr. Yingling Bao
Participants will do their microteaching, followed by discussion and analysis.
Location: GA 0013
A boxed lunch will be provided by CeLT.
Locations: GA atrium, Global Lounge, and classrooms
Organized by: Hamilton Lugar School
Please talk with your direct supervisor as to your responsibilities for the Language Fest and the time you should arrive to help set up tabling and classrooms.
After the Semester Starts
Time: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Location: TBA
Session Leader: CAPS Counseling Staff
In this mandatory session, attendees will learn about IU's Counseling and Psychological Services, adjusting to graduate school, signs of distress, and how Associate Instructors/FLTAs should refer students to CAPS.
Time: 4:30 PM - 5:40 PM
Location: TBA
Session Leader: Dr. Gwen Kirk, South Asian and South East Asian Librarian
Attendees will learn how area studies librarians collaborate with language instructors to provide research, reference, and instructional assistance; learn about physical and digital resources available through IU Libraries; and have hands-on experience in finding resources.
Date and Time: TBA (towards the end of the semester)
Location: TBA
Session Leaders: Dr. Xiaojing Kou and TBA
Reflect on your teaching practices, learning, and challenges. Ask questions. Learn from each other’s experiences.
Food will be provided.
A brief survey will be sent via email. Please let us know which of the sessions were most useful in your teaching and any suggestions you may have for improving orientation in the future.
Optional
Associate Instructor Orientation by CITL
The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) orientation is designed for all new associate instructors (as opposed to CeLT’s Orientation for only FLTAs and language associate instructors).
If there are any workshops you wish to attend that have a time conflict with the CeLT Orientation, please discuss with your department language coordinator to decide. It is strongly recommended that you participate in all of the CeLT orientation, since each day is designed based on teaching from previous days and many of the sessions are preparing you for microteaching.
CITL orientation includes three parts: asynchronous online modules, synchronous webinars the week of August 17, and synchronous in-person events on August 19.
The event schedule and registration info can be found here.
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