Concordia Language Institute

Online Language Courses | Earn College Credit | Non-credit Option Available

Learning a language opens up a world of new personal and professional possibilities.

The Language Institute is a collaborative program offered through Concordia's Department of World Languages & Cultures in partnership with the Concordia Language Villages. This unique program gives students of all ages the opportunity to explore language interactively with others in a comfortable online learning environment. Courses are open to anyone (post high school) interested in exploring a new language. 

A majority of our courses are for beginners with no previous experience. There are also intermediate and advance options available for those with previous language experience. View the course list and choose a course that's right for you!

All courses are taught by language instructors from Concordia College and the Concordia Language Villages in an online format. Most courses are taught in a synchronous format, but there are some hybrid and asynchronous options. Don’t worry, we feature the same best practices and ideals toward developing a sense of community through highly interactive discussions and activities in every course.

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Registration for our language courses is easy! Click on the course name in the schedule to register for one or more courses. You will be admitted to Concordia to receive college credit for the courses you complete.

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Master of Education in World Language Instruction

Our M Ed in World Language Instruction is an innovative online program designed for working world language and TESOL teachers. We offer a combination of theory and practice, enabling students to create practical and engaging classrooms. We are proud to have fifteen years of experience partnering with students to achieve their professional goals as excellent educators.

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Concordia Language Villages

Adult & Educator Programs
Discover what it means to become a citizen of the world. Learn about our language enrichment and training programs and the immersive approach to language learning.

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Benefits of Learning a Language

According to author and global marketing consultant Stacie Berden’s research, during the COVID-19 pandemic, on one language learning app alone, more than 30 million people attempted to learn a new language, many of them in the United States. That method does not often bring about the proficiency and intercultural competence that is needed to be a responsible global citizen and be successful in the workplace.  There is a critical need for people with knowledge of a second language.

Our program utilizes the expertise and training of professional language instructors to deliver a high quality and high impact educational experience.

Learning languages builds intercultural communicative competency and the global knowledge skills employers are seeking, and applicants are missing. Research has also shown that knowledge of another language can result in as much as a 20% salary increase in certain jobs. Language skills are therefore desperately needed and in short supply. We also know it is much easier for someone who already knows a second language to pick up a third or fourth.

There are a myriad of other great reasons to speak a language – from increasing critical thinking skills and improving test scores to powerful cognitive benefits supported by brain research. 

The best possible outcome of speaking a language is communicating with others. Being able to have a simple conversation is a huge reward in itself and will make it easier to stay motivated, build confidence and keep practicing! So, pick a language, any language, and get started today!

Language Learning Stats

If you need more convincing about the practical benefits of learning a new world language, read on…

Recent reports from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) demonstrated conclusively that “America’s language capacity has reached a critical breaking point. This has real world implications for business, government, the military, and diplomatic and intelligence services.” (JNCL-NCLIS) Here are some report statistics:

  • 9 out of 10 US employers rely on employees with world language skills (ACTFL)

  • 1 in 3 foreign language-dependent employers report a language skills gap (ACTFL)

  • 1 in 4 employers lost business due to a lack of foreign language skills (ACTFL)

  • 44 states plus Washington DC reported a world language and / or bilingual K-12 teacher shortage (US Department of Education, 2018)

The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) confirms:

  • 96% of employers place the greatest degree of importance on areas such as intercultural skills (96% important with a subset of 63% saying it was very important)

  • 55% commented that Global knowledge was important

However, the AAAS reports:

  • Only 20.7% of US residents speak a language other than English at home and that only a fraction of that cohort speaks, reads, and comprehends the second language well enough to use it professionally.

 

Meet the Program Director

Dr. Gay Rawson is a Professor and Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Concordia College. She has become a recognized expert on technology and its implementation in world language classrooms, receiving the ACTFL/Cengage Postsecondary Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Instruction Using Technology with IALLT in 2020. She shares this knowledge through publications, workshops, presentations, undergraduate and graduate courses. She is also involved in the First-Year Experience, Global Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies Programs, and directs the International Business program in France. Dr. Rawson is a certified expert in translation and interpretation and was a certified ACTFL AAPPL rater and OPI tester. She has presented internationally on technology, foreign language pedagogy, study abroad programs, business languages, literature, cross-cultural / intercultural communicative competence, and relationships between literature / medicine. She has led numerous study abroad programs in Cambodia, Cameroon, France, Germany, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Switzerland, and Vietnam. She was also program director for a US Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad curriculum development project to Cameroon, in which K-18 teachers developed classroom materials on culture, cinema, and commerce in Cameroon. She is the instructional lead for a STARTALK Chinese teacher-training program and has been involved with the Fargo Chinese STARTALK Teacher and Student programs since 2014. While she mostly teaches undergraduate and graduate French language and pedagogy courses, she has experience teaching across the spectrum, from pre-K- 18 and adult learners. 

About Concordia

Learn more about Concordia's strong foundation in the liberal arts, its rich history and traditions, and what it means to become responsibly engaged in the world.

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Request Information

For more information about the Language Institute contact Dr. Gay Rawson at rawson@cord.edu.

Questions about Language Training Center courses should be directed to ConcordiaLTC@cord.edu.

For information about the Graduate Certificate or graduate courses, please contact MasterEd@cord.edu.

Concordia Language Villages

For over 50 years, more than 150,000 villagers have joined us in our mission to inspire courageous global citizens. CLV provides programs for adults and educators, youth and high school students. Our programs are for those who don't just speak the language, they live it!

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