Center for Biographical Research

Web: blog.hawaii.edu/cbrhawaii/

The Center for Biographical Research (CBR) is dedicated to the interdisciplinary and multicultural study of life writing. CBR programs include teaching, publication, and outreach activities.

In conjunction with the Department of English, CBR offers thesis advising for PhD and MA projects, and awards the Biography Prize annually for work in life writing by a UH Manoa graduate student. The Department of English also offers a number of graduate and undergraduate courses in life writing.

CBR publishes Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, the premier scholarly journal in the field. Appearing continuously since 1978, Biography explores the theoretical, historical, generic, and cultural dimensions of life writing. CBR also sponsors the Biography Monograph series, a book publishing enterprise designed to further the study and practice of life writing in all its forms.

CBR maintains a library and resource collection and has organized, since 1988, the public lecture series Brown Bag Biography, part of the center’s commitment to supporting and publicizing contributions to life writing. The center regularly hosts visiting scholars from academic institutions throughout the world. CBR is a founding partner of Biography Hawai‘i, a television documentary series that focuses on residents whose lives have had a lasting impact on these islands. The center also manages iaba-l@hawaii.edu, the listserve and discussion forum for the International Auto/Biography Association.

Center for Language and Technology

Web: clt.manoa.hawaii.edu

The Center for Language & Technology (CLT) is a specialized professional service and research unit whose goal is to enhance and support the research, learning, and teaching of languages through the use of technology. CLT faculty and staff design, engage in, facilitate, and promote programs of research and development that impact how languages are learned, taught, and assessed. By engaging in these activities, the CLT generates knowledge and expertise that is disseminated locally, nationally, and internationally in numerous ways, such as professional events and publications.

The CLT fulfills its kuleana through scholarly activities and services that are specific to language teaching and learning, such as a) supporting the research and development of technology-based materials; b) providing professional learning opportunities on technology integration; c) providing expertise in instructional media design, production and delivery; d) researching and supporting innovative technology tools and pedagogical approaches; and e) providing flexible, technology-rich physical spaces that are designed with consideration of the technology needs for language teaching and learning.

The CLT offers professional consultation and support for curriculum development, online and blended learning, human language technology, design and production of specialized digital materials or resources; human language technology and assessment, and production of media for language research and instruction.

The CLT engages in and supports research and practice. CLT research and scholarship appear in major national and international publications. CLT support for research and practice includes specialized rooms; multimedia labs equipped with specialized software and hardware; video and film projection rooms; teleconference and seminar rooms; and technology research rooms with specialized instructional and research equipment (e.g., interactive board, eye-tracking hardware and software, EEG, etc.).

The CLT leverages its professional and research capabilities and specialized physical spaces to secure sponsored funding. Currently, the CLT is home to two prestigious national programs: the National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, and the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center (Tech Center), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense.

National Foreign Language Resource Center

Web: nflrc.hawaii.edu

The National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC) is one of 16 Language Resource Centers across the U.S. and the only one to have been continuously funded since the establishment of the program by the Department of Education in 1990. The mission of the NFLRC is to improve the learning and teaching of world languages, while focusing primarily on the underserved populations of both teachers and students of the less commonly taught languages of Asia and the Pacific.

Taking advantage of Hawai‘i’s geographic location and drawing on the rich expertise of the College of Arts, Languages, & Letters, the NFLRC works to improve teaching through the production and dissemination of a broad range of resources, including instructional materials, scholarly books, and edited collections. Online resources include four e-journals, podcasts, videos, MOOCs, interactive lessons, and other open educational resources. Recent projects have focused on project-based language learning (PBLL) and online language pedagogy.

NFLRC works closely with the Center for Language & Technology on a number of initiatives, for example, developing and researching instructional models that combine distance and face-to-face instruction and collaborating in the design and development of technologies that support those models. Throughout the year, the NFLRC hosts and co-hosts local, national, and international conferences and workshops.