Applied Linguistics and Technology: PhD

1. Demonstrate knowledge of and confidence with the use of computer applications relevant to teaching, learning, research, and assessment in applied linguistics.
2. Design, implement, and evaluate algorithms for automating linguistic analysis tasks based on knowledge of natural language and speech processing programming.
3. Formulate important research questions for guiding investigations that contribute to theory and practice in one or more areas of applied linguistics.
4. Apply principles of research methodology to design data collection and analysis procedures to address research questions in at least one area of applied linguistics.
5. Interpret and evaluate findings in view of their contribution to theory, research, and practice in the relevant area.
6. Communicate ideas, discoveries, and findings to others in a professional and creative manner.
7. Collaborate with other professionals to create and investigate new knowledge, practices, and products.
8. Demonstrate independence and professionalism in teaching and research.

Assessment is at three points: a portfolio assessment, a dissertation proposal with piloting report, an oral preliminary examination, and a final oral examination.

In early April of each year, all Ph.D. students submit an Annual Review form to report on their progress, plans/goals, and any concerns. This form, as well as other important forms such as the Language Requirement Form and the Degree Planning Sheet, can be found on the English Department Form’s page.

See the Graduate POS Manual on Graduation for more details and information regarding the Final Oral Defense of the Dissertation (Final Oral Examination) and finishing up as well as resources with links to very helpful information.

Final Oral Examinations for students in the ALT program will include two components: a public talk with time for questions-and-answers with the audience (1 hour) and a private meeting of the Academic Plan Committee with the student (1 hour). The exam should be scheduled for two consecutive hours, based on the availability of the student and the Academic Plan Committee. Committee members must attend both components, which can be held in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid format.

Once the Final Oral Examination is scheduled (in accordance with Section 1.10.2) and at least one week prior to the date of the examination, the student or major professor will email an announcement of the public talk to all members of the English department (using the englprofess@iastate.edu listserv). If the Final Oral Examination will be held virtually or in hybrid format, instructions for attending the public talk remotely should be included in the announcement. Upon receiving the email announcement, the department may post it publicly (e.g., on the department website or on social media), but such public posting will not include the videoconference link. The student may share the link with other individuals at their discretion.

During the public talk component of the Final Oral Examination, the student will present their dissertation project in a research talk (approximately 40 minutes), followed by questions from the audience (approximately 15 minutes). At the conclusion of the public talk component, the Academic Plan Committee will meet privately with the student for committee questions, discussion, and evaluation. The remainder of the process will follow the procedures describe in Section 1.10.2 on the Final Oral Examination.

Students interested in technology and language learning can also choose from other courses in applied linguistics and from other departments including curriculum and instruction and human-computer interaction.

ENGL 5100 Introduction to Computers in Applied Linguistics
Use of applications software for language teaching, linguistic analysis, and statistical analysis. Issues and problems in applied linguistics related to computer methods. Students will interact with a variety of computer applications and web resources including mobile and social computing applications to a) increase their familiarity with computers in general, b) explore and describe current and potential applications of technology for teaching, testing, & research, c) conduct basic statistical and linguistic analysis of various data, and d) locate, evaluate, create, and implement computer-assisted language learning activities.

ENGL 5120 Second Language Acquisition
This course introduces students to the objectives, methods, and findings of research investigating how people learn a second (or additional) language. It will help to orient students to the perspectives of those who investigate questions about second language acquisition (SLA) and help students to examine the published research on topics such as the role of linguistic input for acquisition of vocabulary, the value of conversation for language development, individual differences in SLA, and SLA in the classroom and online. The course will include topics such as SLA research questions, methods of data elicitation, linguistic data analysis, research on interaction, and the theory-practice interface. Perspectives to SLA include cognitive, linguistic, interactionist, sociocultural, and emergentist, and the role of technology in shaping current issues will be discussed. Students will have an opportunity to work on projects focusing on their interests.

ENGL 5140 Sociolinguistics
This course covers major sociolinguistics topics and their implications for language learning, teaching, and research. The topics include traditional and virtual language variation and use; traditional and virtual code switching and code mixing; language and power; discourse communities and practices; social class, gender, and identity; virtual and World Englishes; etc. Topics will be explored theoretically and empirically with examples from various regional, virtual, and global contexts through lectures, discussion, hands-on activities, and research assignments. Traditional and digital sociolinguistics research methods and ethics will also be explored.

ENGL 5240 Literacy: Issues and Methods for Non-native Speakers of English
This seminar course begins with an exploration into the definitions of literacy and continues throughout with a discussion of the socially situated views of literacy. The course responds to issues, both theoretical and practical, in teaching English literacy skills to people learning English as a second or foreign language, either children or adults. Theory-related matters include cultural factors influencing literate practices, politics surrounding the teaching of reading and writing, differences in oral and written language development, and the cognitive and social development of first and second language reading and writing processes. Practical issues include exploring home environments and strategies that promote second language literacy, matching students and materials, and developing strategies and materials that enhance academic literacy learning. Through writing assignments, discussions, and projects, we will analyze, adapt, and apply theories, methods, and techniques for second language learning situations with a focus on academic literacy needs.

ENGL 5250 Methods in Teaching Listening and Speaking Skills to Non-native Speakers of English
Research and teaching of L2 pronunciation, with opportunities to examine research into L2 pronunciation and intelligibility; ways in which pronunciation, listening and speaking interact in research and practice; the ways in which the teaching of pronunciation is reflected in materials development for technological and classroom environments, and in teaching in a tutorial context.

ENGL 5260 Computer-Assisted Language Learning
Provides an overview of computer-assisted language learning (CALL), the use and study of digital technologies in second language instruction and research. Participants learn about the historical and cross-disciplinary foundations of CALL as a pedagogical practice as well as the theories and methodologies that underlie it as an area of inquiry. The course samples empirical studies across a range of influential topics in the field, and participants take turns presenting these studies to the group so as to sharpen their ability to understand and critique CALL research. This developing understanding is then deepened as participants carry out their own empirical studies, whose separate components constitute the course’s assessment plan. In addition to developing knowledge of the field and bolstering research skills, ENGL 526 aims to help TESL MA and ALT Ph.D. students identify possible topics for theses and dissertations. The course will appeal to anyone interested in the myriad ways that computer technologies have been harnessed for purposes of learning and teaching language.

ENGL 5280 English for Specific Purposes
Addresses theories of specific purpose language use, major developments in ESP/LSP research, and methods of teaching and assessing context-specific language needed to successfully engage in target social practices. Topics include various approaches to the analysis of learners’ current and desired competencies, as well as principles for the development and evaluation of materials for specific-learner-centered instruction. Additionally, the roles of genre analysis and corpus-based technologies in ESP/LSP are closely examined from the perspective of linguistic and communicative conventions established by different academic and professional discourse communities. Students will have the opportunity to apply key concepts and methodologies in a small-scale needs analysis that will inform a proposal for an ESP scenario of their choice. While of immediate interest to students in applied linguistics and teaching English as a second language, the course is relevant to students in other areas because LSP is a domain that draws from multi-disciplinary cultures and epistemologies. Also, LSP has bourgeoned into numerous branches nested under English for Academic Purposes and English for Occupational Purposes. The former may appeal to students interested in written and oral communication in different educational contexts, and the latter may appeal to those who want to learn more about various professional and vocational contexts (e.g., English for Business Purposes, English for Medical Purposes, English for Legal Purposes). ESP has also expanded to include language for sociocultural purposes, which is pertinent for students focusing on the needs of socially or physically disadvantaged learners.

ENGL 5300 Technology and Oral Language
Structure and description of oral language and discourse. How spoken language is linguistically described, analyzed, and taught for research and for education. Using acoustic software and transcribing technology to record, transcribe, and analyze spoken language at all levels of linguistic structure (sound, word, phrase, sentence, discourse).

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Automated Writing Evaluation
Automated essay scoring (AES) and automated writing evaluation (AWE) are topics that have generated significant commercial, scholarly, and pedagogical interest (and controversy) in the last decade (and more). In this seminar, we will explore in some depth the history of approaches to automated essay evaluation and critically examine current research into issues related to automated writing evaluation such as practicality, reliability, and validity. We will also investigate pedagogical applications of such AWE systems in secondary and post-secondary education in the U.S. and elsewhere. While the focus will be second language writing, we will review studies on L1 writing as well and learn more about their implications on approaches to second language writing. Students will be required to contribute to the class through presentations of research papers and technical manuals reporting on AWE studies as well as their development of an empirical study in an area related to AWE research.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Corpus Linguistics for Teaching and Assessment
This seminar focuses on corpus linguistics and its applications to language teaching. Students in the course will explore theories and principles for applying corpus linguistics findings and methods to language teaching and learning, as well as gain practical experience in creating corpus-based materials and activities. The course will center on four main topics: applying corpus-based research to classroom materials development, the use of corpora in the language classroom (data-driven learning), the role of learner or corpora analysis, and research and evaluation of the effectiveness of corpus-based materials and corpus use in the language classroom. The course will consider the range of ways that corpus linguistics is applied to language teaching, including for L2 learners, for L1 and L2 academic writing, and for English for Specific Purposes.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Development of Language Assessments
This course provides students with training on how to develop a language assessment. Students are introduced to a number of task formats, including multiple-choice, matching, true/false, short answer, oral interview group discussion, summary, and email. Students areintroduced to various types of rating scales, including analytic and holistic. Test development frameworks, including Mislevy’s Evidence-centered design, Davidson and Lynch’s Test Specification approach, and Bachman and Palmer’s Test task characteristics approach will be discussed. Students will use one of these frameworks to guide the development of their own assessment instrument. The design and development of surveys will also be covered from the point of view that surveys are a type of assessment instrument.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Evaluation in Technology for Language Learning
New technologies create an unprecedented opportunity for innovation in second language teaching, but with innovation comes the need to evaluate success. This seminar explores the intersection of evaluation with language learning and technology. Evaluation refers to assessment of student learning through the use of online tools materials and courses as well as the broader role of evaluation in the development and appraisal of all types of computer-assisted language learning. The former has an intellectual basis in “assessment for learning” or “learning-oriented assessment,” which provide some foundational concepts for incorporating assessment and testing into learning in a manner that serves the needs of learners, teachers, and researchers. The broader role of evaluation encompasses the design-based research integral to the design and development of technology-mediated learning, traditional comparisons of outcomes attained by students using new interventions for language learning with a control or contrast group, and theoretically-motivated evaluations guided by frames of reference other than comparison. This course examines the options available to researchers wishing to evaluate technology for language learning through all of these avenues. Topics include how evaluators ground their evaluations in social science research methodologies and second language acquisition theory as well as the scope of interpretations for results. Students will have the opportunity to develop their own projects evaluating technology for language learning.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis of Learner Language
This 630 seminar introduces Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as a discourse analytic approach to exploring the development of learner language. The course will address the basic theory of SFL and will provide practice analyzing learner and non-learner texts (including literature), with the goal of understanding how SFL can be used in formative/summative assessment of oral and written discourse, and how it can help describe differences in texts in terms of the content, the organization, and how relationships are established between the speaker/writer and the listener/reader. The course will also introduce an SFL-based corpus tool.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Intelligibility and Perception
This seminar explores research on intelligibility. Intelligibility is the study of how speech is produced so that it is understandable, and more importantly, how speech is perceived by listeners. In this seminar, we will give special emphasis to the perception of intelligibility in L1 and L2 speech. Spoken perception research crosses the disciplinary boundaries of phonetics and phonology, second language pronunciation, speech sciences, engineering, computer science and psycholinguistics.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Technology and the Teaching of Pronunciation and Oral Skills
This seminar explores important concepts in phonology/phonetics and examine some tools that teachers need to know to successfully use computer-based applications to address oral language proficiency. We will explore programs and tools that allow us to understand and exploit basic elements of the technology used in phonetics research, learning the uses and limitations of measurement tools such as spectrograms, waveforms, and fundamental frequency contours. We will examine the strengths and limitations of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology. We will also examine and critique exercises that are commonly used in computer applications and develop and test computer-based pronunciation and oral communication activities.

Students interested in language assessment also take courses from other departments on campus including statistics and courses in the program in quantitative psychology.

ENGL 5190 Second Language Assessment
This course is an introduction to current issues in language assessment. Students learn about key concepts in language assessment, including, construct validity, reliability, authenticity, washback, and ethics. They also gain experience in critiquing and creating various types of test tasks, including selected response item types like multiple-choice and true-false as well as constructed response item types such as summary writing tasks and group oral discussion speaking tasks. Students will learn how to use classical test theory statistics to analyze the psychometric strengths and weaknesses of assessment instruments. Procedures for analyzing both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests will be covered. Students will use both Excel and SPSS to complete these analyses.

ENGL 6260 Technology and Language Assessment
This seminar covers principles and practice for the use and study of technology in second language assessment by 1) reviewing relevant work in technology and assessment, 2) examining students’ interests in the technology-language assessment connection, and 3) investigating new technology-based language assessments and research. The course will socialize students into research and practice in this area through reading and discussion as well as through creation of their own pilot study assessment projects based on their plans for future research. Students will be required to present, summarize and critique published articles; write a proposal for a pilot study on assessment; carry out their pilot study; and present the results orally and in writing.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Development of Language Assessments
This course provides students with training on how to develop a language assessment. Students are introduced to a number of task formats, including multiple-choice, matching, true/false, short answer, oral interview group discussion, summary, and email. Students areintroduced to various types of rating scales, including analytic and holistic. Test development frameworks, including Mislevy’s Evidence-centered design, Davidson and Lynch’s Test Specification approach, and Bachman and Palmer’s Test task characteristics approach will be discussed. Students will use one of these frameworks to guide the development of their own assessment instrument. The design and development of surveys will also be covered from the point of view that surveys are a type of assessment instrument.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Psychometric Methods for Language Testing
The course focuses on advanced measurement techniques for language assessment researchers/Applied linguists. Major topics covered are applications of generalizability theory and item response theory, including Many facet Rasch measurement and binary IRT models, and IRT differential item functioning techniques. Emphasis is on the use of quantitative techniques for analyzing tests with computer software. While some discussion of the statistics and math which underlie the techniques will be included in the course, the emphasis will be on test/research design, applications, and interpretations. Students use computer software packages, which include SPSS, IRT PRO, and FACETS.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Validation of Language Assessments
Everyone would agree that language tests should be valid, but how one goes about establishing validity is a complex issue. Validity in educational measurement and language testing is “an overall evaluative judgment of the degree to which evidence and theoretical rationale support the adequacy and appropriateness of interpretations and actions based on test scores” (Messick, 1989, p. 13). In this course we will explore how a test developer or testing researcher can develop an argument that will allow prospective test users to make such a judgment. Drawing upon the research and practice in language testing and educational measurement, we will study examples of how validation research is conceptualized and conducted as well as how results are interpreted and used to support a validity argument. We will study the modern history of validation principles up to the most recent developments as represented by Kane’s (2006) presentation of interpretive arguments and validity arguments as well as Bachman and Palmer’s (2010) assessment use arguments. Students will be required to contribute to the class through their presentation of research papers and technical manuals reporting validation studies as well as their development of an interpretive argument and research plan for a language test that they are interested in.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Technology and Applied Linguistics: Advanced Quantitative Methods for Applied Linguistics
This course aims to provide applied linguists with the advanced quantitative methods they need to critique studies which employ such approaches as well as to carry out their own research with the techniques. The course is designed to satisfy the needs of both language assessment researchers and other applied linguists, who are interested in advanced quantitative methods. The major statistical techniques covered in the course will be exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, with a major focus on confirmatory factor analysis. The focus of the course will be on the application of these techniques, not the math that underlies them. Students will use SPSS as well as one of the advanced SEM software packages such as Amos or EQS to complete their analyses.

ENGL 516 Methods of Formal Linguistic Analysis

Data and knowledge structures for formal representation of natural language and speech data. Designing and implementing algorithms for automating linguistic analysis tasks. Conceptual issues for natural language and speech processing programming.

ENGL 520 Computational Analysis of English

Concepts and practices for analysis of English by computer with emphasis on the applications of computational analysis to problems in applied linguistics such as corpus analysis and recognition of learner language in computer-assisted learning and language assessment.

ENGL 5270 Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis is concerned with making sense of how language is used in the wider communicative context, and focuses on varying aspects of language, from structural characteristics, to the way that texts are organized and constructed to create meaning, to socio-cultural interpretations that relate speakers, writers, and communicative events. This course explores text linguistic approaches to discourse analysis, such as corpus-based discourse analysis, register analysis, genre or ‘move’ analysis, conversation analysis, and systemic functional analysis. Students will be learn about and practice these approaches to the analysis of texts while exploring topics such as information structure, coherence and cohesion, pragmatics, register/genre variation, and classroom discourse, in both spoken and written language.

ENGL 5370 Corpus Approaches to Grammatical Analysis

This course focuses on the analysis of grammar using authentic, representative language data and methodologies from corpus linguistics. Using a major corpus-based reference grammar paired with hands-on analyses, students will explore language in terms of its form, grammatical function and discourse function, in conjunction with how grammar varies across register. Students will develop skills in analyzing complex clauses in English to identify the structure and role of each component part, and will gain practical experience in using corpus methodologies to learn about grammar in language use. Although the course focuses primarily on English, the techniques and methods practiced in the course can be applied to the grammar of any language. As a secondary goal, students will also explore different approaches to grammar that are often paired with corpus-based analyses to contribute to practice, research, and theory in applied linguistics, such as Systemic Functional Grammar and Pedagogical Grammar.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Applied Linguistics and Technology: Analysis of Learner Language

This seminar introduces Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as a discourse analytic approach to exploring the development of learner language. The course will address the basic theory of SFL and will provide practice analyzing learner and non-learner texts (including literature), with the goal of understanding how SFL can be used in formative/summative assessment of oral and written discourse, and how it can help describe differences in texts in terms of the content, the organization, and how relationships are established between the speaker/writer and the listener/reader. The course will also introduce an SFL-based corpus tool.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Applied Linguistics and Technology: Corpus Linguistics

This seminar focuses on corpus linguistics methodologies for analyzing large samples of authentic language. The first part of the course considers foundational concepts in corpus linguistics methodologies: corpus design and representativeness, quantitative research designs for corpus data, analysis tools (from concordancers to specialized computer programs), and the definition of language varieties (registers, genres, text types). The second part of the course surveys the major types of corpus analysis as applied in current research on lexis and phraseology, grammar, lexico-grammar, discourse, learner language, and register variation. The third part of the course focuses on multi-dimensional analysis, including the theory and assumptions underlying this analytical approach and the steps required to carry out and interpret multi-dimensional analyses. Computer programming knowledge is not required for the course. However, students with this experience will have opportunities to apply and build on programming skills they may have been developing in courses such as English 516 and 520.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Applied Linguistics and Technology: Corpus Linguistics & Language Teaching

This seminar focuses on corpus linguistics and its applications to language teaching. Students in the course will explore theories and principles for applying corpus linguistics findings and methods to language teaching and learning, as well as gain practical experience in creating corpus-based materials and activities. The course will center on four main topics: applying corpus-based research to classroom materials development, the use of corpora in the language classroom (data-driven learning), the role of learner or corpora analysis, and research and evaluation of the effectiveness of corpus-based materials and corpus use in the language classroom. The course will consider the range of ways that corpus linguistics is applied to language teaching, including for L2 learners, for L1 and L2 academic writing, and for English for Specific Purposes.

ENGL 6300 Seminars in Applied Linguistics and Technology: Advanced quantitative methods for applied linguistics This course aims to provide applied linguists with the advanced quantitative methods they need to critique studies which employ such approaches as well as to carry out their own research with the techniques. The course is designed to satisfy the needs of both language assessment researchers and other applied linguists, who are interested in advanced quantitative methods. The major statistical techniques covered in the course will be exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, with a major focus on confirmatory factor analysis. The focus of the course will be on the application of these techniques, not the math that underlies them. Students will use SPSS as well as one of the advanced SEM software packages such as Amos or EQS to complete their analyses.