Job Description

Job Summary:

The South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI) is a national, eight-week, intensive language institute housed in the Language Program Office (LPO) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-administered by the UW-Madison Center for South Asia. SASLI offers courses in South Asian languages annually from mid-June through mid-August. SASLI is also one of the institutes that comprises the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes. SASLI is overseen by a national consortium of U.S. universities that contribute resources and language teaching staff to support this unique language institute.

The duties of this position are equivalent to that of a Teaching Assistant (TA) and are designed to provide teacher training in less commonly taught languages under the supervision of the Main Instructor/Lecturer assigned to the course, in conjunction with the SASLI Academic Director, the LPO Academic Director, and in coordination with the designated SASLI Pedagogy Coordinator and administrative staff members. Teaching Assistants are expected to perform the following duties under the daily supervision of the Lecturer of the course:

- The Main Instructor/Lecturer is primarily responsible for teaching one of the following languages: Bengali, Dari, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil, Tibetan, and/or Urdu in an eight-week intensive summer format. The Faculty Assistant will assist the Main Instructor/Lecturer in teaching one of the aforementioned languages. The majority of SASLI 2025 classes will be taught in an online, synchronous format, with one Elementary Hindi course offered in person.
- Following ACTFL recommendations, for modern, spoken languages, commit to communicating at least 90% in the target language in interaction with students for the duration of the program.
- Assist the Main Instructor/Lecturer of the course in preparing syllabus, and in developing, administering, and grading classroom and home assignments and exams.
- Assist the Main Instructor/Lecturer of the course in maintaining the student learning management system (LMS) on Canvas.
- Hold scheduled office hours a minimum of 2 hours per week with additional time available to students upon request.
- Work closely with the LPO and institute pedagogy staff to prepare for course observations and performance evaluations that ensure program guidelines and expectations are met.
- Demonstrate ability to collaborate with other instructors and program staff.
- Contribute to fostering a supportive and collegial working environment.
- Participate in all pedagogy workshops and instructor meetings organized by WISLI and individual institutes, including all required pre-service workshops during the first week of employment.
- Follow WISLI best practices and work toward level-appropriate standards of ACTFL proficiency-based instruction.

Teaching Assistants are responsible for assisting the Main Instructor/Lecturer with managing their classrooms, which includes assisting with:
Ensuring target language use in the classroom.
Maintaining an engaging and orderly learning environment.
Acting as the first point of contact for student academic and non-academic issues with support from the pedagogy coordinator and academic director.
Organizing course materials in Canvas.
Sharing course-related communications with students.
Managing classroom administrative tasks including taking attendance, reporting grades, and providing timely feedback.

During the eight-week summer period, there will be one scheduled teaching observation. Additional observations may be arranged for professional development purposes, to address classroom-related issues, or for funding agency oversight. All observations will be scheduled with prior notice.

The majority of SASLI courses will be offered in a synchronous, remote format for summer 2025. Instructors for remote courses are not expected to live in Madison and are expected to have sufficient internet access and technology to effectively teach without interruption and to meet all requirements of instructional staff at SASLI, including attendance at all meetings during pre-service orientation week, attendance at all mandatory pedagogy training meetings, holding of daily office hours, etc. Meetings and classes will be held during the business day based on the US Central time zone.

One Elementary Hindi course may be offered in-person in Madison, WI. Instructors selected for this course would be expected to relocate to Madison, WI, for the summer program and teach in-person. Applicants interested in teaching in-person for Elementary Hindi should note this in submitted cover letter.

For more information, please visit

Positions are filled based on student enrollment numbers. Some notifications may come in late spring.

This appointment is for summer 2025 only. There is no presumption of reappointment.

Responsibilities:

Teaches the quiz, tutorial, discussion or lab section(s) of a course or assists in the development of materials or programs under the direction of an academic staff or faculty member. May perform the same work as a Teaching Assistant, but is not a UW student.

• 85% Facilitates classroom and/or laboratory instruction for one or more courses including assessment of student performance
• 5% Assists with the development of instructional design and curriculum relevant to a course of instruction under the direction of an academic staff or faculty member
• 5% Serves as an initial point of contact for students as it relates to specific course or series content and expectations
• 5% Attends Staff meetings, pedagogy training sessions, and occasional SASLI extracurricular activities; assist with placing students in appropriate levels as necessary

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:

Required
Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in South Asian or Area Studies, Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition, or a related field

Qualifications:

- Fluency or near-native fluency in the language being taught and in English required.

- One year of college/university experience preferred in teaching a South Asian Language as a second language at the elementary, intermediate, or advanced level in the US or abroad in one of the following languages: Bengali, Dari, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil, Tibetan, and/or Urdu.

- Knowledge of current issues in language pedagogy and training in language proficiency preferred.

- Experience with remote teaching and technology in foreign language is strongly preferred.

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Terminal, 2 month appointment.

Salary:

Minimum $52,000 SUMMER SESSION
Depending on Qualifications

Additional Information:

Diversity, inclusion, and access are primary values for the Language Programs Office (LPO) and are integral to achieving our strategic goals. We seek candidates with an awareness of and commitment to the principles of diversity, inclusion, and access across all spectrums.

Short term summer position with no presumption of reappointment. Positions will run from June 9, 2025 - August 8, 2025.

How to Apply:

Please submit the following information through the online jobs portal by the assured consideration date:

-Cover letter addressing teaching philosophy, language(s) and level(s) applying to assist with, and number of semesters taught in higher education language courses or equivalent experience (if applicable).
-CV
-List of 3 professional references
-Student evaluations of teaching encouraged if available. The SASLI hiring committee will review student and performance evaluations from instructors who have previously taught at SASLI.

Contact:

Anne Naparstek
anne.naparstek@wisc.edu
608-261-1194
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Teaching Specialist(TL024)

Department(s):

A10-INTL DIVISION/LANG PROGRAM OFFICE

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Terminal

Job Number:

309702-AS

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, click here

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website:

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .

About University of Wisconsin–Madison

Work with purpose, make an impact, and grow your career. The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to equity, inclusion and employee well-being as we proudly work to improve the lives of people in Wisconsin and beyond. Join a world-class educational and research institution, located in one of America's best places to live and work. The University of Wisconsin–Madison has been a catalyst for the extraordinary since its founding in 1848. As a public land-grant university and prolific research institution, our guiding principle is the Wisconsin Idea, a long-standing commitment to conducting outreach that contributes to a better future for our state, our nation, and the world. In a survey of working Americans conducted by Forbes, UW?Madison ranked among the top 100 America’s Best Large Employers in 2022. Our location in Madison, Wisconsin, is consistently rated one of the best places to live in the United States. A variety of independent rankings place Madison among the best U.S. cities for livability, work-life balance, fitness, opportunities for women, best places to raise children, and other measures. We were also named one of the Best Universities for Commuters in 2021 ... . More than 24,000 faculty and staff work at our schools, colleges, and administrative units. Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation at UW–Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinions enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

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Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, Summer work, Remote job, Relocation,

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