Language study abroad programs differ from language courses in that they offer a unique immersion experience where students experience the target language and culture in an authentic setting. Unfortunately, many of these programs employ traditional language assessment tools that focus on the technical aspect of the Arabic language at the expense of the student’s ability to communicate independently and effectively. Measuring students’ performance in study abroad programs calls for an assessment model that goes beyond the classroom environment and require a comprehensive framework that includes a set of processes, skills and tools that need to work together to achieve the desired outcome. This paper presents proven practices in selecting an effective assessment team, focusing on authentic communication and measuring actual student’s language engagement. These recommendations are based on an evaluation of several approaches used to assess thousands of Arabic language students in Morocco. 1-Evaluate as a team While a specialized tester is necessary, every teacher shall have the opportunity (and even obligation) to perform language assessments and compare his/her results to the rest of the team. It is through this interaction that assessment starts to impact the teaching in a natural and meaningful way. 2-Focus on Authentic communication Rehearsed classroom drills are designed to help the student acquire the language but are not be seen as the goal of the learning. In effective assessments, students are presented with authentic scenarios and are challenged to produce the proper language. In summative assessments, a mix of authentic and rehearsed scenarios is ideal to show the extent the student’s language acquisition. 3-Measure Student’s Engagement Successful Study abroad programs emphasize the student’s responsibility to connect their in- class learning to their out-of-class experiences and measure the degree of engagement of the student in the use of the target language and culture outside the classroom. Through this connection, students realize the desired immersion, find the correct context to apply acquired language skills, and take most advantage of the study abroad program.

This study addresses critical shortcomings in the conceptualization of Intercultural Competence (IC) in foreign language teaching (FLT) with a focus on Arabic. Problem areas include the following assumptions: (1) that native speakers (NSs) of a given language expect non-native speakers (NNS) to comply with the NS perspective in their (NNS) behaviors; and (2) that NNS feel obliged to adopt NS norms of cultural appropriateness and desire to meet these obligations. These assumptions often undergird notions of what it means to have intercultural competence. The literature showed that examination of the existing definitions of culture, NSs, and NNSs in foreign language teaching and learning challenges the conceptualization of intercultural competence. This construct is discussed in light of two sociological theories namely, community of practice and Accommodation Theory. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires and interviews that inquired about participants’ responses to interactions with NSs through hypothetical scenarios. The study included 52 Moroccan native-speakers of Arabic in Morocco and 32 American college students learning Arabic in the first semester. The findings showed that Moroccans had adjusted expectations regarding the extent to which they expect Americans to conform to Moroccan cultural norms. However, they expect Americans to learn about these cultural norms and reflect this knowledge in their interactions. Learners on the other hand, when interviewed, indicated a potential to conform so as not to arouse offense. However, their survey responses showed that when given a choice, they are less likely to conform to Moroccan cultural norms. In fact, their responses showed their preference for engaging in cultural behaviors that are comfortable regardless of whether or not they conform to cultural norms. The paper will reflect on what these findings mean for the definition of conformity to cultural norms as well as implications for cultivating intercultural competence in the language classroom.

This paper and multi-media presentation draw from the ongoing work of an original year-long project to teach Arabic through spoken Iraqi dialect by utilizing Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) techniques developed for this purpose, based on 3-D computer graphic imaging (CGI), with levels of interactivity and including game engines.  It presents samples of materials developed and applied as well as lessons learned and implications derived for both learning- and Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL). This work falls in the context of a rapidly evolving market where learner centered- and user controlled environments predominate in a sphere characterized by the rise of e-books, learning ‘apps’ and what appears--on the basis of indicators and publishing trends--to be an impending obsolescence of printed textbooks.  As will be elucidated, CGI can be employed in order to radically expand the horizons of ‘the possible’ and to ‘inform’ approaches with pedagogically sound techniques that stimulate learners through engaging sight and sound, thereby reinforcing a rich variety of visual-, aural- and semantic-/cognitive correlations.  Educational needs from abstract- and explicit instruction, to modeling and entrainment, to narratives and virtual scenarios designed for elicitation and prompting role play can be produced--with limited resources--in order to facilitate and promote communicative language-learning and functional usage. Technical discussion includes: use of free- and low-cost animation software; accurate animation of Arabic phonemes; the relative utility of motion-tracking and Biovision Hierarchical data (BVH); limiting factors; and commentary and observations on more- and less-productive avenues/applications of CGI in Arabic- and foreign language instruction arising from the design and implementation of this project.     Additionally, the paper explores the correlation and degree to which pedagogical considerations for approach and order-of-instruction in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) are transferable and applicable to Iraqi spoken dialect, with discernible implications for parallel Arabic dialect instruction in core MSA programs.  The specific approaches adopted in this project and their rationale will be detailed along with strategies for both acquiring samples of authentic spoken Arabic language and structures and how to utilize these as a means to organize pedagogical content into an instructor- and user-friendly modular format. This approach--applicable to MSA--is argued to be ideally suited to facilitating self-study and maximizing valuable in-class time for student-centered speaking activities, interaction and role play.