DLE is New Partner in Palau Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree

As part of the Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in Three Departments, SDSU in partnership with Palau Community College (PCC) offered DLE 515: Multilingual Education Theory and Practice: Second Language Learners in Emerging Nations and Community this summer. Dr. Sera Hernandez was the lead instructor of the 10-week course, which uses a hybrid model. She went to the Republic of Palau (ROP) to provide a week of face-to-face instruction from June 11th-17th. The students  weekly with an on-island facilitator for the remaining nine weeks, with Dr. Hernandez delivering the rest of the course via distance technology through Aug. 19th. The degree has a special emphasis in education for teachers in Palau, and is including several courses from the Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education (DLE) for the first time.

The Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, & Postsecondary Education (ARPE) in collaboration with the Interwork Institute has partnered with Pacific entities to provide degree and certificate training programs for the past 30 years. These programs have resulted in nearly 400 individuals completing various bachelor and master degree programs. This interdisciplinary bachelor's degree program is designed to allow working professionals to complete an advanced degree without having to leave island or their current position, and helps to build local capacity for achieving their country’s long-term goals. Courses are selected based on identified local needs and have included coursework from ARPE, School of Teacher Education, Public Administration, Criminal Justice, plus upper division electives to meet SDSU requirements. Courses have been designed to incorporate local context and cultural issues. Attention has also been given to adapting content to recognize a diversity of learner needs.