With the help of the Regional English Language Office (RELO) in Manila of the US Department of State, the University, through the College of Arts and Sciences, hosted its first Virtual English Language Fellow (VELF) this Second Semester, AY 2021-2022.
Ms. Vivien Valles Thomas, this year’s VELF, earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Communication from St. Mary’s University of San Antonio, and her Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics in 2014 from the University of Texas at El Paso, Texas, USA. Assisted by the Department of Humanities (DHum) and the Language Study Center (LSC), she is teaching ENLS 116 – ELT Approaches and Methods to students of the BA English Language Studies program. Aside from serving CvSU as instructor of the said subject, she is also a resource person for a series of round table discussions held online every last Thursday of the month. The said activity is attended by English and other foreign language teachers, both inside and outside the University. Other online discussions focusing on language and technology, language proficiency, assessment, and gender are conducted with the help of the DHum Extension Unit and LSC.
The VELF Program is one of the English language programs offered by RELO. The RELO in Manila oversees programs in the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Island countries. They send experienced U.S. English language educators with advanced degrees in different countries to help improve English language learning in the said countries.
This collaboration applicable in the current flexible learning arrangement not only gives the students a chance to receive global education but also opens doors of international collaboration and engagement for other teachers. (LAOrsal)
