Nomination Process for Technical Work Group

The U.S. Department of Education and the Chinese Ministry of Education will solicit nominations for the Technical Work Group of the e-language learning system from organizations and individuals in the field who are experts in linguistics, language education, technology, and the private sector. Each country will solicit nominations and resumes to fill 24 spaces on the work group, 12 of which will be composed of Chinese members and 12 of which will be composed of American members. It is helpful, but not essential, that panel members are fluent in English.

Configuration of the Panel
The Department and Ministry are looking for nominations of individuals with specific expertise in: (1) content and pedagogy in second language acquisition, including assessment; (2) design and development of software or Internet systems; (3) product dissemination and sustainability strategies; and (4) evaluation. Participation in the technical work group does not preclude an individual from participating on the grant.

The configuration of the technical work group will look something like this:

Content/Pedagogy in Second Language Acquisition:
         Chinese language: 2 Chinese experts, 1 American expert
         English language: 2 American experts, 1 Chinese expert

Assessment of Language Learning:
         1 Chinese expert, 1 American expert

System Design and Development (e.g., animation, speech translation, etc.)
         4 American experts
         4 Chinese experts

System Dissemination and Sustainability (e.g., public-private partnerships, profitability, teacher interface, integration into the education system, funding)
         3 American experts
         3 Chinese experts

Evaluation of Language Learning Programs Using Technology
         1 American expert, 1 Chinese expert

Criteria for Selection
The Ministry and Department are looking for individual members to serve on the technical work group who can conform to the same specific criteria. In addition, the Department and Ministry are looking for a panel that is balanced in its expertise.

Criteria for Every Work Group Member. Overall, the Ministry and the Department are looking for members with the following same three attributes:

1.   Recognized as a leader in their respective field.
2.   Able to integrate knowledge across several disciplines.
3.   Willing to actively participate in the technical work group and attend both       domestic and international meetings.

Criteria for the Collective Work Group. The panel, as a whole, should meet the following four criteria:

1.   Knowledge of the body of content and research in their field (including language       acquisition, second language instruction, assessment of language proficiency       using technology, instructional uses of technology, and various types of       technology, such as animation, text to speech, simulation, and broadband width).
2.   Ability to apply this body of knowledge for use in the classroom.
3.   Ability to develop educational programs or products using this knowledge.
4.   Knowledge of educational product delivery and dissemination.

Once nominations are received by the Department or the Ministry, resumes will be obtained from the individuals nominated. Both the Ministry and the Department will share the resumes they receive for each others’ mutual understanding of the candidate pool. A core group of Department staff will review the resumes and make their recommendations to the Director of Policy and Program Studies and the Counselor to the Secretary for their final approval. Priority will be given to candidates with knowledge and leadership in more than one relevant field. A core group of Ministry staff will review the resumes and make their recommendations to the Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation and Exchange.