Smith selected for four-week professional development program in Germany
Alexis Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of German, has been selected to participate in Internationaler Lehrerfortbildungskurs – Universität Heidelberg, a four-week professional development course in Heidelberg, Germany.
Part of Heidelberg University’s International Summer School for German Language and Culture, Internationaler Lehrerfortbildungskurs is designed to further develop language abilities and teaching skills of teachers of German who are non-native German speakers. The program blends core language classes, cultural and social events, and modules focusing on specific methodological training and topics related to this summer’s theme, “Zeitenwende: Politics and Society in Transformation.”
“The Lehrerfortbildungskurs gives teachers of German fresh cultural insights and renewed inspiration,” said Karin Gunkel, coordinator and academic director of the Summer School at Universität Heidelberg. “This experience not only strengthens their connection to the German language and culture but also enriches their classrooms back home, fostering the next generation of global citizens.”
Smith was recognized as Indiana’s 2024 collegiate German teacher of the year by the Indiana Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). Since joining Hanover’s faculty in 2019, she has created two tracks for majors, German and German studies, and many new courses.
Along with her teaching, she has taken the College’s German program and Modern Languages and Cultures Department into the local community and brought German educators and creators to campus. She organized a series of free German-language classes for area residents and directed after-school classes for local K-12 students. She has also arranged campus presentations, presented a film screening and served as co-leader of the AATG Indiana Chapter’s on-campus immersion workshop, “Theaterpädagogik,” which focused on the incorporation of theatre into German education.
Smith’s scholarship to participate in Internationaler Lehrerfortbildungskurs is funded by Universität Heidelberg in cooperation with the German-American Scholarship Association. The stipend helps cover program costs, accommodations and travel.
Michael R. Shaughnessy, Ph.D., AATG executive director, stated, “Professional development is more important than ever in a rapidly changing world. The scholarship recipients distinguished themselves on a national level and were awarded these prestigious grants based on their hard work, qualifications and stellar application materials.”
The host institution, Heidelberg University, was established in 1386 and is Germany’s oldest university. One of Europe’s leading research institutions, Heidelberg offers a full range of academic disciplines and is committed to strengthening individual fields of study, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and translating research into meaningful contributions to society and industry.
