OLBI News

The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) offers customized second language courses for APUO and APTPUO members. Use this summer to improve your French or English language skills with your peers!

Souhaitez-vous apprivoiser la bête qu’est la rédaction épicène ? Suivez le guide et découvrez les principaux concepts et conseils pratiques pour une rédaction non sexiste et inclusive en milieu universitaire. [In French only]

Recently, the Julien Couture Resource Centre received a little refresher. We took the opportunity to prepare a Top 10 of the best ways to enjoy the Centre.

Vara, a Health Sciences and French Immersion stream student, explains how OLBI’s conversation workshops help students hone their second-language skills while having fun!

OLBI modifies the titles and prerequisites of its English and French courses to better meet the needs of language learners at all levels.

Anne Thibert, a recent graduate of the Honours BA in Second Language Teaching, draws on her personal experience to fuel her search for solutions to reduce language insecurity and promote a sense of confidence among speakers in minority language situations.

Mylan Allen’s journey to graduation from OLBI’s Second Language Teaching program is a tale of determination and drive. It’s also a testament to how a bilingual environment fosters creativity, motivates further learning and promotes an open-minded perspective on the world and its many cultures.

Janick Robidoux felt she had it all – until a serious bicycle accident turned her life upside down. Far from throwing in the towel, she drew on her passions and found her new calling as a French language teacher.

Bilingualism and Beyond: Advancing the Thinking on Pedagogies, Policies and Practices

2021 CCERBAL Conference (April 29 - May 1, 2021)

By Kaiden Salt

A language is only alive when it is enjoyed! In this personal account, uOttawa student Kaiden Salt shares how self-awareness and determination helped them reconnect with French and enabled them to surmount language insecurities that had developed as a result of eroding linguistic and cultural exposure.

For Mois de la Francophonie, OLBI presents you a French grammar lesson in four highlights.

Just in time for the Mois de la Francophonie, here are a few tips and tricks to help you improve your French, whether you prefer to learn it alone or with others.

In view of the difficult circumstances faced by our students, faculty, and administrative staff, the University has adopted exceptional academic measures to allow for flexibility in the way assignments and exams will be conducted and evaluated at the end of this winter term. These measures apply only to undergraduate courses. Our academic community remains committed and continues to adapt to the unprecedented challenges arising from VIDOC-19. The well-being of our community and the success of our students remains our highest priority.

OLBI students volunteer to provide online tutoring to young learners of French as a second language across the country during the pandemic.

OLBI adheres to the measures taken by the University of Ottawa to insure the health and safety of students, employees and partners, as well as the completion of the current academic year.

On the occasion of Black History Month, OLBI proposes five captivating literary encounters that promote the values of inclusion and dialogue and help discover the richness and diversity of Francophone literature of the Americas.

During this Wellness Week, discover OLBI’s Cultural Picks – little gems to read or watch that will make you feel good!

Did you know that being bilingual can lead to more job offers and a better salary? According to the uOttawa Career Development Centre, a bilingual employee can earn 5% to 20% more than a unilingual employee. Clearly, bilingualism is a valuable asset that pays off in many different ways!

Her name is Rebecca Kingston. She’s a 2020 graduate of OLBI’s Master of Arts in Bilingualism Studies and despite what she might have thought at one time, she’s far from an imposter! Read about how persistent self-doubt made way to undisputed feelings of success.

Yiran Ding is a new graduate of OLBI’s Master of Arts in Bilingualism Studies. She was born and raised in China, with Mandarin as her mother tongue. Learning English in her home country of China, she quickly realized that speaking another language introduced her not only to new words, but also to a new culture and a different way of seeing things. Right then, her new passion was found.

The Official languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) presents ILOBify, a repertoire of linguistic tools that will allow you to maintain, improve and perfect your skills in French as Second Language (FLS), whether it be independently, or as a supplementary support to your courses at school or university. All of it in the palm of your hand!

Marie-Josée Hamel, a full professor and Director of graduates studies at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, takes part in an armchair discussion on the topic of official languages in the era of telework during this year’s 2020 Linguistic Duality Day.

On November 6, uOttawa played host to the 32nd edition of the Entretiens Jacques Cartier conference, with the theme focusing on digital humanities. Through multiple roundtable activities this event gave attendees the chance to discuss innovative solutions to the challenges faced in the digital age.

To say that Convocation 2020 was unconventional is an understatement. But Valerie Binder was not fazed by it. She was happily celebrating in her own ideal way, stretched out in her hammock under tall pines in Northern Ontario, content about her journey and excited about a future where her two passions will coexist.

Michelle Chin doesn’t flinch when it comes to facing new challenges! A recent graduate in Second Language Teaching, her academic journey has led her to discover new passions and the ambition to pursue higher learning in research and graduate studies.

From November 6 to 8, 2019, the University of Ottawa hosted a delegation of 13 renowned universities from West and Central Africa in order to discuss potential partnerships between our institutions.

After several years of operation at the Hamelin Hall, the Julien Couture Resource Centre (JCRC) underwent a transformation of its spaces in 2020. New chairs, new tables and a new smart TV for movie projections, conferences and lectures are now available to users.

On November 1, a new cohort of brilliant students received their diplomas during the Fall 2019 Convocation ceremonies. 

Among those individuals are two graduates from OLBI’s Master of Arts in Bilingualism Studies program, Stéphanie Bedou and Ed Griffiths.  

Dr. Beverly Baker is an internationally recognized researcher in the fields of language assessment and language teacher development. She is an Associate Professor at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) in the Faculty of Arts, where she also serves as the Director of the Language Assessment Sector and Director of the Language Assessment Research Group.

On November 1^st, OLBI celebrated its 50 years of excellence in second-language teaching, both in Canada and across the globe. We would like to thank all those who devoted themselves to improving our students’ employability, whether it be our staff members or our professors. It is now time to shift our outlook towards the future and contemplate OLBI’s role on the national and global stages of second-language teaching.

I am an international student from France. I have been enrolled in the Master’s in Bilingualism Studies Program at the University of Ottawa since September 2017,. It is a really exciting program and exactly what I was looking for, a multi-disciplinary approach to issues in multilingualism and languages in minority contexts.

It is our pleasure to announce that Margret Norenberg has accepted to fill the professorial position of the ESL Long Term Assignment at OLBI!

Last March, OLBI went to Niagara Falls in order to participate at the World Congress for Modern Languages. We took the occasion to promote our program of Summer University for FLS/FSL teachers which will be on July 6 to 17 and our Master of Arts in Bilingualism Studies.

One of our professors, Sheila Scott, was recently interviewed for an article in the Fulcrum, which featured her hard work and innovative academic approaches to teaching the Irish language and culture. Opening up about her own history and passion for Irish culture, Ms. Scott shares what attracted her to study the subject, and eventually do her PhD in Irish syntax and morphology.

As part of the state visit to Canada of Their Majesties the King and Queen of the Belgians, the University of Ottawa and the Université catholique de Louvain joined forces to organize a scientific seminar entitled "Multilingual Education and Language Learning: Canada and Belgium at a Crossroads." We would like to highlight the role of Sylvie Lamoureux, the OLBI Research Chair of Language Management, in the organization of this event, along with Philippe Hiligsmann, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters of the Université catholique de Louvain.
 

We would like to congratulate our dear colleague, Richard Clément, who was awarded the Palmes académiques on Monday March 5^th, 2018, from the Ministry of National Education of France for his years of service to the French culture.

With Jérémie Séror and Nikolay Slavkov.

Laura Ambrosio, FSL Teacher at OLBI, traveled to Graz, Austria as part of the program "Learning Journey: Holistic Approaches to Learner Development" organized by the European Center for Modern Languages (ECML) (in French only).

An agreement for language learning

Language is the Key, edited by Monika Jezak

OLBI, pioneer in teaching, training and research in blended courses

Robert Bourgon Commemorative Award, created in 2014, was granted to Chelsey Brassard, a first year FLS student.

As of 2014, the English as a Second Language, French as a Second Language Student Association awards a student with the Robert Bourgon Commemorative Award. This scholarship of $250 was created in honour of the memory of this professor, who inspired his students with his positive mindset, his passion and his enthusiasm.

65 francophile students from three School Boards put their skills to the test during the 13^th edition of the Concours de français langue seconde d’Ottawa

This year, the University of Ottawa welcomed 65 students from the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Sylvie Lamoureux, Vice-Dean Undergraduate Studies, Faculty of Arts, and Jérémie Séror, interim director, OLBI, delivered remarks that highlighted the students’ contribution to the vitality of the French language, and that reiterated the importance of learning a second language.

An interinstitutional agreement brings an innovative FLS textbook to life: spotlight on Canadian-French

On March 29, 40 people gathered in the Carrefour francophone of the University of Ottawa to celebrate Parcours jeunes et FLS’s launch. Parcours jeunes et FLS is a French as a second language textbook that was created for B2 and C1 levels and published at the University of Ottawa Press (UOP). The authors, Laura Ambrosio and Miriam Hatabi, were present to discuss the book’s conception.

On December 5, the book L’immersion française à l’université : politiques et pédagogies written by Hélène Knoerr, Alysse Weinberg and Aline Gohard-Radenkovic, was featured in an article in Academic Affairs

On July 14, the University of Ottawa said goodbye to our Destination Clic students after hosting them for three weeks of French training! These francophile teenagers were given the opportunity to use their French both in the classroom and out and about the city.

On May 20-21, 2015 OLBI hosted the second IALC conference, featuring a number of accredited speakers and researchers from Spain, India, and all over the world.

Within the framework of GRILT activities supported by the Research Chair in CALL a Conference, presentations and a round table are scheduled!

Last March, OLBI went to Niagara Falls in order to participate in the World Congress for Modern Languages. We had the opportunity to promote our program of Summer University for FLS/FSL teachers which will be on July 6 to 17 and our Master of Arts in Bilingualism Studies.