Conversation Partners Sign-Up, Spring 2024
Welcome to the Conversation Partners program at UWL!

Conversation Partners is a program of the Department of Global Cultures & Languages and the Language Resource Center. The goal is to provide students in our language classes the opportunity to meet with a peer and practice their target language in a consistent, relaxed, and low-stakes atmosphere. 

Conversation partners are typically UWL students with years of language learning experience. Some are heritage speakers of a language taught at UWL. Others come to UWL from outside of the U.S., so students get the chance to practice their target language with a native speaker. 

Each semester, we gather all current Conversation Partners for a volunteer orientation session during the second week of classes. The program begins in earnest the following week, which is when students begin meeting with their conversation partner for the first time. 

Conversation partner sessions are fifteen minutes long and take place at the Language Resource Center at 321 Graff Main Hall. Students in our participating language courses sign up for a time to meet with a conversation partner at the start of the semester, and they meet with the same person at the same time throughout the semester.

The program runs ten consecutive weeks, and conversation partners remain available for an eleventh week for students who need to make up a conversation they missed or get extra practice (or extra credit) before the end of the semester.

Conversation partners typically volunteer two hours per week. In that time, you're able to meet with six students for fifteen minutes each with a short break between each conversation to write a short assessment of each student's participation.

Outside of the two-hour time commitment, Conversation Partners will gather once monthly for training and team-building exercises at the Language Resource Center. The Language Resource Center will also host more fun and enriching activities in collaboration with other departments and offices on campus. All LRC events are open to all UWL students, and we encourage you to join us and tell your friends. More information about these events will be shared at the Language Resource Center, on the GCL Department's website, on social media, and by GCL instructors.

Important Dates:
January 22: First day of classes
January 30 and 31: Volunteer Orientation Sessions, 6pm at the LRC (321 Graff Main Hall)
February 5: Third week of classes; first week of conversation sessions
March 11-15: Spring Break; no conversation partner sessions this week
April 15-19: 10th and final required week of conversation sessions
April 22-26: Make-up/extra practice week

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dane DeVetter at ddevetter@uwlax.edu. And please follow us on Instagram @uwlgcl

Thank you so much for being a Conversation Partner!
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Email *
First name *
Last name *
Preferred gender pronouns (PGPs) *
Are you volunteering as a conversation partner for the first time? *
If you answered 'Yes', which instructor recommended you for the program? If you have not yet been recommended, please name an instructor who could provide a recommendation. Otherwise, write 'N/A' *
If you answered 'No', how many semesters have you already served as a conversation partner? Otherwise, write 'N/A' *
Academic Year (in Academic Year 2023-2024) *
What is your anticipated graduation date? *
Your major(s) *
Your minor(s) and/or certificate(s) *
Have you studied abroad? *
If 'Yes,' where did you study abroad? If you are an international student at UWL, please let me know where you are from (city, country). Otherwise, please write 'N/A' *
Do you currently have a job? *
If 'Yes,' where do you work?
Do you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions? *
Are you a native or heritage speaker of a language other than English? *
If yes, what is your native or heritage language?
For which language will you be serving as a conversation partner? *
How many hours would you like to volunteer each week? (Most volunteer two hours per week) *
Would you prefer one long shift or multiple short shifts? *
What days and times are you available to volunteer during the week? 

Please note: The LRC is open 10am-6pm Mondays-Thursdays and 10am-3pm on Fridays. I encourage you to volunteer during those times, but if you want to be available beforehand or after, that is okay, too. If possible, list a few different options that would fit your schedule, and I can try to schedule you at your preferred time.
Do you prefer to work with 100, 200, or 300-level students? *
Would you be interested in being a language tutor at the LRC? Limited paid tutoring opportunities may be available. *
When is your birthday? *
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A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.
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