About PLaCE

Program Mission and Culture

Our mission is to help international students develop the academic, linguistic and cultural competencies needed to participate in university life and to compete for graduate school and employment opportunities. To this end, we develop and deliver a range of culturally sensitive and educationally purposeful activities.

As a unit, PLaCE strives to maintain a community of practice that fosters collegiality, values innovation and creativity, and promotes the use of research-based teaching practices. PLaCE instructors have a variety of backgrounds and interests, but all are language educators committed to our students' learning and success at the university. Instructors foster a mentoring relationship with students and model effective learning practices for the development of language and cultural competencies.

PLaCE program leadership supports staff members to actively seek out professional development opportunities and many staff members are actively involved as members of the language teaching profession.

For more about our staff and our work see our Directory and Teaching and Learning.