Associate Professor of Spanish Modern Languages & Literatures

Elizabeth Enkin, Associate Professor; Interim Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (Ph.D. University of Arizona, Second Language Acquisition and Teaching) teaches courses on Hispanic linguistics and applied linguistics. Her research focuses on second language learning and teaching, with a current specific emphasis on educational/emerging technology (e.g., web-based mobile and virtual reality apps) for language instruction. She therefore frequently works with our Language Lab and educational technologist (Eric Kirschling, Lab Manager) on several projects (see "Grant Activity" below for project titles). Her research also covers topics in online learning and instruction, sentence processing, instructor professional development, outcomes assessment, curriculum design/program direction, and Hispanic linguistics. Dr. Enkin's research has been published in top-tier journals (Foreign Language Annals, International Journal of Applied Linguistics) in the applied linguistics and language teaching field.

Peer-reviewed journal articles

  • Enkin, E. & Correa, M. (2018). Evaluating learner and teacher perceptions of program outcomes in the foreign language major. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 15(1), 66-80.
  • Enkin, E. (2017). Intensive online foreign language learning at the advanced level: Insights from a summer online Spanish course. Apples – Journal of Applied Language Studies, 11(1), 67-86.
  • Enkin, E., Nicol, J., Brooks, Z., & Zavaleta, K. L. (2017). Reading in Spanish as a second language: An eye-tracking study. The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 17(1), 1-15.
  • Enkin, E. & Mejías-Bikandi, E. (2017). The effectiveness of online teaching in an advanced Spanish language course. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 27(1), 176-197.
  • Enkin, E. & Mejías-Bikandi, E. (2016). Using online translators in the second language classroom: Ideas for advanced-level Spanish. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 9(1), 138-158.
  • Enkin, E. (2016). Second language learning with the story maze task: The training effect of weaving through stories. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique appliquée, 19(1), 1-21.
  • Enkin, E. (2015). Supporting the professional development of foreign language graduate students: A focus on course development and program direction. Foreign Language Annals, 48(2), 304-320.
  • Enkin, E. & Forster, K. (2014). The maze task: Examining the training effect of using a psycholinguistic experimental technique for second language learning. Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 5(2), 161-180.
  • Enkin, E. (2012). The maze task: Training methods for second language learning. Arizona Working Papers in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching, 19(5), 56-81.

Grant activity

  • "Using and assessing educational technology in the "smart" language lab: Virtual reality dialogues for Spanish curriculum development", funded by the College of Arts and Sciences: Instructional Improvement Fund grant (PI; co-researcher: Dr. Kelly Kingsbury Brunetto), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2018. ($10,000).
  • "Developing and assessing virtual reality for language learning and open education resources", funded by the College of Arts and Sciences: ENHANCE award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2018. ($5000).
  • Spanish Language Maze mobile app project: "The maze task: Developing a psycholinguistic experimental procedure into a language learning mobile device application", funded by the Research Council: Grant-In-Aid, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2016. ($1462).   

Selected conference presentations

  • Reimagining the Language Lab: Creating a “smart” space and developing web-based virtual reality (webVR) games. Computer-assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO), Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Forthcoming: May 2019. Co-presenting with Eric Kirschling (UNL Language Lab Manager and Educational Technologist). (Competitively selected).    
  • The Spanish language maze: A mobile app for improving foreign language sentence processing. American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), Chicago, Illinois, July 2017.    
  • Learner and teacher perceptions of outcomes in foreign language programs. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Boston, Massachusetts, November 2016.
  • The professional development needs of modern language graduate students: Bridging the gap between the methods course and the job market. Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC), University of Kentucky, Lexington, April 2016.
  • The effectiveness of Spanish language teaching online: A focus on an advanced-level linguistics course. American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), Denver, Colorado, July 2015.    
  • The effectiveness of online teaching in an advanced Spanish language course: Comparing face-to-face and online learning. Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC), University of Kentucky, Lexington, April 2015.
  • The role of mission statements in language departments: Valuable or just “for show”? A mixed-methods analysis. American Association for Applied Linguistics and Association Canadienne de Linguistique Appliquée (AAAL/ACLA), Toronto, Canada, March 2015. Co-presented with Dr. Maite Correa. (Competitively selected).
  • Weaving through stories with the story maze: Measuring an L2 training effect for Spanish learners. Second Language Research Forum (SLRF), University of South Carolina, Columbia, October 2014. (Competitively selected).
  • Second language learning with the maze task: The training effect of a psycholinguistic experimental technique. Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC), University of Kentucky, Lexington, April 2014.
  • Word frequency effects in L2 sentence reading: An eye-tracking study. Second Language Research Forum (SLRF), Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, November 2013. Co-presented with Dr. Kaitlyn Zavaleta and co-authored with Dr. Janet Nicol. (Competitively selected).
  • Using social identity in second language literacy development: Insights from lexical decoding. Mid-America Conference on Hispanic Literature (MACHL). University of Nebraska-Lincoln, October 2012.

Courses taught at Nebraska

  • Spanish 304 Advanced Writing (undergraduate)
  • Spanish 317 Introduction to Linguistics (undergraduate)
  • Modern Languages 880 Seminar in Applied Linguistics and Methodology (graduate)
  • Modern Languages/TEAC 883 Curriculum Design and Language Program Direction (graduate)

Teaching-related activities

  • Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences (UCARE) Program
    • 2015-2016. Lead adviser. The perception and production of phonetic stress in Spanish: An investigation of native speakers and non-native learners
    • 2013-2014. The story maze: Investigating corrective feedback in a psycholinguistic computer assisted language learning task
  • Masters Committee, 2018-present.
  • Masters Comprehensive Exams, Reviewer, 2015-present.
  • Honors Thesis Director, 2015-2016.
  • Masters Committee Chair, 2016-2018.
  • Doctoral Committee Member, Department of Educational Administration, 2016-present.
  • Doctoral Committee Member, Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, 2012-present.
  • Doctoral Committee Member, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, 2014-present.

Service to the university and the profession

    • DMLL Interim Chair - June 2019-January 2020
    • DMLL Vice Chair - May 2017-May 2019
    • Spanish Undergraduate Advisor - October 2018-August 2019
    • CAS Executive Committee Member for Humanities 2018-2019.
    • CAS ACE 5 Leadership Fellows Program departmental representative 2018-2019.
    • CAS Undergraduate Education Working Group departmental representative  2017-2019.
    • DMLL Salary Merit Advisory Committee at large representative. 2017-2018.
    • Search Committee Member: Assistant Professor in English Learner Education/ Linguistics. Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. 2015-2016.
    • Search Committee Member: Assistant Professor in English Learning Education/Methods. Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. 2015-2016.
    • Graduate Fellowship Committee. Office of Graduate Studies. 2013-2016.
    • DMLL Curriculum Committee Member 2013-2015.
    • CAS APPLAUSE Nomination Evaluation Committee Member 2013-2014.
    • Job Market Information Session for Departmental Graduate Students. 2012, 2014.
    • Manuscript Reviewer: Volume of "Issues in Language Program Direction of the American Association of University Supervisors and Coordinators" (AAUSC): Pathways to Paradigm Change: Critical Examinations Prevailing Discourses and Ideologies in Second Language Education; Hispania; Foreign Language Annals; Modern Language Journal; Bilingualism: Language and Cognition; Hispanic Studies Review. 2013-2018.

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    Faculty spotlight

    Elizabeth Enkin

    Awards

    • Certificate of Recognition for Contributions to Students (UNL Parents Association), Division of Student Affairs, 2018.
    • College Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Arts & Sciences, 2017.