Regarding research, I have conducted an IRB-approved two-year study on the cultural benefits that Virtual Exchange (VE) provides to Spanish students. Virtual Exchange is a videoconference between students who want to practice a language and native speakers of that language. Because VE is a tool implemented in various courses in our department, researching its benefits is essential. The manuscript that emerged from that study was published in 2023 and was also granted the Ulloa Award for the best article on that issue. 

A good example of pedagogical innovation would be the redesign of SPAN 145. This course, which had a grammar-driven curriculum and used a textbook since its inception, was changed into a textbook-free theme-based curriculum. I have presented on this topic in conferences, including the 2024 ACTFL Annual Convention. This redesign has inspired me to write two manuscripts that I am hoping to convert into book chapters shortly. 

I have been active publishing since I was a graduate student. I have published articles in peer-reviewed journals that deal with general curricular innovations in our field, specific grammar problems encountered in the Spanish class, innovative materials, or topics related to medical Spanish, along with a review of a book on culture. In our department, there are not a lot of lectors who publish or do research in foreign language teaching or learning topics; I am happy to include me in the list of the very few. For a detailed list of articles, see the CV. 

I have also published chapters in books and textbooks. In 2011, I published a chapter in a book on the topic of children’s literature—my dissertation topic—and in 2008, I co-published a textbook that uses films and readings as the base materials for language instruction: En Contexto: Manual de Lecturas y Películas. Here are a few sample pages. As a work-for-hire, I also wrote a self-learning Spanish textbook titled Complete Spanish for Americans for a well-known publisher, Santillana.  

To support my research and classroom activities, I have secured grants from diverse Yale sources. In 2024, I was awarded the $20,000 MacMillan Travel Grant, which will allow me to take my SPAN 145 students to the Dominican Republic in 2025 to see firsthand issues related to history and culture. I have also received the Yale Instructional Enhancement Funds (IEF) a few times to help defray the costs associated with classroom activities. In addition, I have been granted the Scholars as Learners-Coaching for Success Award two times to help me with my research analysis.