AbstractAs a growing number of academic institutions are adapting their mission to emphasize
global engagement, it is essential that they continue to make a broad
menu of languages available to their students and researchers. However, a number
of constraints have made it increasingly difficult for institutions to maintain
depth and breadth in their language offerings, particularly in the less commonly
taught languages (LCTLs). In order to address this challenge, Columbia University,
Cornell University, and Yale University have developed a collaborative framework
to share instruction in the LCTLs across institutional boundaries. The
Shared Course Initiative (SCI) uses high-definition videoconferencing to create a
synchronous, classroom-to-classroom learning environment that allows the three
institutions to share instruction in a wide range of LCTLs. In this chapter, we provide
an overview of the SCI and situate it within the current literature on institutional
globalization and curricular transformation in language education. We also
discuss the potential of the model for the creation of collaborative curricula and
the sharing of academic resources across institutional boundaries.