The Intensive Language Instruction Program (ILIP) returned for a second year this summer, following its relaunch in 2024.
This time, some students didn’t even have to leave their homes—or their countries—to reach their language learning goals, thanks to new online offerings.
“It was perfect for me since I am physically in Morocco, North Africa,” said Kaytlyn Affane, who took intermediate Spanish through ILIP. “I moved to El Jadida in 2022, where I teach ESL and TOEFL test prep skills to children, teens, and adults at the American Language Center.”
ILIP is a unique educational experience designed to accelerate language learning through an immersive classroom atmosphere that is fun and welcoming. ILIP classes combine language and culture through engaging high-quality activities facilitated by skilled instructors, maximizing exposure to the target language to help students meet their learning goals.
Classes are open to members of the university community and the general public, and K-12 educators are eligible to receive up to 30 hours of ISBE Professional Development Hours through ILIP.
Affane—who is certified to teach English as a Second Language, Spanish, and French—was able to use ILIP to earn professional development points for her Spanish licensure and refresh her skills.
“I don’t have much opportunity to practice Spanish in Morocco,” she said. “This class gave me a refresher on a lot of key concepts and vocabulary in Spanish. It also gave me the chance to practice Spanish with others in an organized setting.”
Mary Biddle, a retired middle school teacher who now supervises student teachers at the University of Illinois, also took intermediate Spanish through ILIP. In the last 10 years of her teaching career, she taught English to speakers of other languages. To support her Spanish-speaking students, she learned some basic vocabulary—and this year, she decided to take her language learning a step further.
“As a teacher myself, I know how important it is to get feedback from someone who is paying close attention to my progress,” said Biddle. “I had frequent opportunities to apply the vocab and grammar concepts I was learning via authentic conversation. Nothing beats the challenge and satisfaction of putting language skills to use in live conversation.”
Along with the opportunity to converse with other students, Sue Engels found the online format effective for her Modern Greek class.
“The class was small, the instructor used online instructional tools effectively, and her encouragement and enthusiasm motivated us to study an unfamiliar language,” said Engels.
Since her retirement in 2021—after a 20-year career in publishing followed by a pivot to teaching—Engels is still making time to teach and tutor, but she’s also focused on traveling. She said ILIP was a big help in making the most of experiences abroad.
“I learned to read Greek, understand regular verb conjugations and other basic grammatical features, and can perform basic survival skills,” she said. “Learning the basics about a language helps me to connect with people when I travel. The more I learn about new languages, the more effective I can be when tutoring or teaching.”
For Virginia R. Dominguez, a professor of anthropology at Illinois, it was her curiosity that drew her to take Modern Greek through ILIP.
“There are many words in English with Greek roots, but I never knew any Greek prior to this class so it was very appealing,” said Dominguez.
Philip Krummrich (MA, ’76, comparative literature; PhD, ’80) has taught a wide variety of classes since beginning his career, mostly in Spanish and English. This year, he decided it was time for something new.
“I love languages, and I thought that participating in this intensive program would get me started on another one,” said Krummrich. “I thought that Modern Greek presented the best balance of challenge and accessibility. I got exactly what I hoped for [out of this program], or indeed rather more. I feel prepared and motivated to continue studying on my own.”
That was a common sentiment echoed by the students. Biddle said she’s planning to continue studying Spanish at Illinois, thanks to her experience with ILIP.
“ILIP is a gem,” she said. “We’re extremely fortunate to have this in our community.”
Editor's note: This story first appeared in the SLCL Fall 2025 print newsletter.