LLChat

Welcome to a unique episode of LLChat that combines our popular TalkAbroad and ImmerseMe series featuring graduate student, Catherine Earp. Catherine is currently pursuing her Master of Arts degree in Humanities at ODU (December 2027). She is a Pilates teacher and educator with over 25 years of experience in the classical tradition. She trained under Romana Kryzanowska, a direct student of Joseph...

We celebrate National French Week (November 4-10) and the 2025 theme, Design your Future with French, with a special LLChat podcast episode from our series Québécois Poets & Writers.  Xavière Hardy is a distinguished writer and specialist in Video Game Production Management from Montreal. She's the author of acclaimed books such as "Follement écrivaines" and "Ne passez pas...

We are delighted to kick off the new season of LLChat with our popular series on Virtual Reality for World Languages and Cultures Using ImmerseMe, featuring ODU student Lauren Westcott . Lauren graduated in May 2025 with a major in English and a concentration in technical writing. In her interview, she describes her immersive French learning as "a rewarding and fulfilling experience to be abl...

This is Part 2 of our interview with Caitilin Walsh in the series: The Language Services Industry . She is a professional translator, industry advocate, and past president of the American Translators Association (ATA). She served on ATA’s Education and Pedagogy Committee. Ms. Walsh also served on the executive committee of the Joint National Committee for Languages. An ATA-certified French-English...

LLChat is honored to have Caitilin Walsh as our first guest to the new series: The Language Services Industry (Part 1) . She is a professional translator, industry advocate, and past president of the American Translators Association (ATA). She served on ATA’s Education and Pedagogy Committee. Ms. Walsh also served on the executive committee of the Joint National Committee for Languages. An ATA-cer...

The World Cultural Studies degree program at ODU shapes leaders and thinkers fluent in intercultural understanding and global collaboration. In this episode from our series, This Global Life, Dr. Lee Slater welcomes ODU student, Julius Clark. Julius is a student preparing for graduation with a Bachelor of Arts degree in World Cultural Studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. In this...

LLChat is pleased to welcome Dr. Lee Slater as host of our new series, This Global Life. In our first episode to the series, Dr. Slater welcomes panelists Dr. Waqar Azeem (Binghamton University), Ms. Nimisha Sinha (Binghamton University), and Dr. Lopamudra Basu (University of Wisconsin-Stout). The goal of this conversation is to explore how cultural forms of bearing witness intervene in the politi...

We are joined today by our guest, Émilie Rivard, a beloved Québécoise writer of over 100 children’s and young adult books such as Really and Truly , Ma vie autour d’une tasse John Deere , Le bonheur au bout de la laisse, C’est ma maman!, Petite plante deviendra monstre, et sur le pot les Zétoiles! Terreur dans la classe de sixième, Le raton terrible, Spag, Marcher sur une ligne de trottoir, ça jam...

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Schulman back to LLChat as a guest on our series, Virtual Reality for World Languages & Cultures Using ImmerseMe. Professor Schulman participated in a grant-funded research project at ODU to explore virtual reality with his advanced-level students. He seamlessly integrated the ImmerseMe lessons into his Business French course for students to practice in real...

We welcome Kimberly Mckinnis to our series on Virtual Reality for World Languages and Cultures Using ImmerseMe where she will share her experiences on emerging technologies to learn French. Professor McKinnis is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Art at Old Dominion University and Lake Taylor High School, as well as a member of the glass studio team at the Chrysler Museum of Art. She h...

We continue our LLChat podcast series on TalkAbroad and an interview with Professor Warren Warsaw. He is an Adjunct Instructor of French in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Old Dominion University and is the World Languages Department Chairman at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Virginia. Our appreciation to Ayat Yousef for hosting this episode with Mr. Warsaw. Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to LLChat! It is a pleasure to return to our popular series on TalkAbroad and e-Portfolios with our guest, Travis Wiggins. Travis studied Game Design at Old Dominion University with a minor in Japanese. He has had a love of the Japanese culture since childhood. This interview was recorded during the fall 2023 semester. Our thanks to Ayat Yousef for her hosting talents.    Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to LLChat's new series, Hispanic Poets and Writers ! Our special guest for this first episode is Enid López Reed. She is the author of Kachi (2023), Cuentos de mi tierra: Puerto Rico (2022), El sueño de un marino (2022), and Borikén - 1493 (2022).  Maria Gomez from Old Dominion University's Department of World Languages is our host. This interview is in Spanish.   Send us Fan Mai...

We are joined today by our special guest, Dr. Michel Audette, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Old Dominion University. Born and raised in Canada, Dr. Audette earned his Bachelor's degree in Engineering at McGill University, Master's degree in Electrical Engineering at the École Polytechnique and, later, his Ph. D in Biomedical Engineering a...

We are delighted to interview Dr. Jay Walker, Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics at Old Dominion University, where his fields of interest are Applied Microeconomics, Labor Economics, and the Economics of Education. Dr. Walker received his B.S. in Economics and Finance from Arkansas Tech University and a MBA from the University of Mississippi. He worked professionally a...

We are delighted to kick off our new season of LLChat with our series, French Musicians, Composers, and Discoveries. Our guest, Renée Anne Louprette, is an internationally renowned organist associated with distinguished music programs in New York City, the Arts at Trinity Wall Street, the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. She is Assistant Professor of Music at Bard College. She has directed the organ...

Our interview with Joelle Ghosn, a student of French and Spanish at Old Dominion University, offers an in-depth view on how ImmerseMe and virtual reality made an impact while learning French. Jo is a senior in the Department of World Languages and Cultures and also studies ASL, Hebrew, Bulgarian, Italian, and Korean in their free time. After college, Jo plans on working in international or immigra...

ODU attracts the best and brightest scholars from around the world. Their contributions as leading educators and researchers make our community increasingly globalized. ODU has a time-honored tradition of providing a diverse and welcoming community where we learn from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. International faculty are helping to make ODU a world class institution of higher...

It is with great enthusiasm that we kick off the New Year and our new series with the Dean of ODU's College of Arts and Letters, Dr. Laura Delbrugge ! LLChat Podcast is honored to have her as our first guest to this series, ODU Faculty Speak World Languages .  Dr. Delbrugge earned her bachelor's degree in Spanish from Central College in Iowa and her master's degree and doctorate in...

We are pleased to kick off our new series on Language Learning Apps, Tools, and Platforms with our special guest, Mr. Joe Dale! He is an independent languages consultant from the United Kingdom and an internationally recognized expert on technology and language learning. He taught French for 13 years before transitioning to consulting and launched the TiLT (Technology in Language Teaching) webinar...

Campus Ambassador, Meagan Campbell, is a senior at ODU with a major in International Studies and a minor in Japanese. She has been studying Japanese for three years and hopes to travel abroad.  In her interview with LLChat host, Alexis Osipovs, Meagan describes her apprehension, motivation, and confidence from using such learning tools as the TalkAbroad platform and e-Portfolios to demonstrate her...

In this episode, Alexis Osipovs shares her excitement in using the TalkAbroad platform. She describes her sense of accomplishment, self-reflection on her language learning process, and how this experience  enhanced her love of French. Alexis is currently a Computer Science major at the University of Virginia and minors in French. She transferred from Old Dominion University where she was employed...

Victoria Allen shares her "inspiring" experience using the TalkAbroad platform and e-Portfolio website as part of her Spanish studies at Old Dominion University in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. She discusses her desire to learn and work harder thanks to such tools with LLChat host, Alexis Osipovs. Victoria majors in International Studies. Send us Fan Mail

Jessica  Dooley is a senior majoring in WL&C with a concentration in French for Teacher Preparation. She shares her thoughts with LLChat host, Alexis Osipovs, on using such powerful learning tools as TalkAbroad and e-Portfolios.   The TalkAbroad platform provides students from the Department of World Languages and Cultures with the unique opportunity to converse with native speakers from aroun...

Our host, Alexis Osipovs, chats with Professor Annette Scavillo from the Department of World Languages and Cultures on her use of telecollaborative conversations using the TalkAbroad platform. She combines this powerful tool in her French and German courses with e-Portfolios and students' reflective learning processes. The TalkAbroad platform provides students with the unique opportunity to c...