- Co-Director of the German IEP, Associate Professor of German
- International Engineering Program
- Phone: 401.874.2361
- Email: tracksdorf@uri.edu
- Office Location: University of Rhode Island
60 Upper College Road (Swan 132)
Kingston, RI 02881
Biography
Niko Tracksdorf is Associate Professor of German, and Co-director of the German International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island.
Before coming to URI, Niko worked as a Teaching Assistant for the EUROTECH program, a dual degree program in German and Engineering at the University of Connecticut. In recognition of his innovative approaches to combine German and Engineering in the classroom at UConn, he was honored with a university-wide award for Excellence in Teaching. There, he has developed and taught three content-based German language courses for the program: “Roller Coasters – The Thrill of German Engineering,” “Designing the Car of the Future,” and “Intermediate German for Engineers.” In the upcoming academic year 2018/19, he will offer these courses for the first time at URI. Look for GER 105 and 201 in the fall semester and GER 106 and 202 in the spring semester.
Niko currently serves on the German for Professional Purposes Committee of the American Association of Teachers of German. In his dissertation, Situated Language Learning in Authentic STEM Environments, he examined the impact that German-Engineering learning environments have on student language learning and motivation.
Niko is very excited to work with Dr. Sigrid Berka to prepare the German IEP students for their study, work, and life abroad.
Education
- Ph.D. in Literatures, Cultures and Languages, University of Connecticut, 2017
- M.A. in German Studies, University of Connecticut, 2013
- Staatsexamen in English, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Universität Duisburg-Essen, 2011
Selected Publications
Second Langage Acquisition Book Chapters
- Impuls Deutsch: Intercultural, Interdisciplinary, Interactive. Stuttgart, Germany: Ernst Klett Sprachen, Under Contract, 2019. ( with Nicole Coleman, Damon Rarick, and Friedemann Weidauer)
- Workbook for Impuls Deutsch Stuttgart, Germany: Ernst Klett Sprachen, Under Contract, 2019. ( with Damon Rarick, Anett Geithner, and Friedemann Weidauer)
Book Chapters
- “ICC Online: Fostering the Development of Intercultural Competence in Virtual Language Classrooms (University students).” In Byram, M., Perugini, D., & M. Wagner (Eds.), Teaching Intercultural Competence Across the Age Range: Theory and Practice. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2017. (with Manuela Wagner), p. 135-154.
Upcoming Presentations
- “Interkulturell, Interdisziplinär, Interaktiv: Neues Deutschlehrwerk,” Getvico – German Teacher Virtual Conference 2018, September 29, 2018.
- “GPP from A-Z: German for Multi-Faceted Professional Purposes,” Session with Bettina Matthias, Jessica Wood, and Friedemann Weidauer, AATG Annual Meeting at ACTFL Convention, New Orleans, LA, November 16-18, 2018.
- “Immerse yourself in a 'MINT' weekend: a collaborative project model,” Session with Kerstin Hammerling, und Cindi Hodgdon, AATG Annual Meeting at ACTFL Convention, New Orleans, LA, November 16-18, 2018.
- “STEM Topics in a First Year Language Course: Engaging Ways to Teach Humanities Skills to German-Engineering Students,” MLA Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, January 3-6, 2019.
- “Authentic Language for Specific Purposes: Using Authentic Documents for STEM,” Session with Lars Erickson, Megan Echevarria, Yu Wu, Xioayan Hu, NECTFL 2019 Annual Conference, New York City, NY, February 7-9, 2019.
- “Collaboration Across States, Disciplines, and Students: A German STEM Weekend,” Session with Cindi Hodgdon, NECTFL 2019 Annual Conference, New York City, NY, February 7-9, 2019.