Niko Tracksdorf

  • Associate Professor of German, German Section Head
  • Phone: 401.874.2361
  • Email: tracksdorf@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Swan Hall 132

Biography

Niko Tracksdorf’s research and teaching center on inclusive, interdisciplinary language pedagogy, intercultural competence, and the role of technology in developing language proficiency.

As editor and co-author, he developed the intercultural and interdisciplinary textbook series Impuls Deutsch, recognized for their inclusive framework, integration of interdisciplinary topics, flipped-classroom approach, and emphasis on fostering intercultural competence. In 2020, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) honored Niko with the Nelson Brooks Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Culture — a distinction that “recognizes a preeminent author and teacher whose work has fundamentally changed the course of the profession.”

A leader in STEM-focused language education, Niko developed interdisciplinary courses such as “Achterbahn – The Thrill of German Engineering” and “The Car of the Future.” In his previous role as Co-Director of the German International Engineering Program, he prepared students for international study, research, and internship opportunities across German-speaking countries.

Most recently, he has been developing and researching online tools designed to improve language proficiency and vocabulary retention, among them an AI-powered conversation buddy and a spaced-repetition vocabulary trainer.

Before joining URI, he taught in the EUROTECH program at the University of Connecticut, where he received a university-wide award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to his current role as Associate Professor and German Section Head, Niko serves as President of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and founded and directed the URI German-STEM Immersion School in Berlin.

Education

Ph.D. in Literatures, Cultures and Languages, University of Connecticut, 2017

M.A. in German Studies, University of Connecticut, 2012

Staatsexamen in English, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Universität Duisburg-Essen, 2011

Selected Publications

Preseau L., Spino-Seijas, L., & Tracksdorf, N. (2024) Unmaking Gender Binaries Across the Curriculum: An Exploration of Novice and Advanced Course Content Through Student Perspectives. Redoing Linguistic Worlds. (Russel, E., Knisey, K., Eds.). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters

Erickson, L, Berka, S., Pérez-Ibáñez, I., Tracksdorf, N., & La Luna, Michelangelo (2021) Using Byram’s Five Savoirs to Measure the Development of Intercultural Competence in the COVID-19 Era during an Engineering Sojourn Abroad. Journal of International Engineering Education.

Tracksdorf, N., Coleman, N., Kaupp, S., Rarick, D. (2020). Impuls Deutsch 2: Intercultural, Interdisciplinary, Interactive. (N. Tracksdorf, Ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Ernst Klett Sprachen. 

Tracksdorf, N., Coleman, N., Rarick, D., & Weidauer, F. (2019). Impuls Deutsch 1: Intercultural, Interdisciplinary, Interactive. (N. Tracksdorf, Ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Ernst Klett Sprachen.

Finger, A., & Tracksdorf, N. (2019). Go Global, Build Networks, Create Nodes: Integrating the Humanities and the Professions. Die Unterrichtpraxis/Teaching German 52(2

Berka, S., & Tracksdorf, N. (2019). Den Deutschunterricht interdisziplinär verankern: Ein Zukunftsmodell für das Fach Deutsch in den USA [Anchoring the teaching of German in an interdisciplinary way: a model for the future of German in the U.S.]. IDV Magazin, 95, 50-55.

Wagner, M. M., & Tracksdorf, N. (2017). ICC Online: Fostering the Development of Intercultural Competence in Virtual Language Classrooms (University students). In M. M. Wagner, P. Dori & Byram, M. (Eds.), Teaching Intercultural Competence Across the Age Range: Theory and Practice. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, pp. 135-154.