Congratulations & Best Wishes to Renana Schneller
Renana Schneller is retiring from her role as senior lecturer and director of language instruction (DLI) for the Modern Hebrew language program at the end of this semester. The staff of the Language Center would like to thank Renana for her many years of advocacy for Hebrew language and her tireless support of students.
Renana received her PhD from the University of Minnesota Curriculum and Instruction Second Languages and Cultures program in 2014, and assumed the role of Hebrew DLI in 2015. In addition, she coordinated the College in the Schools (CIS) Hebrew program, and served as a faculty for Middlebury MA and Doctoral programs.
Renana was committed to advancing Hebrew language education, recruiting new students, and meeting their needs. She embraced online language teaching as a method of expanding the reach of her language, and collaborated with technologists from around the college to develop an engaging online curriculum.
She was an early and enthusiastic advocate of the CourseShare program, and shared all levels of Hebrew every year. There was always at least one Big Ten university asking to receive her courses, and it was not uncommon for a single course to be shared with up to four universities simultaneously. She also welcomed guest and non-degree students into her classes. As a result, every class was a lively mix of University of Minnesota students, Big Ten students, and diverse non-degree students.
Renana also served as a Hebrew language developer for the Michigan State University Less Commonly Taught and Indigenous Languages Partnership project, and is one of the authors of the Hebrew materials that are available for everyone.
Renana’s approach to online teaching was personal and spontaneous. Throughout her career she continued to explore technologies and refine her approach, sharing Hebrew with a geographically diverse, but interconnected group of students.
