Innovative Digital Learning for Critical Language Education
The Online Learning Consortium (OLC), with funding from the National Security Agency’s STARTALK program, has developed innovative, free digital learning experiences to support critical language education. These programs provide engaging, research-based resources for educators and students, fostering interest in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, and Russian. Whether through interactive game-based escape rooms that immerse students in language and culture or expert-designed lesson plans that enhance digital instruction, OLC’s STARTALK initiatives equip learners and educators with cutting-edge tools and strategies to advance language proficiency and career exploration.
Explore our resources and transform your approach to language learning today!
Explore OLC STARTALK E-SCAPE: Game-Based Language Learning
The OLC STARTALK E-SCAPE program offers a free, fully online escape room experience designed to ignite students’ curiosity about critical languages and career opportunities, including Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, and Russian. Through interactive challenges and puzzles, learners in grades 11–16 engage with language and culture in a dynamic, immersive way—making learning both fun and meaningful.
Now, educators can access these virtual escape rooms and a comprehensive teacher resource library to:
- Redesign and adapt escape rooms to fit their curriculum
- Integrate engaging content into existing coursework
- Explore expert insights through videos from language professionals
Access the Escape Rooms & Teacher Resources: www.startalkescape.org
Bring adventure and innovation to language learning—start exploring today!
STARTALK Digital Learning Institute: Explore Educator-Created Lesson Plans
The STARTALK Digital Learning Institute empowered a cohort of critical language educators to design innovative lesson plans for Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, and Russian instruction. These educators applied leading digital strategies, accessibility best practices, and open educational resources (OER) to create engaging and effective learning experiences.
Now, their work is available to the broader language education community!
- Explore lesson plans aligned with STARTALK Principles, the TELL Framework, and OLC Quality Scorecards
- Discover new digital strategies for blended, hybrid, and online language instruction
- Adapt and implement these resources to enhance your own teaching
Join us in advancing digital learning in language education!
STARTALK Educator-Created Lesson Plans:
Chinese
- Dragon Boat Festival – N. Bai
- Family & Friends – V. Shu
- Greetings – Y. Sun
- AI Classrooms – W. Huang
- Tang Dynasty Poetry – F. Li
- Making Phone Calls (Adapted) – W. Zhou
- Making Phone Calls – W. Zhou
- Chinese Food – J. Jin
- Living in Beijing – Y. Han
- Typical Chinese Food – C. Lin
- Travel to Beijing (Adapted) – A. Zhuang
- Chinese Breakfast – Q. Coleman
- Moon Festival – S. Li
Persian
- Flavorful Holiday – N. Tahvildary
Arabic
- Arabic Alphabet – J. Istifan
Access all STARTALK Lesson Plans: www.startalk.info/educators-lessons
These resources were made possible by STARTALK, a federal grant program funded by the National Security Agency, that supports K-16 student language education and teacher development programs that meet national security and defense priorities. STARTALK aims to increase the number of U.S. citizens learning and teaching less-commonly-taught languages throughout our nation and to inspire those students to explore language careers, thereby contributing to language workforce development for the Federal Government.