Concordia professor Dr. Vicki Anderson collaborates with Ethiopian seminary to increase English proficiency in graduates

Dr. Vicki Anderson is part of the Education Department at Concordia University, Nebraska. She specializes in English as a Second Language (ESL) and is the program director for Concordia’s ESL Endorsement and the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program. At the graduate level, she is the program director for the TESOL master’s program and the ESL Endorsement. Anderson has been teaching at Concordia since 2012.

For the last three years, Anderson has been working with the Mekane Yesus Seminary in Ethiopia through Mission of Christ Network (MCN). The seminary had asked MCN for help in addressing the low level of English proficiency on their campus. Anderson was a part of the team that originally observed classes, interviewed faculty and administration and viewed samples of student work, along with other tasks. Based on their findings, the team put together a feasibility study to suggest recommendations for student improvement. The study recommended three approaches to addressing the issue, and Anderson has been involved in two of them.

The first is professional development for faculty in techniques for scaffolding instruction for their students in ways that improve English language skills. Anderson presented workshops for a week in two consecutive summers on techniques in skills like teaching and giving feedback.

The second is the institution of an intensive English program for students whose English proficiency is too low to do well in the Bachelor of Theology programs. Anderson was a part of the launch of this intensive program at the seminary last fall. Her job included teaching academic writing, vocabulary and conversation classes; conducting and analyzing proficiency assessments; and mentoring other teachers. She returned to the seminary for three weeks earlier this summer and then wrapped up the inaugural year with a completion celebration, with certificates, speeches, pictures and a celebratory lunch.

This program is important for several reasons. This past year, more than half of the 38 students in the intensive English program are planning on studying at the seminary to become pastors, and the rest are on scholarships through Lutheran Bible Translators to study in the Bachelor of Bible Translation track and then return to their home regions in Ethiopia to head up Bible translation projects. These areas include minority ethnic groups who speak minority languages, with many in majority Muslim areas. For the students aiming to become pastors, English is necessary to read and understand their theology courses. For the translation students, the ability to study at seminary and build a foundation in theology and translation techniques is critical, as well as their ability to use resources in English to aid future translation work. 

“Our God is working in amazing ways around the world that we don’t even know about until we get involved with our brothers and sisters in other places. It is a great privilege to work with and learn from them and from their faith…and to see what ways God has for all of us to grow.”

Throughout this collaboration, Anderson has worked closely with MCN’s Dr. Haragewen Kinde, the vice president of international relations for the seminary, and Cindy Rodewalk, the Africa Field Director for MCN. In the future, she will continue to work with the intensive English program’s teachers and director. These include Director Hanna Fikru and missionaries Karen Heimsoth and Heidi Wilkinson.

Although teaching in the intensive program was a one-semester affair, Anderson will continue to be involved as a long-distance mentor and assessor long-term, especially while the program begins its second year.

While Anderson is currently the only Concordia professor working with the Mekane Yesus Seminary, she is working to get more of the university’s professors involved in tangible ways to share their knowledge with the seminary faculty as a way for professors to learn from each other in both institutions. 

Anderson says, “I think there are a lot of helpful discussions that could be had about teaching techniques (especially for heavy conceptual courses like theology), student preparation and the ways student growth is assessed. I also know that the Ethiopian professors would like help with how to do research better…And I think that there is fruitful learning for profs on our side in Nebraska to understand more of the mindset and challenges of academia and student spiritual formation in another part of the world.”

Concordia University Irvine has already partnered with the Mekane Yesus Seminary for a few different faculty development projects. However, Anderson believes Concordia Nebraska has a lot of additional insights to offer as the top producer of LCMS church workers.

Anderson says, “Our God is working in amazing ways around the world that we don’t even know about until we get involved with our brothers and sisters in other places. It is a great privilege to work with and learn from them and from their faith…and to see what ways God has for all of us to grow.”

As God’s mission to the world and His purpose for the World are revealed and carried out in the light of Judeo-Christian scriptures and traditions, the Mekane Yesus Seminary College of Theological Studies (CoTS) is established for and aims at theologically constructed education drawn from and based on the scriptures. Its mission is serving the love and mission of God to the world which was manifested through the incarnation and redemptive works of His only Son, Jesus Christ. It strives to serve this mission by educating and guiding male and female students in leadership and ministry skills to participate in God’s mission and purpose for the world.