CUE Events - 2007

CUE at JALT 2007

The JALT international conference was held this year at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, Tokyo, from November 23 to 25. CUE members gathered at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to discuss and plan next year's events, congratulate the CUE Scholar, and select new officers. The CUE Forum, held Sunday from 9:15 to 10:50, attracted interest as well. Please scroll down to find out more about CUE activities during the JALT 2007 conference.

The CUE SIG desk at this year's JALT conference.

2007 CUE Scholar: Paul Wicking

In order from left to right: Terry Fellner, Treasurer; Matt Apple, SIG Coordinator, Paul Wicking, 2007 CUE Scholar

Paul Wicking (Meijo University) was selected as the 2007 CUE Scholar. As CUE Scholar, Paul received 25,000 yen to defray the costs of attending the JALT national conference. Please look forward to his conference review in an upcoming OnCUE Journal issue!
Each fall, CUE SIG sponsors one or two CUE Scholars to attend the annual JALT conference. CUE Scholars receive 25,000 yen in return for help at the CUE desk and a conference review.

CUE Forum: Basic SLA Statistics for the University Educator

CUE Forum: Basic SLA Statistics for the University Educator
Room 309, 9:15 - 10:50
Sunday, November 25, 2007

CUE Forum presenters: Top row, Harumi Kimura (Nanzan University), Phillip McNally (Kansai University); bottom row, Peter Neff (Doshisha University), Matthew Apple (Doshisha University).

Abstract

While many studies in the SLA field use statistical procedures for their analyses, it can often be difficult to interpret the resulting data in academic articles. This in-depth forum presentation will focus on some of the most commonly used analyses (descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and factor analysis) with a goal of helping participants better understand and scrutinize quantitatively-oriented research.

Some familiarity with articles which utilize statistics is recommended for those who are interested in attending.

Summary of the 2007 CUE Forum

Roughly 25 people were in attendance at the CUE Forum this year, despite the early time slot. Topics covered included the importance of descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, problems with doing too many multiple comparisons such as t-tests, the difference between one-way ANOVA and t-tests, and the complexity of factor analysis.

Based on the strong interest among Forum attendees, CUE SIG has decided to begin a section on the web page devoted to research methodology and analysis. Please look on these pages in the future for more information!

Click here to download a .pps copy of the PowerPoint presentation used in this Forum.
(NOTE: You must have PowerPoint installed on your computer in order to see this .pps presentation file. The file should automatically open after you download it.)

CUE Annual General Meeting

What was discussed at the CUE AGM

The CUE AGM was held November 23, 2007, from 5:55 to 6:55 in Rm. 309 of the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center. About 15 CUE members were in attendance, including the current CUE officers. The agenda included:

• Recapping 2007 Events
• Officer reports
• News about the "new" OnCUE Journal, 1(1)
• Plans for upcoming 2008 events

First on the AGM agenda was a recap of 2007 events, including the 2007 CUE Conference in Nagoya at Sugiyama Jogakuen, the co-sponsoring of the GALE 2-day Mini-conference at Temple University Japan and Kansai University in Osaka, and the special Donald Richie lecture at the Kokusai Center in Sannomiya, Kobe.

Next, individual officers gave their reports:

• Outgoing Membership Chair Juanita Heigham updated us on the number of CUE members — currently 330 and climbing -- although very few CUE members seemed to be active in the SIG. She sounded a call for more active participation from CUE members in upcoming 2008 SIG events. Juanita will be stepping down after four years as Membership Chair (Otsukaresama deshita!) and also introduced the new Chair, Umida Ashurova, who was unfortunately unable to attend Friday's meeting due to teaching obligations.
  
  
• Treasurer Terry Fellner reported that the financial state of CUE SIG is very stable, with expected revenues exceeding expenses thus far to the tune of 3 to 1; the cost of the new OnCUE Journal 1(1) and 2007 CUE Conference Proceedings book are estimated at 180,000 and 200,000 respectively, not including shipping. The biggest change in CUE's finances is the transfer of all funds from the now defunct postal banking service to a Shinsei Bank account, as required for all JALT Chapters and SIGs. Terry expected the transfer to take place within the next two to three weeks, before the end of the 2007 year.
  
  
• Publications Chair and OnCUE Journal Editor Dexter da Silva noted that due to the change in design and layout of the new OnCUE Journal, publication had been delayed one month. OnCUE Journal, volume 1, issue 1, will also sport a new ISSN number, which should make it easier for researchers and educators inside and outside Japan to find OnCUE articles in the future. Webmaster/SIG Coordinator Matt Apple also unveiled plans for uploading previous OnCUE issues in pdf format to a new section of the CUE web site (check the OnCUE Journal web pages in the future for pdfs of OnCUE 10.1 through 15.2).
  
  
• Publicity Chair John Gunning and Member-at-Large Steve Quasha had other commitments and were unable to attend; however, both John and Steve are Co-Editors of the upcoming 2007 CUE Conference Proceedings book and they left a report on the status of the book: 10 papers consisting of roughly 110 pages underwent a double-blinded reviewing process, and authors are currently revising their submissions. Final edits are expected by the middle of December, and layout is scheduled to begin in late January. Expected publication is the end of February . We hope the resulting book will set a new standard for excellence and quality in CUE SIG publications, and hope you look forward to it! All CUE SIG members will receive a copy for free; non-member price is yet to be determined.
  
  
• Programs Chair Tim Micklas was unable to attend due to work obligations, but left a report on the success of the CUE co-sponsored Donald Richie event in Kobe this past October. Tim writes:
  
  

  "On October 15th CUE and the Kansai Society of Writers, Editors and Translators hosted an afternoon with Donald Richie, a 50 year resident of Japan whose accolades are too numerous to mention and I'm sure he would not want to be defined by them. However, as one of Mr. Richie's most recent publications is the Japan Journals: 1947 - 2004, he agreed to talk to us about journaling. He talked for an hour to a diverse audience of over seventy people, and then answered questions for another 50 minutes. The lecture was recorded and we are doing a bit of editing so hopefully some of the high-lites will be available on the CUE website pretty soon."

  Check here on this web site for information on the Richie lecture.

Matt Apple, SIG Coordinator (left), shares a laugh with Dexter da Silva, OnCUE Editor (middle) and Juanita Heigham, Outgoing Membership Chair (right)

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October 14, 2007

Donald Richie lecture

Famed author and critic Donald Richie, author of dozens of books on Japanese films and culture, visited Kansai for a special one-time lecture in Sannomiya, Kobe.

This event was co-sponsored by the Kansai chapter of SWET (Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators).

Click here for more information about the Donald Richie event in Kansai.

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October 6-7, 2007

GALE SIG Two-day Conference: Gender and Beyond

The Gender Awareness in Language Education SIG of JALT hosted a jointly-sponsored conference in Osaka featuring an opening lecture by Professor Janet Holmes of Victoria University of Wellington at Temple University Japan, Osaka, and the following day will feature various presentations and colloquia at Kansai University Senriyama Campus.

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June 23-24, 2007

2007 CUE Conference: Promoting Lifelong Learning

The 2007 CUE Conference, held at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Nagoya, was a rounding success. With featured workshop speakers Deryn Verity and Heidi Evans, over 35 presentations and 100 total participants, the conference was a great chance for language professionals to meet and discuss ideas.

The organizers of the 2007 CUE Conference would like to extend a heart-felt "thank you!" to all the presenters, participants, sponsors, and volunteer workers who all pitched in make this a fantastic event. CUE would especially like to thank ABAX Publishing, Thomson Publishing, Oxford University Press, Perceptia Press, and The Red Rock for their generous support, as well as the officers of Nagoya, Gifu, and Toyohashi JALT chapters for their assistance. Of course, we would be extremely remiss if we neglected to thank the faculty of Sugiyama Jogakuen University's Department of International Communication for their warm cooperation and hard work, without which none of this would have been possible.
Thank you all for a wonderful conference experience. We hope to see you again in the near future at other CUE events!