Biography
Amber is a Virginia Beach native. She holds a BA in English from Old Dominion University, dual MAs in TESOL & Applied Linguistics and Computational Linguistics from Indiana University, as well as a graduate certificate in Instructional Systems Technology from IU’s School of Education. She began her career teaching ESL to K-12 students for Virginia Beach City Schools. Her interests in language learning technology led her to Bowling Green State University where she was the Director of the Language Learning Center, a multimedia lab for language learners, as well as an adjunct instructor in the English Department, intermittently teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on communication and writing.
Amber joined CeLCAR in 2009. As the center's Language Instruction Specialist, she works with the language specialists to design and develop language learning curriculums and materials, providing methodological and pedagogical expertise. She collaborates with university faculty on pedagogical research, designs and leads professional development workshops, and coordinates the bi-annual Conference on Central Asian Languages and Linguistics (ConCALL). Additionally, Amber hosts the On the Silkroad with CeLCAR podcast, an educational podcast that features guests from different parts of Central Asian to talk about the people, the culture, and of course the languages of their country!
Amber is the co-author of Designing Effective Language Learning Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages: A step by step guide for new materials developers, Turkmen: An Elementary Textbook, and Tibetan: An Elementary Textbook, in addition to several articles in respected peer-reviewed academic journals. In 2022 Amber was honored by IU's Center of Excellence for Women in Technology and IU Women in IT (IUWIT) as the 2022 Outstanding Staff Mentor/Advocate for her work as a diligent and supportive mentor and advocate for women and technology.
Publications
Education:
- Grad Cert. Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University, 2014
- M.A. Computational Linguistics, Indiana University, 2005
- M.A. TESOL & Applied Linguistics, Indiana University, 2005
- B.A. English, Old Dominion University, 2001
Research Interests:
- Instructional design and the use of technology in language teaching and training.
Teaching Experience:
- Taught ESL at the Graduate, Undergraduate, and K-12 levels.
- Holds an Indiana State Teacher's License with endorsement in ESL PreK-12 and Language Arts 5-12
Selected Publications:
- Rabsal, G. and A. K. Kent. (In Press) Tibetan: An Elementary Textbook. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
- Abdyyeva, B., Kent, A. K., and Sahin, S. (In Press) Turkmen: An Elementary Textbook. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
- Kent, Amber Kennedy. (In Press). Game-Based Language Learning at Every Level. In Best Practices in Teaching Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) and Languages of the Central Eurasian Region. Bloomington: IUScholarWorks.
- Özcelik, Ö. and A. K. Kent. (2023) Designing Effective Language Learning Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages: A step by step guide for new materials developers. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
- Arman, R., Kent, A. K., Sexton, S. (2019). Designing an Afghan Heritage Language Program for Community Colleges. In Proceedings of the 3rd Conference on Central Asian Languages and Linguistics (ConCALL-3), 3. Bloomington: IUScholarWorks.
- Arman, R., Kent, A.K., and Özcelik, Ö. (2019). Project-Based Language Learning Instruction in an Online Language Learning Environment. In Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Central Asian Languages and Linguistics (ConCALL-2), 2, 113-118. Bloomington: IUScholarWorks.
- Özcelik, Ö. and Kent, A. (2015). Research-Informed Online Language Course Design and Development for Least Commonly Taught LCTLs: The case of Introductory Dari, Pashto, and Uyghur. Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages, 14, 25-61.
Selected Workshops and Conference Presentations:
- Kent, A. and Safiullina , G., CHAKCHAK: Empowering minorities. IU International Women’s Day Conference, Bloomington (IUWDC), IN, March 8, 2025.
- Kent, A., Game Based Language Learning at Every Level. Workshop on Best Practices in Teaching Less Commonly Taught Languages, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, February 1, 2024.
- Kent, A., Rules of Engagement: Building interest and community in the online language learning classroom. Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program Workshop, IUPUI, Indianapolis, June 2, 2023.
- Kent, A. and Glowacki, G., Accounting for Scope and Sequence in Elementary Kazakh Textbook. 4th Conference on Central Asian Languages and Linguistics (ConCALL-4), Indiana University, Bloomington, April 9-11, 2021.
- Kent, A., Creating Animated Instructional Videos and Presentations with Powtoon. COVID Collaboration Initiative Workshop Series, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, November 18, 2020.
- Kent, A. The Pedagogy of Podcasting: Incorporating Podcasts into Your Curriculum. Center for Language Excellence (CLE), Indiana University Bloomington, October 1, 2020.
- Kent, A., Google Slides for Beginners. Center for Language Excellence (CLE), Indiana University Bloomington, September 11, 2020.
- Kent, A., Bitmoji Conversation Hour. COVID Collaboration Initiative Workshop Series, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, August 13, 2020.
- Kent, A., Khikmatillaeva, U., Kou, X., Nti Asare, I., Interactive Workshop for Online Language Teaching. COVID Collaboration Initiative Workshop Series, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, August 13, 2020.
- Kent, A., Khikmatillaeva, U., Kou, X., Nti Asare, I. Virtual Pet Peeves Panel. COVID Collaboration Initiative Workshop Series, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, July 15, 2020.
- Kent, A., Khikmatillaeva, U., Kou, X., Nti Asare, I., IU Language Teaching Unconference. COVID Collaboration Initiative Workshop Series, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, July 8 & 29, 2020.
- Özcelik, Ö. Arman, R., & Kent, A., Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) Instruction in an Online Language Learning Environment: A case study in Pashto. American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Chicago, Illinois, March 23-27, 2018.
- Ozcelik, O., Arman, R., & Kent, A., Developing an Asynchronous Online Language Course for Dari and Pashto. American Council on the Teachings of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention and World Languages Expo, San Diego, November 20-22, 2015.
