SASLI 2021 at a Glance


“SASLI exceeded my expectations in so many different ways. The program itself engaged with students outside the class in that we had various professional development opportunities as well as opportunities to learn about the other languages and cultures of South Asia.”

SASLI 2021 Student

“I feel confident in the knowledge I have as well as my ability to find the answers to questions that come up. The course was challenging but both instructors made coming to class each day less daunting.”

SASLI 2021 Student

Due to the continued Covid-19 pandemic, the South Asia Summer Language Institute offered remote courses for the Summer 2021 program. From June 14 – August 6, students met daily via Zoom for 4 hours of synchronous class time. Course materials were organized through Canvas, and included daily reflective questions, lectures and presentations, audio and video activities, readings, assignments, and more. All activities were teacher-led, facilitated or moderated.

Throughout the summer, SASLI also offered several co-curricular activities including and not limited to presentations, guest lectures, and academic/educational development to promote the use of their language skills outside of class hours.

Students from SASLI 2021’s Elementary Hindi Course

We had a total of 53 students take the Oral Proficiency Interview provided by SASLI at the end of our program, and for upper-level students, at the beginning of the program as well.

Of the 24 upper-level students who took a Pre- and Post-Test,

  • 13 Students improved from their Pre-Test to their Post-Test,
  • 9 Students scored the same on their Pre-Test and their Post-Test, and
  • 2 Students scores decreased from their Pre-Test and their Post-Test.

Of the 29 Elementary students who took a Post-Test only,

  • 4 students improved to Novice Mid
  • 4 students improved to Novice High
  • 14 students improved to Intermediate Low
  • 5 students improved to Intermediate Mid
  • 2 students improved to Advanced Low

SASLI 2021 saw one of our highest numbers of scholarship awardees. This includes:

  • 6 NRC FLAS Awardees,
  • 21 SASLI FLAS Awardees,
  • 2 Luce Scholars,
  • 1 MacMillan Fellow,
  • 4 WISLI Tuition Scholarship Awardees,
  • 2 Full Fee Remission Awardee,
  • 3 Half Fee Remission Awardees, and
  • 40 $1000 Fee Remission Awardees.

“The instructors were excellent! They were very encouraging and flexible, and clearly put in a ton of effort every day. They went above and beyond what I would have expected of them.”

SASLI 2021 Student

“There couldn’t have been a better instructor! He infused the class with his own passion for Sanskrit, made sure every student was on the same page with every verse we were translating (even if it often meant slowing down from the original schedule), answered every question in detail until the student was satisfied, and just in general brought a very positive vibe to the class.”

SASLI 2021 Student

“At the very beginning of the 8-week semester, I had no understanding of Urdu. I couldn’t write the script and I couldn’t speak the language but at the end of my final exam, I was just blown away by how far I came. It was amazing all thanks to my amazing instructors, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and my classmates!”

SASLI 2021 Student