Carnegie Mellon University
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Sébastien Dubreil

Sébastien Dubreil

Teaching Professor of French and Francophone Studies, Second Language Acquisition and Technology-Enhanced Learning

Address
341 Posner Hall
Department of Modern Languages
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Education: Ph.D., Emory University, French and Educational Studies. M.A. and B.A. Université de Nantes, France, Economics and Business Administration

Bio

My work as a scholar is intertwined with my work as an educator. As a CALL researcher, I find myself drawn to the question of how to build effective learning environments that extend beyond the classroom and engage learners in ways that are exciting, empowering, and culturally relevant.

My research seeks to frame and design complex learning experiences to foster language and culture learning by critically examining the affordances of technological tools (e.g., games, multimedia, telecollaboration) to re-envision and redesign pedagogical practices instead of merely “computerizing” previous ones. I am currently investigating the potential of social pedagogies, linguistic landscapes, as well as L2 learning through both gameplay and game design via two projects: (1) a series of board games developed with Sabrina Culyba, a Pittsburgh-based game designer; (2) Bonne Chance (a 2015 Reimagine Education conference finalist), an online game developed with Cary Staples, a Professor of Design at UTK (and, in both cases, graduate and undergraduate students).

In sum, I attempt to connect language learners to social formations and communities (both physical and digital), which, by nature, entails a wide range of exposure to practical experiences (e.g., authoring games, videos, webdocs). My research has been published in the Modern Language Journal, CALICO Journal, Foreign Language Annals, the L2 Journal, and the International Journal of Personal & Virtual Learning Environment, among others. 

  • Technology-Enhanced Learning
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • French & Francophone studies
  • Social Pedagogies
  • Game-based Learning

All levels of the French curriculum

  • 82-283 Language Diversity and Cultural Identity
  • 82-415 Social Justice in Contemporary France (and Germany)
  • 82-416 Gaming culture and culture of games
  • 82-888 Language Acquisition and Technology
  • Askwith Kenner Global Languages and Cultures grant. Project: “Culture of Games and Gaming Culture: Learning French Culture through Games and Game Design”
  • Askwith Kenner Global Languages and Cultures grant + Carnegie Mellon Department of Modern Languages. Project: “Developing Interactive Webdocumentaries for Culture Learning”
  • Andrew W. Mellon Technology-Enhanced Learning Seed Grant. Project: “Enhancing Interaction in Intermediate Level French Online Courses”
  • Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Advising (UTK)
  • College of Arts & Sciences Junior Faculty Convocation Teaching Award (UTK)
  • Director, Modern Language Resource Center
  • Director, Language online courses
  • Humanities@CMU Steering Committee
  • Kenner Room Steering Committee
  • Faculty Communications Advisory Group
  • Dubreil S., Malinowski, D., & Maxim, H. H. (Eds.). (2023). Spatializing Language Studies: Pedagogical Approaches in the Linguistic Landscape. Edited open access digital volume. Springer Educational Linguistics Series (Vol. XX). New York: Springer Publishing.
  • Dubreil, S. & Culyba, S. (2022). “Apprentissages, création et jeu(x) en cours de FLE: Approches et enjeux” Chapter accepted for Silva, H. Regards sur le jeu en didactique des langues et des cultures: Penser, concevoir, évaluer, former (pp. 123-146). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.
  • Lord, G., & Dubreil, S. (2021). Innovation & Creation: The Maker Movement. CALICO Journal, 38(1).
  • Malinowski, D., Maxim, H. H., & Dubreil, S., (Eds.). (2020). Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space. Springer Educational Linguistics Series (Vol. 49). New York: Springer Publishing.
  • Dubreil, S., & Thorne, S. L. (Eds.) (2017). Engaging the World: Social Pedagogies, Language Learning, and Language Programs in the 21st Century. Boston: Cengage Publishing.

Department Member Since 2016