Carolina Palacios
Principal Senior Lecturer
Coordinator of Elementary Spanish for True Beginners 1100 Elementary Spanish 1 and 2 1101/1102
Dr. Palacios is the Coordinator of Spanish Level 1100-1101-1102 since 2009 and serves as Immersion Faculty Advisor, and Faculty Advisor of the Second Language Studies Graduate Certificate Program. She is also Affiliated Faculty of the Vanderbilt Center for Languages (VCL) and the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (CLACX).
Dr. Palacios’ research and teaching focus on second language acquisition and technology, large language models (ChatGPT), intercultural competence through Virtual Immersion Experience (VIE), and the development of social justice awareness. She is currently working on the design of a digital‐supplement for Study Abroad students participating in Spanish-speaking countries to improve their ICC (Intercultural Communicative Competence). This project supports a cultural inclusive and diverse environment.
Dr. Palacios was Faculty Advisor of the Spanish Hall of McTyeire International Residence from 2020-2022.
Dr. Palacios was Faculty Advisor of the Asociación de la Lengua Española (ALE) from 2012-2016.
Carolina Palacios earned her Ph.D. in Modern Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). She also holds a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Dr. Palacios is a member of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), the Tennessee World Language Teaching Association (TWLTA), the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), and the American Association of University Supervisors, Coordinators, and Directors of Language Programs (AAUSC).
Selected Publications
“La Serrana de la Vera de Vélez de Guevara y el Romanticismo incipiente” Romance Notes. 47:3, Spring 2007. 237‐244.Honors
AWARDS-Named Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow 2023-2024 awarded by The College of Arts and Science.
-Spring 2021. COVID-19 Innovative Teaching Award for creative use of multiple technologies in online instruction awarded by The College of Arts and Science.
-Fall 2015-Spring 2016. Scholar in Residence (SiR) awarded by Center for Second Language Studies (CSLS)
-Fall 2012. Best of Tennessee awarded by Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association (TFLTA)
SELECTED GRANTS
- Fall 2024. World Languages 360 – Extempore 2024-2025 Grants awarded to individuals supporting language education through innovative technology. Principal Investigator (PI): $3000.
- Fall 2023. Pragda Spanish Film Club Grant sponsored by the Spanish government/Secretary of State for Culture of Spain. Co-Investigators: Murray, M. and Palacios, C.
-Fall 2023. Rapid-Advancement MicroGrant Program (RAMP) awarded by The Office of the Vice Provost for Research & Innovation. Vanderbilt University. Principal Investigator (PI): $5000
-Spring 2022. Professional Travel Grant awarded by The College of Arts and Science. Vanderbilt University: $2495.
-Summer 2022. National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (NFMLTA) Conference Travel Support Grant: $1000.
-Fall 2022. Immersion Mini-Grant (IMG) awarded by The College of Arts and Science. Vanderbilt University. Principal Investigator (PI): $3000.
-Fall 2021. Educational Advancement Fund awarded by The Office of the Provost. Vanderbilt University. Principal Investigator (PI): $2500.
-Summer 2021. American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) Mid-Career Travel Grant: $500.
-Fall 2020. TalkAbroad Curriculum Development Grant funded for Spanish 1102: $1000.