Rate My Professor Steven Flanagan

Steven Flanagan serves as Associate Teaching Professor of Spanish and Director of Spanish Second Language Acquisition in the School of International Letters and Cultures at Arizona State University. He earned his Ed.D. in Leadership and Innovation, specializing in Higher Education Change Leadership, from Arizona State University in 2022. His dissertation, titled “Community of Practice (CoP): Exploring a Principled Teacher Training Program in Addressing New Spanish Graduate Teaching Assistants’ (TAs) Preparation,” examined principled approaches to teacher training. Flanagan holds an M.A. in Spanish Applied Linguistics with a focus on Second Language Acquisition from Arizona State University in 2016, based on his thesis “Language Orientation and Student Success in Online Learning Environments: A Case Study.” That same year, he completed an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the same institution, with a capstone on “Triangulating Formative and Summative Assessments in Proficiency Based Language Programs: The Creation of an Online ESOL Course.” He received his B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literatures, Spanish, from Frostburg State University in 2010. Flanagan has studied and worked abroad, including time in Mexico and several years in Spain at the Universitat d’Alacant, where he honed his language skills.

Flanagan's professional trajectory at Arizona State University began in 2013 as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and has advanced through roles such as Spanish Instructor from 2017, Assistant Spanish Coordinator from 2017 to 2022, Instructional Support Consultant from 2017 to 2022, and his current leadership positions since 2022. In these capacities, he manages the Spanish second language program, encompassing seven courses in online and hybrid formats, curriculum development, instructor and TA training, program evaluation, and recruitment. He teaches undergraduate Spanish courses from SPA 101 to SPA 413 and graduate-level courses like SPA 598 on Language Program Administration. Beyond ASU, Flanagan works as an AP Spanish Reader since 2015 and Table Leader since 2024 for the College Board, and he previously taught at Saguaro High School and Wilkes University. His accolades include the 2021 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Instructor Award, 2024 Distinguished Teacher Certificate from AATSP, 2021 SILC Service Award for Team Collaboration, 2020 SILC Team Collaboration Teaching Award, 2019 Certificate in Effective Instruction from the Association of College and University Educators, and 2016 Spanish Linguistics Award from Arizona State University. Flanagan's scholarly contributions center on second language acquisition pedagogy, post-secondary teacher training, online and hybrid language learning, and curriculum design. Key presentations include “Taking a Data-Driven Approach to Textbook Evaluation: An Exploration of a Practical Framework” at MLA 2025, “Community of Practice: Exploring a Principled Teacher Training Program” at AZLA 2022, and “Implementing Synchronous Virtual Sessions in Online Language Courses” at IALLT 2021. Through program leadership and service, he enhances Spanish language education and student success at Arizona State University.