Vanessa J Rukholm

Vanessa J Rukholm serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Languages and Linguistics and Director of the Honors Program at the University of Tampa, teaching French and Italian across all proficiency levels while conducting research in second language acquisition and pedagogy.

Education

• B.A., Laurentian University, 2002
• M.A., University of Notre Dame, 2004
• Ph.D., University of Toronto, 2011

Research Focus

Her scholarship centers on adult Second Language Acquisition (SLA), with specialized investigations into lexical acquisition and retention mechanisms. Key projects examine how song integration facilitates vocabulary learning in foreign language classrooms and analyze the differential impacts of audio, visual, and audiovisual modalities on lexical processing. She has also pioneered research on intercultural competence development through targeted curricula, measuring pedagogical interventions' effects on learners' cross-cultural proficiency.

Honors and Awards

• Tournees Film Festival FACE Grant recipient (2019)
• University of Tampa International Service Award (2019)
• University of Tampa College of Arts and Letters Excellence in Teaching Award (2016)

Professional Engagement

Dr. Rukholm has secured competitive research funding including the FACE Grant and regularly disseminates findings at international conferences. She actively leads study abroad programs to Italy, providing immersive linguistic and cultural experiences while advancing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) through classroom-based research on pedagogical effectiveness.