Giovanni Zimotti

Giovanni Zimotti is the Director of Spanish Language Instruction at the University of Iowa. He is from a little Italian village called Cagnano Varano. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics from The University of Alabama. He is the founder of Greyled, the OER platform that thinks like you do. He is a recipient of multiple awards, including the 2021-2022 Collegiate Teaching Award (CLAS, Iowa) and of the 2022 Educator Award for Open Education Excellence (OE Awards).

His research interests include data-driven second language acquisition, technology for language learning, and open education. Dr. Zimotti currently leads a large-scale, two-year longitudinal study involving over 1,000 participants, investigating the potential existence of a natural order in adult second language acquisition and the role of instructional methods. He is also curating various VR projects designed to expose students to transcultural experiences. A strong advocate of OER (Open Educational Resources), Dr. Zimotti works to make higher education more accessible and affordable. He has authored two OER textbooks for Spanish for the professions; Salón de Clase, and Maletín Médico, and one for Elementary Spanish (Semillas). Dr. Zimotti serves as the president of HEROE-S, an organization that brings together Spanish language educators to create, develop, and share high quality educational resources.