Process of internationalization and regional development: consolidation of a language teaching laboratory

The objective of this study is to analyze the consolidation of a languages laboratory in the internationalization process of a Community Institution of Higher Education (CIHE) as a way to promote regional development. The CIHE in question has operated in the northwestern region of the Rio Grande do Sul state for sixty years, and it uses a languages laboratory (LELU) as part of its internationalization strategy. Data were obtained through an interview with LELU coordinator and through reports of the English teaching platform used by the CIHE, using SPSS, version 21 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) to perform descriptive statistical analyses and determine the frequency of the data collected in reports and documents from the languages laboratory as well as reports of the online English platform. The main results show the consolidation of LELU in the process of the CIHE internationalization operating on several fronts: distance learning in a virtual environment, classroom-based lessons and study groups in English, working consistently and continuously with students, professors and scholarship holders from different research projects.