While UNESCO classified the Ainu language as critically endangered in 2009, stakeholders continue to engage in preservation
and revival efforts in a variety of capacities. An Ainu language class developed in March 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,
adopted a new hybrid style of language learning. An adapted form of Te Ataarangi, a community-based Māori language learning
method originating in Aotearoa (New Zealand), is utilized for the 90-minute weekly sessions held live on Zoom and further supplemented with self-access Moodle activities. Class participants (n=30) include both Ainu and non-Ainu of varying nationalities,
ages, vocations and levels of Ainu language ability. However, all participants are dedicated to Ainu language revitalization. The
mixed hybrid delivery had unique sets of challenges for both the synchronous and asynchronous components.
