--- Forwarded Message from "David Flores" <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 14:55:41 -0400
>From: "David Flores" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7637 Redesigning lower-level Spanish

Quite frankly, I'd fight the dean tooth and nail on that one. If you
want to teach Spanish as a living language, that is, emphasizing all
four areas of communication, then increasing the student/instructor
ratio is a bad idea. What works for large, lecture based classes won't
work for a foreign language that depends on a fair amount of interaction
between the learner and a competent user of the target language.

Worst case scenario: increase class sizes and hire and train
student-workers who are native speakers and/or upper level language
students to hold weekly chat sessions with each class.

The other option is to simply teach "reading and listening Spanish"
courses that focus on teaching the students to read and listen in the
foreign language but which de-emphasize two-way communication. Not the
best solution, IMHO.


David Flores
Director: Language Learning Center
Loyola College in Maryland
4501 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210
Ph: (410) 617-5230
Fax: (410) 617 2859

>>> [log in to unmask] 09/22/04 04:34PM >>>
--- Forwarded Message from "McCullough, Heather"
<[log in to unmask]> ---

>Subject: Redesigning lower-level Spanish
>Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 09:55:29 -0400
>Thread-Topic: Redesigning lower-level Spanish
>Thread-Index: AcSgq9Ka1O6z8SBFQeanFlm4TlflzA==
>From: "McCullough, Heather" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>

Dear IALLTers,



Our department is facing the common problem in lower-level Spanish
courses of rapidly growing enrollments.  The dean wishes to find a
solution other than adding sections and hiring adjuncts.



Since this is a broad question and therefore perhaps not ideal for the
listserv format, I would be happy to hear off-list how other
institutions may be addressing this problem through course redesign
and/or technology.



There was a thread in Aug. 2000 that brought up Virginia Tech's Math
Emporium as a model for redesigning high-enrollment lower-level courses
using technology but I haven't found a recent thread or article on this
topic.



Thanks!

Heather



Heather McCullough, Ph.D.

Director, Language Resource Center

UNC-Charlotte