SUNY Fredonia
Course Title: First-Year Spanish
Contact: Juan DeUrda
SUNY Fredonia plans to redesign two basic Spanish courses and combine them into one course. The annual average enrollment of the two courses is ~450 students with ~300 in the fall semester and ~150 in the spring semester. They are offered as a one-year sequence to satisfy the institutional language requirement for all but the Bachelor of Science students who are required to take only the first course.
The traditional courses are not structured to meet the diverse needs of students in level of preparation and learning styles. They include too many false beginners (students who have taken two+ years of Spanish in high school). The majority of students have some previous background in Spanish, and the level of the course is too easy for them. The rest of the students have no previous language experience and need the basic course. A second problem is that the current number of sections cannot accommodate current student demand, thus creating an academic bottleneck.
The course redesign, using the Replacement Model, will combine the two three-credit courses into one intensive, five-credit Spanish course. The first five weeks of the term will consist of intense review using online materials; the second part of term will be devoted to material previously covered in the second semester. The new course will satisfy the language requirement for students with two or more years of Spanish in middle school or high school and allow them to complete their language requirement in one semester rather than two. One section of the traditional course will continue to be offered for true beginners, students who have no previous language experience.
The redesigned course will enhance the quality of the student learning experience. The course will have two components, online and in-class. Practice of grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading and writing will take place online with assignments completed before each class. Students will be able to repeat online exercises as often as necessary, receiving automatic feedback and references to material for further study. The instructor can then focus on meaningful communication activities such as conversation and oral practice during class. Section size will be reduced from 30 to 22 students, which will allow a greater level of student active participation. Students’ progress will be monitored to identify specific problems which the instructor will address either in class or with the individual student. Language lab staff will be available to provide assistance in grammar and vocabulary.
Student learning outcomes will be assessed by comparing student performance on common embedded items that address listening, reading comprehension, writing and grammar skills in the final written examination as well as performance on a common final oral examination. Student success in the subsequent Intermediate Spanish course will also be tracked.
The redesigned course will reduce instructional costs by combining two, three-credit courses into one, five-credit course and increasing annual enrollment from 300 to 384 students. The cost-per-student will decrease from $256 to $143, a savings of 44%. The savings will be used to serve more students on the same resource base.
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