Redesign of a Traditional Introductory Language Course Presented by Kristy Britt University of South Alabama

Challenges that caused us to consider Redesign  Large number of classes (uniformity and continuity among the various instructors of the courses)  Large number of students per class (effective, timely feedback to many students/ instructor morale and quality of life)  Limited contact time / various course formats (MWF/TR/15 weeks/8 weeks/4 weeks)  Limited lab space (limited seating and hours)  Homework (how to grade it---uniformity and continuity /timely feedback)  Student Population (very diverse/ working/ parenting/ traditional and non—they need flexibility with time and have limited financial resources)

Results  Increased student resources  Increased student flexibility  Improved student performance  Cost reductions and other advantages  Instructor morale & quality of life

Increased student resources and flexibility Before Redesign:  LRC  Tutoring  Printed lab manual Homework activities Audio tapes/CDs After Redesign:  LRC  Tutoring  MySpanishLab Homework activities Audio available online  Review activities  Online flashcards with audio  Practice tests  Extra audio/video/web resources  Online grammar tutorials  Due date flexibility  Course calendar  Integrated features  Improved clarity regarding progress  Readiness checks  eBook (online and for iPad)  Glossary with audio  Verb charts  Integrated, immediate feedback

Improved student performance  Before Pilot: Fall 07 & Spring 08 (Grades awarded / overall %) A- 18 / 37.5% B- 17 / 35.4% C- 9 / 18.8% D- 1 / 2% F- 2 / 4% F*-1 / 2% Number of students/sections: 48/2  Adoption: Totals: 08, 09, 10, 11 (Grade awarded / overall %) A- 97/ 38.3% B- 71/ 28.1% C- 58/ 22.9% D- 14/ 5.53% F- 5/ 1.97% F*- 8/ 3.16% Number of students/sections: 253/12

Cost reductions and other advantages  Reduced cost to students (50% less!) Before Pilot: paper text and paper workbook After Pilot: paper text, eBook, electronic SAM, glossary with audio, verb charts, audio available online, review activities, online flashcards with audio, practice tests, extra audio/video/web resources, online grammar tutorials, due date flexibility, course calendar, integrated features, improved clarity regarding progress, readiness checks, immediate feedback  Anywhere there is internet, a student may access his/her MySpanishLab account to: Study Refer to eBook Work on assignments See calendar Refer to syllabus Contact instructor Receive technical support from Pearson Monitor his/her progress

Instructor morale & quality of life  More options for student support and assistance  More adequately prepared students  Ease of contacting students  Ease of monitoring student progress  24/7 live chat help feature for technical issues so the instructor isn’t the technical troubleshooter!  More consistency in grading of homework  Less time spent grading homework

What’s next?  Utilize oral component of the program with our goal being online oral testing  Incorporate writing into regular assignments  Revise quantity of assignments given (*we are finding that students are spending so much more time on task than before, we want to find the optimal amount)  Search for better ways to bring on board the part-time faculty  Explore offering virtual office hours

Thank you! Questions?