I. Introduction

Directed Independent Elementary Spanish I is a unique course which allows you to personalize your language learning experience by working independently with a technology-based language curriculum. It is designed for those students who have never studied Spanish before and will offer a basic introduction to Spanish grammar and vocabulary. In addition to studying grammar and vocabulary and learning about hispanic culture, students also work on developing their listening, reading, speaking and writing skills.

All of the information about course activities and assignments can be found on the Internet. You will complete one or two chapters in your textbook approximately every two weeks. For each exam, you should study the grammar and vocabulary in your textbook/workbook and then use the course software and websites to help you review before your quiz.

Deadlines have been established so that you are able to complete all of the material in one semester. However, most of the work can be done on your own schedule which allows you to accelerate your learning if you wish. You are required to attend bi-weekly meetings with your Foreign Language Assistant and take your exams during the posted testing hours. You will also meet monthly with your Spanish Professor to practice speaking and discuss your progress in the course. S/he will also grade your exams and other course assignments. Finally, you may contact the Self-Paced Spanish Coordinator when you have questions about course assignments and evaluations and the Self-Paced Program Director if you have problems with the technology-based course materials.

II. Required Materials

Plazas: Lugar de encuentro para la hispanidad. Textbook, Workbook and CD-ROM. (Heinle & Heinle, 2001)

III. Course Requirements. (for related information refer to Important Dates)

1. Consult the course website each week for a list of annoucements. It will tell you which chapter(s) you should be working on and remind you when assignments are due.

2. Review the appropriate grammar and vocabulary topics in Plazas and complete the exercises that are assigned in Quia. When you finish, you should print out the "Results" page and bring it with you to testing.

3. Attend your bi-weekly meetings with your Foreign Language Assistants to practice oral communication.

4. Complete the reading, video, and culture activities assigned for each exam and submit them on-line before you take each corresponding exam.

5. Prepare the pre-writing activity assigned for the chapter and bring it with you to your exam. Once you have completed your grammar/vocabulary exam, you will be given instructions for writing your composition. While you are writing, you will be allowed to use dictionaries, grammar books and the Spanish spellchecker on the computer.

6. A couple of days before each exam, try using some of the materials that are designed to help you review grammar and vocabulary. In particular, there is a "Pre-Test" available on the website that will show you how you will be tested and evaluate how well-prepared you are. Use your score to help you determine the areas that you should focus on. For example, if you receive a perfect score on the verb portion of the exam but only answer 50% of the pronoun questions correctly, you should probably dedicate more time to practicing pronouns. In addition, there are self-correcting grammar and vocabulary exercises on the Plazas CD-ROM, an Autoprueba for each chapter in the Plazas workbook and Online Quizzes on the Plazas website.

7. Take your exam. Testing hours and location will be posted on the "Bienvenidos" page.

 

 

IV. Advice to the Student

1. As a independent learner you must learn to budget your time. You should probably spend between 8-10 hours each week on course materials. Work on the assignments until you feel comfortable with the material. In most cases, we have given you extra exercises for each component, especially for those areas which are often problematic for students.

2. One of the challenges of independent learning is that you will have to read and understand grammar explanations on your own. If you have any problems and/or questions please consult your Spanish Professor or the Spanish Coordinator as soon as possible.

3. Computers are machines and sometimes machines do not function properly. Please be patient when you have technical problems and ask someone in the MRC for assistance. You should also inform the Self-Paced Program Director as soon as possible because you might have discovered a programming glitch that we were unaware of.

4. You are responsible for your own learning in this course. There will be no one who will remind you to do your work every day. You must complete your chapter tests and other course assignments by the dates listed. No make-up evaluations will be given without written permission from your Class Dean.