Northern Arizona University
Department of Global Languages & Cultures
SPA 201 online (4 credits)
Spring 2017 Syllabus
Profesora Angela Dixon
Required Materials:
1. Blanco and Donley. Vistas, 5th Edition. With vText + Supersite Plus Code.
ISBN: 978-1-62680-645-0.
IMPORTANT! The required textbook is in a digital (online) format. No hard copies of the text are required. However, if students wish to purchase a hard copy in addition to the required online version, they are welcome to do so. Vistas, 5th Ed. comes in a package that includes the online version of the textbook (vText) and access to the online Supersite, where students complete chapter activities and exercises. Please visit http://vistahigherlearning.com/store/nau.htm/ to purchase the textbook.
2. Headset with microphone
3. A computer!
SPA 201 online
SPA 201 online covers chapters 11 through 16 of the Vistas, 5th Ed. textbook over the course of the semester. The duration of each chapter is two or three weeks. Check the Course Calendar in your course’s BbLearn “Content” page for a day-to-day list of the chapter content to cover, the quizzes, exams, and compositions to take, and due dates for your homework assignments. Each chapter of the book contains a variety of sections, the most important being Contextos, where the chapter’s vocabulary is presented, and Estructuras, where grammar structures are presented. In addition to these sections, each chapter also contains segments on pronunciation, reading, writing, listening, and culture, as well as videos that emphasize the Spanish language and culture. All of these together will help you work towards speaking, writing and understanding both written and spoken word in Spanish. In order to further develop your speaking skills, you will be attending weekly online chat sessions (see section on Collaborate below) where you will work on activities with a partner, speaking to each other in real time. Although the textbook and online chat sessions are useful, they aren’t the only tools that will help you develop your Spanish proficiency; your instructor will also present a vocabulary and/or grammar lesson once a week in a live online lecture, giving you a chance to learn new concepts directly from the instructor, as well as ask questions as if you were in a real classroom.
Communication with the instructor
The instructor verifies a student’s work through the different tools and assignments available for each chapter. If you miss assignment deadlines due to emergencies, the instructor expects you to communicate with him or her as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the instructor. To contact your instructor, you may only use the message function provided by your course’s Blackboard Learn site (http://bblearn.nau.edu). Emails sent to other accounts will not be attended to by the instructor. One week after an assignment has been missed without explanation results in a grade of zero (0) points. In order to avoid getting a zero for the missed assignment, we require that you send written verification of the cause for your absence. The form should be scanned and sent to the instructor’s email as a PDF.
Course Description
Spanish 201 is a continuing Spanish course that assumes prior knowledge or experience with Spanish at the 101 to 102 level. This course aims to develop all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The goal of the course is to help students develop the ability to communicate in Spanish, while at the same time introducing them to the Hispanic culture. A strong emphasis is placed on using the language in practical situations, while also helping students grasp the basics of Spanish grammatical rules, word order, and word formation.
Please keep in mind that Spanish classes are designed to present the basic tools necessary for learning Spanish. To be successful in the achievement of the course goals, students should actively participate in the learning experience. Students do not automatically become either fluent or proficient by completing the introductory Spanish courses. Students hoping to become proficient in Spanish are strongly encouraged to participate in study abroad or an immersion program. Please contact the Department of Global Languages & Cultures http://nau.edu/cal/modern-languages/ or the NAU Center for International Education http://nau.edu/cie/ for information on such programs.
Course Goals:
The following list describes the types of tasks that you should be able to accomplish upon completion of this course with a passing grade.
1. Understand the main idea and some of the supporting details of spoken Spanish intended for beginning college students regarding topics related to their daily life.
2. Initiate and respond verbally to simple statements, ask and answer questions and participate in simple conversations about familiar topics with sufficient accuracy in pronunciation and grammar so as to be understood by persons accustomed to interacting with learners of Spanish.
3. Read written material (e.g., articles, ads, forms, short stories, etc.) on topics related to everyday uses of the Spanish language and the Hispanic culture with an understanding of the main idea and some of the supporting details.
4. Write short, coherent compositions on familiar topics with sufficient accuracy in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary so as to be understood by persons accustomed to interacting with learners of Spanish.
5. Understand some significant cultural traits of the Spanish-speaking world (customs, lifestyles, attitudes, geography, famous people, etc.) so as to be able to function appropriately in typical social situations.
Graded Components of the Course
Vistas Supersite activities 10%
Voice Board participation and assignments 7%
Collaborate attendance and participation 15%
Compositions (3) 10%
Quizzes 10%
Chapter Exams (3) 25%
Final exam 15%
Final oral assessment 8%
Total 100%
Your grade for this course will be based on the following:
100-90 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69 = D; below 60 = F
Vistas Supersite activities - 10% (headset)
Your instructor will assign specific practice and homework assignments through Vistas’ Supersite activities found at www.vhlcentral.com. Activities range from vocabulary and grammar exercises to reading and cultural assignments, and for some activities you will need to use your headset. You will find that many exercises are corrected automatically for you while some need to be viewed by your instructor. You must complete a given chapter's Practice activities by the completion of that chapter (see Course Calendar in BbLearn’s main “Content” page for due dates). The assignments you complete in the Practice section will be checked by your instructor. These assignments are designed to help you reach your ultimate goal: being able to communicate in Spanish. You must complete all assignments on time. Late assignments will not be corrected, and will automatically be given zero points unless there is a valid excuse (see “Communication With the Instructor” above).
See the Vistas Getting Started Page which tells you how to get your account set up and how to use the Supersite.
Voice Board participation and assignments - 7% (headset)
The Supersite Voice Boards will help you develop listening and speaking abilities in Spanish. A Voice Board works just like an online discussion board, but it is capable of recording voice messages together with text messages. You will use Voice Boards to follow up on the Contextos, Estructuras, and Cultura materials that have been covered. You will listen, record and send at the end of each chapter, using your headset. The teacher needs to listen to your pronunciation and hear you speak in complete sentences regularly. There will always be an example of what you need to do, and you will be given enough time to complete assignments. Voice Board assignments can be accessed by logging in to the Vistas Supersite (www.vhlcentral.com), clicking on “Communication” in the horizontal menu, and selecting “Voice Boards”. Your instructor will either grade or give credit for having completed each Voice Board activity. These are not optional assignments.
See the Vistas Supersite Student Guide (pages 62-64) for more information on accessing and using Voice Boards.
COLLABORATE attendance and participation - 15% (headset)
To sign up for your weekly Collaborate sessions, go to the course’s Blackboard Learn home page and click on the folder that says Collaborate. Then go to Collaborate – Sign up.
Collaborate is a tool that allows people to meet and interact in "real time" but from different locations. Through regularly scheduled Collaborate sessions you will be able to listen and speak to your teacher and classmates. It is important for you to hear well and speak clearly when you are in Collaborate, that is why we require a good internet connection and a headset.
See the Collaborate Getting Started Guide, which tells you how to access and use this tool.
IMPORTANT! Collaborate attendance policies:
Collaborate is a central element in this course and attendance is not optional. You will attend TWO Collaborate sessions per week. We have made every effort to offer flexible times and dates, therefore you need to work around this schedule to attend the sessions.
-The first Collaborate session (1 hour long) is early in the week and is a lecture in which your instructor presents a vocabulary or a grammar lesson consistent with the chapter you are learning at the time. These lectures will be recorded, so you can always go back later and view the lecture as many times as needed. This session is required and is not optional.
-The second Collaborate session (1 ½ hours) is later in the week and in this session you will be working with a partner to practice speaking. This session is required and is not optional.
The times for the Collaborate sessions can change from semester to semester but typically the lecture sessions are held on Monday evenings starting no earlier than 6pm MST and ending no later than 9:30pm MST. The speaking sessions have more than one available session to attend (you need only attend one) and are typically offered on Wednesdays and/or Thursdays in the evening, starting no earlier than 6pm MST and ending no later than 9:30pm MST. Again, these times could change depending on instructor and assistant availability, but once the schedule is set, those meeting times will be the same each week during the semester.
IMPORTANT! PLEASE NOTE! Missing six Collaborate sessions (either consecutively or not) will lower your grade by 10% once you have accumulated six absences. (For example, if your grade is 90%, six accumulated absences will lower it to 80%. Missing an additional six Collaborate sessions will lower your grade by another 10%, and so on).
You will get points each time you attend the sessions, 10 points for each lecture session and 15 points for each speaking session, being on time is very important. Being late with decrease your points.
During your first Collaborate session you will just become familiar with the tool. Prior to that first session you will need to have done the following:
2 days before (or more)…
Link to Collaborate at http://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/v12/Participant, then scroll down to download and read the Collaborate Participant’s Guide and view the orientation material.
The day of the session, 20 minutes before it starts:
* Find a comfortable place with no distractions, a room that can be closed is preferable.
* Have a headset.
* Have your online book open.
* Have pencil and paper ready.
* Ensure that your audio is working correctly.
* Join the session 5 - 10 minutes before it officially starts.
Compositions - 10%
Your instructor will determine the topic of each composition. Your three compositions in Spanish will be graded on content, vocabulary, and the appropriate use of structures. See the week by week plan below for the due dates.
How to succeed in your compositions:
* Try to create your own individual sentences that closely reflect your own interests and experiences.
* Follow the prompt.
* Write a rough draft, and, with the help of the multiple grammar and vocabulary explanations that are presented to you in each chapter, check it.
* Re-write it at least once, it is better if you re-write it twice.
* Use a good dictionary.
How to fail in your compositions:
* Use an online translator
* Copy and paste Spanish text from other web sites
* Ask a friend to (re)write it for you.
Re-writing your compositions:
· After your composition is graded a feedback will be given, you will have the opportunity to re-write your composition, this is optional. If the composition is fully corrected you grade will increase 10%.
Q: How does the teacher know when it is not your work?
A: Very simple, s/he has enough proof provided by your Supersite homework activities, Voice Board assignments, Collaborate participation, etc. to know exactly your level of ability in Spanish. If you have not been able to produce a correct sentence using GUSTAR for example in 3 weeks, and your essay shows perfect use of that structure, then your teacher knows that something's not right. Don't waste your time or your teacher's time and energy in this way. Invest your time in learning.
IMPORTANT: Please refer to the Student Handbook http://nau.edu/Student-Life/Student-Handbook/ for information on the “Academic Integrity Policy”. The Statement of Plagiarism is included in this document.
Quizzes - 10%
Most every week that you do not have a major exam or composition you will take a quiz designed by your instructor. These quizzes can be accessed in the Assessments folder in the course’s Blackboard Learn site.
Exams
a) 50-minute exams - 25%
There will be three 50-minute exams. Remember all exams are cumulative. Information you learn through spaced repetition stays with you longer than information you “cram.” These exams can be accessed in the Assessments folder in the course’s Blackboard Learn site.
b) Final exam -15%
The final exam in this course will be comprehensive, testing you on all of the chapters studied this semester. Details in terms of content will be provided near the end of the semester. The final exam can be accessed in the Assessments folder in the course’s Blackboard Learn site.
c) Final Oral assessment - 8% (via Collaborate)
A major assessment of your speaking abilities at the end of the semester, providing you with an opportunity to demonstrate your abilities to communicate about every-day topics in Spanish. This assessment may be an interview between you and the instructor, role-play performed between you and a classmate, or a short presentation about the topics covered during the semester. It will be taken using the Collaborate program.
Completing tasks on time
Instructors are under no obligation to make special arrangements for students who miss assignments, deadlines and/or examinations.