Official Course Syllabus for (circle) Spring Fall SSI SSII 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Prairie View A&M University
College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Languages & Communications
Spanish 1013: Beginning Spanish I
I. Course Description (from the catalog): (3-0) Credit 3 semester hours.
Practice in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in Spanish to acquire elementary vocabulary and structures and a general knowledge of Hispanic culture. The transfer equivalent from Texas community/junior colleges is SPAN 1411.
II. Course Prerequisites: none
III. Instructor Information (fill in each semester):
Instructor: ______
Office: ______
Office Hours: ______
Tel: ______
E-Mail: Use WebCT email or standard university email
Address: Dept. of Languages & Communications,
Mail Stop #2220, Box 0159, Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View, TX 77446
IV. Course Materials:
Required Text: 2008 Custom edition of Arriba Volume I for Prairie View A&M University. Includes publisher’s website and access code for My Spanish Lab with required digital text, listening and video exercises. Exercises are submitted and graded electronically and grades are entered automatically into the digital grade book. The ISBN number will be available later in 2008.
Access to learning resources: John B. Coleman Library (936.261.1500)
http://www.tamu.edu/pvamu/library/
University Bookstore: (936.261.1990)
https://www.bkstr.com/Home/10001-10734-1?demoKey=d
In addition, Spanish faculty members employ WebCT to enhance instruction in this course. The WebCT site has tools for class purposes including a digital form of this course syllabus, class-related email correspondence and assignment postings.
Many supplemental materials and services are found in the Multimedia Language Laboratory, located in 169 Delco. These include ancillary materials that accompany the required text, Spanish cultural and language videos, multimedia practice exercises, and access to the WWW. Library Lab hours are posted the first week of classes, and faculty members are scheduled to accompany their classes in lab class mode on a bimonthly basis.
V. Course Goals and Objectives
Goals: students will gain the necessary knowledge and skills that allow them to successfully begin the sequence course, Spanish 1023.
Objectives: see the following chart.
Course Learning Outcomes (for TrueOutcomes Assessment) / Competencies(T, R, I)
T
Competency is taught / R
Competency is reinforced / I
Competency is utilized/
integrated
1. Follow simple directions in Spanish and communicate orally and in written form with memorized material using basic context/content vocabulary at the novice (ACTFL guidelines) level. / T / R / I
2. Ask and answer questions; create using Spanish; manage to get into, through and out of basic language situations in the contexts presented in the course text. / T / R / I
3. Narrate and describe in present and future time (using the “going to” structure) in the contexts of concrete topics presented in the text. / T / R / I
4. Individually acquire and practice basic skills in technology as needed to complete Spanish tutorial programs in the Multimedia Language Lab and on the Internet. / T / R / I
VI. Course Evaluation Methods
Students enrolled in Spanish 1013 will be evaluated on class participation (see below), chapter tests, midterm exam, and final exam. Students may be excused from quizzes and tests upon consideration by the instructor of valid and prompt written excuses (i.e. doctor's note).
Criteria for final grades during regular semesters: WEIGHTS
Participation (see below)...... 35%
Chapter Test results …...... 30%
Midterm Exam result...... 15%
Departmental Final Exam result...... 20%
For summer sessions only: Participation 35%; Chapter Tests 40%; Final Exam 25%.
Grade Correspondence:
A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70 -79 D = 60-69 F = 0-59
TrueOutcomes
TrueOutcomes is a tool that several universities use for assessment purposes. One or more student assignments will be considered an "artifact" (an item of coursework that serves as evidence that course objectives are met) and will be loaded into TrueOutcomes. Students will be required to upload the assignment(s) to the TrueOutcomes site. The TrueOutcomes site also allows students to electronically post documents that can be used to create an electronic portfolio for future employment and/or educational endeavors. More information will be provided during the semester, but for general information, students can access the TrueOutcomes web site at: www.trueoutcomes.net.
Student Participation Guidelines
Regular practice in the tutored second language learning setting is important for student success in this class. Actual preparation time in this class will differ from student to student--depending on prior knowledge and language-learning skills. Nation-wide, students of second languages are expected to spend two (2) hours preparation time for each one-hour class. And due to the importance of affective variables in language learning, it is understood that students enrolled in this class are willing to prepare, produce and share content in Spanish. The following are taken into consideration when determining participation grades:
· Regular attendance
· A productive presence in Spanish while attending class
· Students may use English when they have a felt need during office hours, in email notes to the instructor, and for questions concerning course material, assignments, and evaluation. The use of English on the part of students in class activities, tests and quizzes will result in a lower grade.
· Timely completion/submission of assignments, quizzes and tests (see course calendar for assignment due dates).
Quizzes, Tests and Exams: Students are required to take tests and exams at designated times and dates. Frequent pop quizzes may be given to help foster prompt attendance and to further quantify student participation. Make-up tests and exams are normally not given, although in special cases they may need to be administered in order to make student grades more representative. This class strictly observes official university dates and times for midterm and final exams.
VII. Course Outline and Official Course Calendar
This being a first-semester Spanish language course, there are no prerequisite skills or knowledge required. Class covers material in the five chapters of the Arriba custom text, Volume I, and the accompanying My Spanish Lab exercises. Although the official course calendar for regular assignments, deadlines, and test and exam days will be handed out the first day of classes, the general calendar outline for this course is:
Weeks 1-3 / Capítulo 1: Hola, ¿Qué tal?Weeks 4-6 / Capítulo 2: ¿De dónde eres?
Weeks 7-9 / Capítulo 3: ¿Qué estudias?
Weeks 10-12 / Capítulo 4: ¿Cómo es tu familia?
Weeks 13-15 / Capítulo 5: ¿Cómo pasas el día?
VIII. University Calendar dates: Please refer to the official university calendar (WWW.PVAMU.edu) each semester for these very important dates:
· Census date (12th class day regular semester; 4th class day during summers)
· Last date to apply for graduation
· Last date to pay at least 50% of tuition & fees
· Last date to withdraw from classes with automatic “W”
IX. Department-Specific Information
The basic Spanish service courses follow the guidelines and regulations of the Department of Languages and Communications, the College of Arts and Sciences, and University. This includes the university attendance policy and that which prohibits young children from being present in academic classes and university laboratories.
X. University Rules and Procedures
Disability statement (see Student Handbook): Students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, who wish to request accommodations in class should register with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) early in the semester so that appropriate arrangements may be made. In accordance with federal laws, a student requesting special accommodations must provide documentation of their disability to the SSD coordinator.
Academic misconduct (see Student Handbook): Students are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of their academic courses. They need to be familiar with the Student Handbook, especially the section on academic misconduct. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to university disciplinary procedures. Forms of academic dishonesty include the following:
· Cheating: deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by the instructor on assignments or examinations; completing online exercises for another student.
· Academic misconduct: tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test.
· Fabrication: use of invented information or falsified research.
· Plagiarism: unacknowledged quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submitting such as one’s own work.
Nonacademic misconduct (see Student Handbook): The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and of students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Therefore, harassment of any type will not be tolerated in this class. Students who feel that they are being harassed need to report this to the course instructor or other university personnel at their earliest convenience so that the matter may be resolved as quickly as possible. Campus behavior that interferes with either (1) the instructor’s ability to conduct the class, (2) the inability of other students to profit from the instructional program, or (3) campus behavior that interferes with the rights of others will not be tolerated. An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior may be subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under nonacademic procedures.
Sexual misconduct (see Student Handbook): Sexual harassment of students and employees at Prairie View A&M University is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any member of the university community violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action.
Attendance Policy
Attendance for all classes is mandatory at Prairie View A&M University. Absences are accumulated beginning with the first day of class. Grades will begin to be lowered after three hours of unexcused absence, with each additional three hours of unexcused absence resulting in further lowering of grades. Excessive absenteeism, whether excused or unexcused, may result in the assignment of a grade of F.
Student Academic Appeals Process
The authority and responsibility for assigning grades to students rests with the course instructor. However, in those instances where students believe that miscommunication, errors, or unfairness of any kind may have adversely affected the instructor's assessment of their academic performance, the student has a right to appeal by the procedure listed in the Undergraduate Catalog and by doing so within thirty days of receiving the grade or experiencing any other problematic academic event that prompted the complaint.
XI. Misc. Information
· Technology requirements: students are expected to have a basic level of computer literacy; a personal set of headphones to use in the multimedia language lab; and when away from the Multimedia Language Lab, access to a computer with fast access to the Internet (not dial-up) and the necessary software (including compatible versions of Internet browsers) to access My Spanish Lab digital text, audio and video exercises.
· Testing Out: students who feel that they have already learned material that is covered in this class may take the nationally standardized CLEP test for course credit (no grades are given). A score of fifty (50) out of eighty (80) on this computerized test enables students to receive credit for this course (Spanish 1013) and the sequence course (Spanish 1023). A score of sixty-three (63) out of eighty (80) enables students to receive twelve (12) hours of credit in the four basic Spanish service courses. See your course instructor or the coordinator of Spanish for additional information about the CLEP test.
· Extra Credit: there are no provisions for extra credit in this course. Students with an average of 90% or more are encouraged to ask the course instructor for additional learning opportunities, but performance on these will not be graded.
· Spanish Tutors: students who require tutoring in Spanish are encouraged to check the Spanish tutor schedule on the 2nd floor of the John B. Coleman Library.
· Grade of Incomplete: a grade of incomplete (I) may be given in cases of documented emergencies or tragedies that prohibit a student from completing the course. Normally, this grade is given when the student is passing the course with representative work and is unable to take the final exam for reasons out of the student's control. In order to receive a grade of I, approval must first be given by the Department Head.
· Students are encouraged to sign in and practice in the Multimedia Language Laboratory (169 Delco).
XII. Student Responsibilities
The student is expected to be fully knowledgeable of the contents of this legally binding course syllabus and his/her rights and responsibilities as a student of this university as stated in the University Catalog.