• to enhance oral proficiency by engaging in communicative activities such as providing information or expressing ideas and opinions in Spanish
• improve listening comprehension through the exclusive use of Spanish in class and through a variety of videos and listening exercises
• improve reading comprehension through daily reading assignments and related activities (readings are diverse in both form and content)
• improve writing proficiency through a variety of written assignments, creating informal works as well as more formal output (through the writing and revising process)
• increase knowledge of the histories and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world
• awaken cultural empathy and awareness of cultural, social and historical issues in the Spanish-speaking world
• increase awareness of the relationships between the peoples of the Spanish-speaking world and their connection to and role in the global community
• increase understanding of previously-studied grammatical structures
• enhance vocabulary
• acquire basic knowledge of literature and literary terms necessary for advanced Spanish courses
• acquire the proficiency levels and knowledge necessary to continue studying Spanish at the intermediate and advanced levels

Exams:

There will be six hour exams and one final exam this quarter. They will include materials from both the textbook and the AVE online course. Students must take these exams when they are scheduled. Students must contact their instructor prior to the exam if they are unable to take an exam on the scheduled date. Make-ups will be given only in the case of properly documented, excused absences and must be arranged with the instructor.

Quía Online Homework:

Daily homework assignments in Quía will be posted weekly to the course portal. You are required to read the assigned pages in Pasajes (that explain concepts used in the homework) and then complete the online exercises prior to class time on each due date. The course relies heavily on topics studied outside of class and requires students to prepare the assigned materials on their own prior to class. A good participation grade requires that you carefully prepare all homework assignments. Homework will be submitted electronically through Quía and will only be accepted up until the due date posted on Quía. Late work will not be accepted.

A note regarding Quía: The workbook includes numerous grammar and listening exercises for each chapter, many of which will not be formally assigned by the instructor. These additional exercises are optional, but may be done to provide the extra practice necessary for acceptable performance in class and on exams. If you would like to do these additional assignments and have them reviewed/corrected, please inform the instructor.

AVE Online Course Activities:

Daily homework assignments in AVE will be posted weekly to the course portal. You are required complete the online exercises prior to class time on each due date. The course relies heavily on topics studied outside of class and requires students to prepare the assigned materials on their own prior to class. A good participation grade requires that you carefully prepare all AVE assignments. When the instructor requires students to submit work either electronically or by hard copy in class, the work is due on the date indicated in the syllabus and/or posted on AVE. No late work will be accepted.

NOTES:

1.       The AVE includes a monitoring function. The instructor will be able to follow each student's participation and progress through the online program.

2.       The Language Learning Center (108 Denny Hall) has the AVE software loaded and configured on their computers and is the recommended site for completing all online activities. It also has the required audio and video capabilities. Other campus laboratories ARE NOT equipped to support this component of the course. The possibility exists for students to load and access AVE from home, but technical issues or insufficient hardware may impede its functioning.

3.       Mozilla is the recommended browser for these activities.

Mini Quizzes:

To ensure that students have grasped the basic content presented in AVE, there will be regular quizzes over the materials in class. The quizzes will be short (5 minutes or less) and will cover only the basic content presented in AVE. This will allow the instructor to monitor student participation in the Web activities and to keep abreast of any problems or difficulties students may be having with the presentation of the materials in AVE. Dates for possible quizzes are listed regularly on the syllabus, however the instructor may occasionally choose NOT to give the announced quiz. Students may drop their two lowest quiz grades (if absent on a quiz day, that 0 will count as a dropped score).

Class Participation:

Because language classes are practice sessions, your lively presence is required and you will receive a daily participation grade ranging from 0-10. (See the participation section below for details on what this participation entails.) In order for students to understand the grammar and participate in the conversations, they must complete all homework and online assignments prior to class. Failure to do so will result in a low participation grade. Attendance is required for obvious reasons--it is impossible to receive participation credit if you are not in class. Please see the "Hoja de evaluación" at the online course portal for details regarding how your instructor will monitor and evaluate your class participation. Please see the instructor if you are concerned about your participation grade or interested in knowing how you are doing.

Compositions:

Students will write two compositions during the quarter. Because writing is a process, students will write two versions of each composition. All compositions will be graded on a weighted average of the first draft and the final draft. Both versions of each composition are required in order to receive credit for the work and must be turned in (along with all other materials used in their preparation) on the announced due dates. Late work will not be accepted. Detailed instructions regarding content, format, and evaluation of each composition will be made available on the course portal prior to each due date.

Workload Expectations:

SPAN 210 is a ten-credit course, with six hours of class time plus four hours of required work online, which is considered to be the equivalent of in-class time. Since each college-level credit is typically thought to be equivalent to 2-3 hours of individual work for each credit hour, you should expect to devote 20-30 outside-of-class hours weekly to this course.