🔑 Course description

A beginning conversational Spanish course designed to develop listening and speaking skills needed at school, on the job and in Spanish-speaking communities. Provides introduction to the core grammatical structures and vocabulary required for communication.

🥅 Objectives

This course will:

• emphasize language for meaningful interpersonal communication
• present, practice, and assess relevant linguistic and metalinguistic features of the language
• develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills
• increase cultural, communicative, and discursive competence
• provide a safe environment to experiment with language

🎯 Student Learning Outcomes

• Conduct face-to-face conversations on everyday topics using appropriate Spanish pronunciation and intonation.
• Respond to oral statements and questions in Spanish about personal everyday topics.
• Utilize common greetings, courtesies and formal/informal conventions in Spanish.
• Demonstrate cultural awareness and insights about the Spanish-speaking world and Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S.       

📖 Textbook and learning support resources

There is no required textbook for this course. Instead, there are a number of curated online resources that you can reference in your study. These will be gathered in Canvas.

If you find having a textbook supports your learning, please let me know and I can give you some recommendations.

🛠 Primary learning tools for this course

In this class, we will use three tools to help support your language learning. These are:

• Canvas: https://canvas.santarosa.edu
  • Language learning resources and exercises
  • Quizzes
  • Cultural assignments
• Zoom: download at https://zoom.us/download
  • Space for interactive activities to help develop your speaking abilities and confidence
  • Place to practice Spanish safely
• Padlet: access or download, https://padlet.com
  • Interact with other classmates outside of designated class time

👨‍🏫 Teaching approach

This course emphasizes Spanish for meaningful communication and cultural understanding. The online spaces will be a place to practice and experiment through a range of activities and gain confidence in using the language in meaningful situations. Interactive activities with your classmates will reinforce grammar and vocabulary studied and practiced by you previously. These will be practiced during our Zoom sessions and Padlet interaction to help you develop confidence and fluency. Assessment will mirror activities found in the textbook and those provided by the instructor.

🏫 Class format

This is an interactive online Spanish class. As a member of this class, you will be expected to interact respectfully with your classmates and professor through various online tools to help you practice Spanish. Since this class requires regular interactions in Spanish, frequent due dates are given throughout the week to help structure your practice and make sure that everyone has roughly the same exposure to class materials.

🏃‍♀️ Pacing and time commitment

We will be covering a full semester of conversational Spanish in six weeks. This means that you will have a lot to do every day to master the content. Most likely, you may need to dedicate several hours into personal study, completing assigned work, and being available for online sessions and activities.

⚖️ Personal responsibility and accountability

Since language builds upon itself, cramming is a less effective strategy. It is highly recommended that you plan out on how to you will complete your assignments to avoid waiting until the last possible minute. Furthermore, it is suggested that you complete all work well before the due dates to give yourself adequate time to ask any questions and to avoid unforeseen technical or other issues.

Any issues that do arise should be communicated to the instructor promptly (within one day of occurrence if possible) for resolution. Generally, no late submissions, substitutions or makeup work will be accepted and any exception is subject to instructor discretion.  Additionally, it is your responsibility to promptly resolve technical issues that may arise including, including, but not limited to, software installation, internet access, using Canvas’ video and audio features or Zoom web conferencing, etc. Please contact me if you need help to know who to contact to help resolve these issues; do not let any issue go too long without getting help.

✅ Setting yourself up for success

Time with the language is the most important factor when learning a language. You will learn best as you spend time during and outside class practicing and reviewing the course content (grammar, vocabulary, readings, etc.) indicated in the syllabus. Think of assignment due dates as a milestone for completing work by a specific day.

All activities for the semester are available from the beginning of the course to give you more flexibility in balancing personal, work, and academic matters. You are encouraged to work ahead.

Some things students have done in the past that helped them included:

• making a personal study plan
• practicing a bit every day
• attending all Zoom sessions
• practice Spanish with a family member, friend, coworker, etc.
• do extra work in the Portalestextbook
• ask the professor for additional learning materials adapted to your needs
• use other free Spanish study tools like Duolingo, Conjuguemos.com, SpanishDict.com, etc.
• creating study groups
• meeting with our class tutor
• arranging an appointment with your professor
• completing quiz corrections
• watching media in Spanish on Youtube, Netflix, Hulu, etc.

Lastly, as your professor I have a deep knowledge about language learning and commitment to the success of each of my students. Please reach out to discuss recommendations and ideas which will best help you.

🕰 Instructor availability

I am available for contact during normal business hours (9:00 am–5:00 pm) Monday through Friday. Please be aware that I also have other teaching and professional commitments during the workday so responses will rarely be instantaneous. For your information, I tend to answer email during the early mornings. Generally, I am not available during weekends for meetings or appointments; additionally, I reserve Sundays for personal and family matters and do not answer email or schedule appointments that day; plan accordingly.

📱 Communication

Email is my preferred method of communication; however, I do review my messages in Canvas often and do have a number you can text. When writing your message, please include the course number as well brief informative subject line (eg. “SPAN 50A Questions about next quiz”) to help speed up response time. Properly addressed messages will be answered within the next business day. Email received after 5:00 pm on Fridays may not be answered until the following Monday.

It is your responsibility to communicate any academic concerns or life situations that affect your performance in the class promptly. Do not wait until the end of the term to discuss matters when there may not be time or resources to resolve these issues.

🦾 Accommodations

All students have the right for equitable access to class content and participation in class. If you need disability-related accommodations for this class, please provide the Authorization for Academic Accommodations (AAA letter) from the Disability Resources Department (DRD) to the instructor as soon as possible. You can contact the DRD at (707) 527-4278 or disabilityinfo@santarosa.edu.

Any other accommodations are subject to instructor discretion, campus policies, and legal considerations; please contact the instructor to discuss.

If you need captioning for Zoom web conferencing sessions, please contact me before the start of the course to coordinate.

🦠 COVID and other interruptions to instruction

We are living in uncertain times. We could experience a resurgence of the current pandemic, fires, power outages, social disturbances, etc. Additionally, there may be other circumstances or situations that affect your success in this class. If anything comes up, please reach out to me as soon as possible so we can discuss options. Do not wait until the last few days of the course to resolve any issues. Also, do not assume that nothing can be done; often—with enough time and adequate communication—a number of issues can be resolved using appropriate college resources and procedures.

💯 Grading

Course grading is done using weighted categories. These are listed in the table below:

🧮 Calificación

Categoría	%
Preparación, práctica y repaso	—
Preparación	5
Práctica	10
Repaso	10
Interacción y comunicación	—
Zoom	20
Padlet or alternate Zoom	10
Diario de aprendizaje	—
Lengua	5
Cultura	5
Evaluación (5x5%)	20
Examen final	—
Oral	5
Comprensivo	10

The course gradebook can be found in Canvas and will be updated at minimum after the end of each chapter.

📨 Turning in work and late policy

Work is turned in via Canvas. For logistical reasons, I do not accept work via email.

Generally, no late submissions, substitutions or makeup work will be accepted. Exceptions may occur due to documented personal or family illness or extraordinary circumstances; all exceptions are subject to instructor discretion and relevant college policies.

Extra credit or make-up work is not available. However, quiz corrections for up to half-credit are available on some assignments; please contact with me about setting up a meeting to discuss requirements.

💡 Preparación, práctica y repaso

These are the exercises that you will complete in Canvas and, optionally, other websites. They are spaced throughout the week to help you engage with Spanish a little bit each day. They also help you to revisit topics.

⚙️ Preparación

Provide explanations of grammar or vocabulary paired with a single comprehension activity. These prepare you for our Zoom sessions the following day. They should take roughly 30 minutes to complete and can be completed ahead of the assigned due date. Preparation activities will be graded on a credit/no credit basis and must be completed at latest the end of the day assigned (11:59 pm Pacific Time). Since these activities prepare you for Zoom classes, late work will not be accepted.

🔄 Práctica

These are follow-up activities that are completed after your preparation in Canvas and our Zoom sessions. They serve to increase your abilities with the language. These exercises are graded though you are welcome to redo them to improve your grade until the due date. These exercises are due generally on Fridays (at 11:50 pm PT). Any late work will be penalized ten percent for each day late.

🌐 Repaso

Reinforces what we have covered in class and prepare you for the quizzes. Review will be due before chapter quiz and will receive a letter grade. You are welcome to repeat exercises to improve their overall grade until the due date, generally Sundays (at 11:59 pm PT). Any late work will be penalized ten percent for each day late.

The table below summarizes the information discussed previously:

	Preparación	Práctica	Repaso
Due by (recommend working ahead)	Sundays and Tuesdays by 11:59 pm	weekly, Friday by 11:59 pm	Mondays by 11:59 pm
Grading	credit/no credit	points	points
Late work	not accepted	-10% daily	-10% daily

🗣 Interacción y comunicación

Language is a social tool. Using the language to interact with other classmates is fundamental learning language. Your participation in this course is vital not only for your success, but the success of your classmates. Research and experience have shown that engaging with classmates, instructor, and course content through various activities is key to improving your language abilities.

💻 Zoom

The goal of this class is to help you speak in the moment in Spanish. To do this, we will hold live sessions via Zoom during the scheduled time.

Since these live activities are an important, any missed interaction will negatively affect the category grade. Also, Zoom sessions cannot be made-up or substituted with other work. During the course term, with prior arrangement with and email confirmation from the professor, a student may miss one Zoom web conferencing session without impacting the grade.

When participating in Zoom web conferences, please find a quiet, uninterrupted space where you can give your full attention to the presentations, conversations, and activities. You are strongly encouraged to use a headset or headphones to reduce echos and feedback. Please do not participate in Zoom while operating a vehicle or other situation which will require your divided attention; treat it as normal class time and be prepared to be actively engaged the entire session.

👥 Padlet or alternate Zoom

Padlet is an app/website that allows you and others to practice Spanish without having to be online at the same time. Think of it like a mini-social network that is just for our class. You will be paired with other students to complete different activities throughout the week. For those who prefer a live experience, they are welcome to complete these assignments via Zoom and then complete a summative activity.

📔 Diario de aprendizaje

Each of us is learning Spanish for different reasons. We also learn differently since none of us are exactly the same. Your learning journal is a way to organize and track your language learning based on your own needs and learning style. It allows you to record what you want to know, what you are learning, and what you still want to find out. While it does not have a specific format, it does need to demonstrate that you are taking time throughout each week to study the language and culture. Whatever is submitted needs to show some level of personal touch; in other words, I want to see that you have engaged with your learning and not just reams of information copied and pasted from other sites.

📝 Evaluación

Quizzes allow us to check in regarding your language learning. For most, language learning has highs and lows and not every concept “clicks” the first (second, third, fourth,…) time. To help support your learning, comprehensives quizzes will be given at the end of each chapter to monitor language development. Questions will reflect the format of exercises done in Canvas and other supporting websites as well as what we do in Zoom and Padlet. Before taking a quiz, you should complete at least all preparation, practice, and review exercises for that particular chapter. These quizzes are timed and must be completed once they are opened. Due dates for major quizzes are listed in the course schedule and in Canvas.

Note: Quizzes are given in Canvas via the honor system. Please be honest and truthful. They are intended to allow us to check in and help identify areas where you are doing well and others where you may be struggling. Cheating of any kind defeats this goal and breaks the trust which helps create a productive learning environment. Submission of a quiz implies that you have agreed that the work submitted is of your own authorship and you have not consulted any other sources. This includes the use of any online translators or other electronic resources. Not following these guidelines may result in not only a failing grade on the quiz, but additional administrative action that could include failing the entire class, academic probation, or suspension.

📑 Examen final

At the end of the course our final exam will have two parts: an oral exam and a comprehensive exam.

Oral exam

This is an exam done with a partner based around a specific situation. Based on that context, you will have a relatively spontaneous conversation around the topic. Partners will be assigned mid-term and topics for the exam will also be available at that time.

Comprehensive exam

Covers selected topics from the entire semester’s worth of the course.

👩‍💻 Technical requirements and tools

• Computer, tablet, or smartphone with a functioning microphone and web camera
• Reliable high-speed broadband or mobile internet connection capable of uploading video and participating in live video conferencing
• Headphones/Headset (strongly recommended) to reduce audio feedback during interactive sessions

Additionally, you must have the latest versions of the following software on your computer and/or device:

• Zoom, https://cccconfer.zoom.us/download/ (Links to an external site.)
  Please install the latest version; due to certain features I use for our class, I require at least version 5.4.7

Note: While most of the activities for this course can be completed either on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, there are a few activities on Portales (mostly grammar videos) that only can be completed using a computer.

🤦‍♀️ Plagiarism and online translators

As beginning language students, it is normal to use the language outside of accepted norms or rules, eg. “saying it wrong.” However, using the language “incorrectly” is actually part of learning it. As your professor, I am not expecting perfect language.

For some students this "insufficiency" creates great anxiety. Some feel that they need to use electronic translators to complete work. Using an electronic translator does not allow your brain to learn the language and also is turning in work (language) that is not actually your own nor does it match the Spanish used in our community. Because of this, use of any electronic text translators (ie. Google Translate, etc.) is considered plagiarism. Work suspected to be generated in part or completely using an electronic translator may have various consequences, including no credit for the assignment, failure of the class, and possible referral to student affairs.

However, consulting online dictionaries for individual words and phrases is permitted to complete assignments; links to some dictionaries are listed on the main page of the course Canvas site.

🛡 Other important college policies

Furthermore, you are responsible to be aware of important University policies, such as: adding and dropping courses; academic integrity such as cheating and plagiarism; grade appeal procedures; accommodations for students with disabilities (http://drd.santarosa.eduLinks to an external site.); and the diversity vision statement. These are outlined at http://student-conduct.santarosa.edu/Links to an external site. and http://admissions.santarosa.edu/frequently-asked-questions-and-policies. You may want to speak with a counselor about any concerns you may have. I am happy to direct you to appropriate campus services.

😫 Grievances

It is hoped that any concerns or complaints can be addressed directly with me. Those which cannot be resolved may be directed to the Department Chair, Araceli Osorio at aosorio@santarosa.edu or 707-521-6913.

🗓 Course schedule

The following is a course schedule synced with Zoom sessions.

SPAN 50A Harrington SS21.pdf