Elementary Spanish 101 Online
Course Syllabus & Description
Winter Quarter 2010

Nancy Barclay
530-541-4660, Ext. 204, Barclay@ltcc.edu
Office:  Room F131

Course Home Page: http://www.ltcconline.net/barclay/courses/Spa_101OL/101OL.htm

Office Hours (Room F131)

Mon  1:30-2:30  in Office:  F131  and Online 6:00-7:00PM
Tues  6:00 - 7:00 PM  Online only by email or in Etudes (online class)
Wed  9:45-10:45  In Office:  F131
Thurs  9:00-10:00 AM  Online only by email or in Etudes (online class) 

During online office hours I will be available by email and in our Etudes class, not in person in my office.

I will commit to responding to your messages and questions within 24 hours.  If you post a question late on Fridays, or on Saturdays and Sundays, I will respond on the following Monday.   

Important Dates to Remember  

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, Monday, 1/18
Last day to drop with no record:  Friday, 1/29
Last day to declare Pass/No Pass:  Friday, 1/29
President's Holiday Weekend (College closed), Friday -Monday, 2/12 - 2/15
Last day to drop with “W” grade:  Friday, 2/19
Final Exam Week:  Tuesday – Friday, 3/23-3/26
First day of class, spring quarter, Monday, 4/5

Sending Emails to Nancy

To ask me a question, please post it in Etudes:  Discussion & Private Messaging. 
If you must use email for some reason, please include in each SUBJECT area this info:  SPA101 Online.  This will help prevention of deletion of your email.   

Log In To Etudes

·       How do I log in to Etudes?  What is my username and password?  Take a look:  http://www.ltcconline.net/barclay/courses/spa_101OL/login.htm

·       Once logged in check to see that your current email is correct.  Click on the tab at the top of the screen:  My Workspace, then choose Account, Modify Details- update if needed.

·      When working within Etudes, only use one Internet browser; do not have two different browsers open on your desktop.  It may cause you to lose your work within Etudes. 

Any students needing accommodations should inform the instructor.  Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) early in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible.  Students may contact the DRC by visiting the Center (located in room A205) or by phoning 541-4660, ext. 249.  All information will remain confidential.

 TOPICS & ASSIGNMENTS 

Before you begin this course:

Please be sure that you can commit 15 hours per week (five hours - class participation, 10 hours - homework) to this class. 
Check to see that your computer is compatible with the technology needed.  Take a look at our Technology Check page:  http://www.ltcconline.net/barclay/courses/spa_101OL/check.htm

Within our Etudes class you will see many tabs on the left of the screen.  Please pay special attention to Modules, Tasks, Tests & Surveys, and Announcements.   

MODULES are where I will give all lectures for this class.  As you follow along with syllabus, be sure to read and study all content in the module for the week.  After you have covered the content in Modules, then go to Test, Tasks & Surveys to complete activities. 

Assignments, Tests, & Surveys  (AT&S) will have the directions for completing assigned work.  Also you will see the due dates and any links or attachments related to the assignments.   

ANNOUNCEMENTS have updated news and lessons from me.  Please check them out each time you log in to Etudes, but at least once a week.

UNA CARTA DE LA PROFESORA

¡Hola clase! 

Learning a second language takes much time and patience. You should be ready and willing to make mistakes; this is part of the learning process. In addition, it is important to have fun while you are learning. Participation in all activities will to help you to use the Spanish language in a meaningful context.

Plan on spending at least 15 hours a week doing assignments and homework for this class. Homework includes studying vocabulary; completing assignments from your online lab manual (which you need to purchase); talking to native-speakers; listening to Spanish radio, television, and music; and reading aloud to yourself. The more time you put into it, the better you will do. For this online course, it is most important that you practice speaking and listening as often as possible since you will not be in a classroom with me for practice. So make a commitment now to practice everyday.

RESPECT for your classmates is important. Allow each other to make mistakes and to feel comfortable taking risks using Spanish. I respect all of you for trying to learn a new language, and even more so for doing it online!

Learning a new language needs to be LOW STRESS and FUN. Have a positive attitude and enjoy the learning. When you have any questions or concerns about using the technology component of this course, let me know. I don't want the technology to interfere with your learning.  

Finally, keep in mind that I am not the "Great Oz behind the curtain."  You can always communicate with me.  Let's work together to make this a positive learning experience for you. 

Good luck!   Señora Barclay

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 Student Learning Outcomes

1. Compose an evidence-based paper and discuss the culture and peoples of a Spanish-speaking country that reflects information learned and personal reflection. 

2. Communicate and comprehend in target language at beginning-elementary level with appropriate grammar, present tense verbs, and vocabulary as listed in course topics.

3. Participate in casual and formal dialogue in class activities and oral presentations that demonstrate recycled vocabulary, grammar, and phrases.

Text & Books  (Available for purchase at the College Book Store)

TWO REQUIRED – one is a hard copy textbook and one is an online account:

1.  Textbook:  Puntos de partida, McGraw Hill, 8^th edition, 2009, ISBN-13 9780073534428 

A copy of this required textbook is on RESERVE in the LTCC Library. 
If you have an older edition of the textbook it will be fine to use.  Only the page numbers will be different; the content is basically the same.  You may be able to get by without having the textbook if you have had Spanish in the past or if you have another elementary Spanish textbook for reference.

2.  Online lab manual to accompany Puntos de partida from Quia Books.  You must have the 8th edition of this online lab manual.

http://books.quia.com/books/
Course:  Spanish 101 WINTER 2010
Course Code:  HDRKDG484
Online lab manual can be purchased at Quia Books with a credit card, or at the LTCC Book Store. 
It is less expensive to purchase it online at Quia Books.
 

RECOMMENDED Books – not mandatory for this class:

Spanish-English/English-Spanish Dictionary
Dictionary of 501 Verbs
Workbook to accompany Puntos de partida (optional)
Word Reference is a good FREE online dictionary is located at http://wordreference.com/index.htm  

Grading is based on total points from the following assignments

Quizzes (online at Puntos Web site)
Participation in class assignments and activities at Quia Books
Web lessons, homework assignments, and phone calls

Grading philosophy:  if you just answer a question or assignment with a short answer, the grade will be a "C."  To receive a "B" the answer must be very complete, full sentences, well written.  A grade of an "A" is given to assignments that are truly above what is required, give extra information, include your opinion, show that your deserve an outstanding grade on the assignment.

A:  90-100%         B:  80-89%        C:  70-79%        D:  60-69%        F:  59% and below 

Late Work Policy

All work is due by the date indicated within each assignment of Etudes.  The end of the week deadline is Monday, 11:45 PM.  Late work will be accepted for one week after the due date with a reduction of 20% on the assignment.  After one week has passed the work will no longer be accepted and the grade will remain a zero.   It is always okay to complete work early. 

During the last week of the quarter, late work will not be accepted.

This late work policy applies to all graded work in this course:  quizzes, Quia workbook activities, homework, phone calls, etc.  If you have a serious emergency, please see me to make special arrangements.  Or go for it and do all the work early. 

Online Lab Manual at Quia Books 

This online lab manual is required for this class.  See Module 4 for information on purchasing it.  Information is also available on our Technology Check page at http://www.ltcconline.net/barclay/courses/spa_101OL/check.htm   

When completing the assigned activities you will be allowed THREE attempts at each one.  The program will save your highest scores and will submit them to Nancy.  You will need to click on the “Play Audio: icon to hear the spoken Spanish.   

Puntos Online Quizzes 

All quizzes for this course are in AT&S of Etudes and are due on the date indicated in AT&S.  The late work policy applies.  You will need to use the FREE Web site that accompanies our textbook to access the quizzes.  Each chapter has quizzes for vocabulary and/or grammar.  The link is:http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073534420/student_view0/

Once there, go to Contents: CHOOSE ONE and select the chapter.   

You must complete all of the quizzes for each chapter.  These quizzes may be taken on an open book policy; feel free to take the quizzes as many times as you would like for practice.  You do NOT need to submit your results to me by email.  See specific instructions in the Etudes assignments.  

Puntos quizzes will mark your work as incorrect if you do not have the exact answer that they have, including spelling and punctuation.  Don’t worry about that part – just work on the concepts. 

Since you learn by repetition and correcting your own mistakes, I would like you to practice with the quizzes until you understand the concepts. 

Cultural Web Lesson & Homework

We will Internet will be used to research cultural topics.  After investigating the Internet links within the Web lesson, you will be required to write a composition and/or answer questions based on the content.  Guidelines on the research and composition are included in each specific assignment within Etudes.   

Homework activities include studying the textbook and all content covered in Etudes MODULES, memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules, and speaking Spanish.  Time should be spent speaking Spanish, reading aloud to yourself, making flash cards for the vocabulary, and completing the exercises in your textbook.  Some assignments will require phone messages to Nancy. 

A minimum of ten hours homework per week should be spent studying Spanish:  reading, writing, listening, speaking.  An additional five hours per week is expected as part of class participation.  Since you will not be in class to speak Spanish with Nancy and your classmates, you will need to commit to practicing on your own.  For example, repeat after the audio files, read aloud to yourself, sing. 

Class Participation

Class participation is an important part of this course.  For this online course, participation will involve completing online listening comprehension exercises at Quia Books with our online lab manual.  Since you will not be able to practice speaking and listening with your classmates or me, I expect you to put much time into doing these assignments.  You will be able to listen to audio recordings; please take the time to listen to all of them.  If you are serious about learning Spanish, it will be important for you to repeat after you listen to the audio recordings.  Find a place where you can “talk to yourself’ or let your pets be your audience.  Anyway, have fun, listen and speak as much as possible.  I hope to be able to notice an improvement in your spoken Spanish as the course goes on and we are having our phone conversations.   

I have set up the Quia Books lab manual activities to allow you to make THREE attempts with each assignment.  Your highest grade will be entered.  You can continue to practice after 3 attempts, but they will not be submitted to me.  The program allows you to see your mistakes.   

Keeping up with the Class

If you need any accommodations or assistance you should notify me immediately.  I you are having difficulty with any component of this class, let me know as soon as possible.  Chances are that other students are having the same problems.  This includes asking questions about class content or about technology issues.  Don’t let the technology get in the way of your learning. 

Please communicate with me before you become frustrated. 

Free tutoring is available to students on campus in the Tutoring & Learning Center (TLC).  See the schedule of Spanish tutors posted in the TLC each quarter.

Dropping the Class

YOU are responsible for dropping the class by the appropriate dates given in the Schedule of Classes.  See Admissions & Records for clarification. 

AA Degree or Certificate in Spanish

Information about our degree and certificate: http://www.ltcconline.net/barclay/a_a__spanish.htm

Why bother?  You never know where your future will lead you.  However, if you know a second language, especially Spanish, it will certainly open doors for you.  Just speaking Spanish looks nice on your resume.  Having an AA degree or certificate can put you ahead of others in the interview process.  It shows that not only can you communicate in Spanish, but that you are educated in culture, customs, history, and grammar.   

See a counselor to discuss your options and create a plan. 

[Lake Tahoe Community College]  [World Languages Dept.] [LTCC Study Abroad]
Created and maintained by N Barclay     01/27/2010