Department Information: Office Location: 251 Peltier Hall Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2023 Thibodaux, LA 70310 Phone: 985-448-4453 Fax: 985-449-7110 Email: ellen.barker@nicholls.edu Nicholls Online Department of Languages and Literature Elementary Spanish 101 Course Materials Moodle: 1) We will be using Moodle for this course. Recommended minimum browser for Moodle include Firefox 4, Internet Explorer 8 (IE 10 required for drag and drop of files from outside the browser into Moodle), Safari 5, Google Chrome 11. The best browser suggestion is to use the latest version of your chosen browser. The URL is http://moodle2.nicholls.edu/moodle. Enter your Username and Password. Your username is the first part of your Nicholls email address before the @ sign. Your password is your N number; you must use a capital N. 2) Viva! Textbook (purchased as an e-book at vhlcentral.com OR hard copy from bookstore) 3) Supersite online access code- used for: a) Practice Activities (purchased online OR comes with textbook if you purchase it at the NSU bookstore purchased separately at vhlcentral.com even if you are purchasing everything else at the bookstore. This is a completely separate entity than practice activities. Text: see above Hardware and Software Requirements: Reliable internet Connection with access to microphone and speakers Access to Viva Supersite (www.vhlcentral.com) Course Description SPAN 101. Elementary Spanish I. 3-3-0. Pronunciation and fundamental grammatical structure in the language are introduced. Emphasis is on the development of the language skills. 3.0 Credit hours Course Goals: 1. Develop novice-level proficiency skills in speaking, writing, reading, and listening o This is a skills-development course that will require you to learn, practice, and apply knowledge and abilities in a way that is different from most other university courses. 2. Analyze and use basic grammar through as a tool for effective communication
3. Develop language-learning strategies and skill-building techniques 4. The chapter topics and vocabulary include but are not limited to: greetings and farewells, the weather, descriptions, feelings, daily routines, classes and class schedules, likes and dislikes, pastimes, activities, sports, shopping, parties and vacations as they refer to yourself and to your family and friends. 5. Through the integration of technology in this course via the use of the VIVA Supersite online, you will enjoy the benefits of increased exposure to authentic input and practice. Moreover, audio and video resources also serve to complement and expand the cultural base of the course. Such technology strives to turn the language class into a multi-skills class as well. Student/Course Outcomes: At the end of the semester, students should be able to: 1. Demonstrate basic understanding of Spanish-speaking cultures and people. 2. Listen and understand basic passages and conversations in Spanish related to chapter topics and vocabulary covered in class. 3. Read and understand basic passages in Spanish related to chapter topics and vocabulary. 4. Write basic passages in Spanish on the chapter topics and vocabulary covered in class. 5. Demonstrate the ability to communicate well in Spanish with native speakers and classmates on the topics covered in class. Course Requirements Class Participation: Students are expected to sign into the supersite regularly and check Moodle and Nicholls e-mail Late or Missing Assignments: Late Work: All work is due on the assigned day. Failure to turn in practice activities, Web SAM (Lab) activities, and quizzes on time will result in a zero, no exceptions. They may not be made up for any reason. I will drop the lowest grade, however, in each aforementioned category so use your drop grade wisely. Compositions are treated differently and may be turned in as a late grade. 10 points will be subtracted every day that the composition is turned in late. It is considered late after midnight on the night it is due. Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit in this course. Due Dates: All due dates are on the course calendar and on the student supersite Assignments: Grade Distribution: Online Practice activities 20% Grading Procedure and Scale
You will be assigned activities (between 37-40 each chapter) on the Viva supersite (www.vhlcentral.com) that will be due on specific dates throughout the semester. Only complete the activities with DUE DATES. It is your responsibility to keep up with when these activities are due. The lowest grade from this category will be dropped. No late work will be accepted, although you have the option to do these online activities before the due date. These practice activities will be an assortment of grammar/vocabulary practice, listening exercises, videoclips, culture readings, and even a pronunciation exercise (this is where you will need the microphone to record yourself). There is only one short pronunciation exercise per chapter. You will have two attempts to put in the correct answer to receive credit. When you have completed each set of chapter activities, it is your responsibility to go back and check to see if they were indeed submitted. If they were not for some reason, you will need to contact vhlcentral and settle the matter before the due date. You may think of these activities as the activities you would do/participate in during class time if this were a presencial course. Online Lab (WebSAM) activities --20% *completely separate from practice activities You will be assigned lab (WebSAM) activities (between 20-25 each chapter) on the Viva supersite (www.vhlcentral.com) that will be due throughout the semester. Only complete the activities with DUE DATES. It is your responsibility to keep up with when these activities are due. The lowest grade from this category will be dropped. No late work will be accepted, although you have the option to do these online activities before the due date. These activities consist of grammar/vocabulary practice and listening activities. You will have two attempts to put in the correct answer to receive credit. When you have completed each set of chapter activities, it is your responsibility to go back and check to see if they were indeed submitted. If they were not for some reason, you will need to contact vhlcentral and settle the matter before the due date. You may think of these activities as the activities you would do for homework to accompany/reinforce the practice activities. *Note: Grading Review Requests: As you complete your practice and websam activities, you will have the option to send me a grading review request. This would occur when you are absolutely positive that you have the correct answer and the vhl system is marking it wrong. Many times, it is a problem with an accent so be sure to double-check that this is not the problem before you click the grading review request button. Compositions (2) 15% You will be asked to write two compositions over the duration of this course. The first composition will be written midway through the course and will based on vocabulary and grammar covered in Chapters 1-3. The second composition will be written at the end of the course and will be based on Chapters 4-6. You will be given the composition topic 3 days before the due date. Be sure to go to your Sent Mail/Outbox after sending it to be sure it went through. 10 points will be deducted each day the composition is late. All compositions should be typed and e-mailed to me as an attachment in a Microsoft Word document (.doc) with your name, course, and section written in the top, left-hand corner of your paper. If it is not, it will not be accepted and you will receive an e-mail asking to follow directions. It will be accepted late for each day you do not follow instructions and
turn it in thereafter. It is your responsibility to check your Outbox/Sent mail to make sure it was sent to me. Please note that the use of online translators will result in a grade of zero and actions will be taken with the university as this is considered plagiarism. See the section on Academic Dishonesty above for more information. The point of the composition is to demonstrate your knowledge of what you have learned in this course. DO NOT use a dictionary to try to make the composition sound more advanced when you have hundreds of vocabulary words and grammar concepts from your textbook to use. USE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THE COURSE. I will also post a guide to using accents with Microsoft Word for Macs and PCs on Moodle. Composition grades will be posted two weeks (or perhaps earlier) after they are turned in. Quizzes (6) 35% After each chapter, you will be given a quiz located under the Assessments tab. These quizzes are summaries of the components of the chapter s grammatical contents and are treated as exams. You will have from 8am until 11:59pm to take the quiz on the day it is assigned. You must finish the exam and submit it BY 11:59pm to receive credit. If you turn it in even one minute late, it will not be accepted by the system and you will receive a 0. Do not leave the computer and later go back to it as your session will time out and you will not be allowed to make it up. The lowest grade from this category will be dropped. They may not be made up. Quiz grades will be posted a week and a half after they are turned in. FINAL EXAM-- Cumulative --10%: (taken online just like quizzes) **Important note: While you will not be counted off for punctuation, accent marks (á, é, í, ó, ú) must be used appropriately. The Viva system will not recognize your answer as the correct one without using these when applicable. There will always be a key on the right side of the page for easy access to their use. Grading Scale A = (100-90%) B = (89-80%) C = (79-70%) D = (69-60%) F = (50-0%) Academic Misconduct Academic Honesty Policy Academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely. All proven or suspected cases of cheating, plagiarism, purchased papers, borrowed papers, work copied from the Internet, and any other act deemed dishonest will be reported to the Academic Integrity Committee (AIC) of the college in which the course is offered for permanent record keeping and disciplinary action. It is especially important that students understand how to avoid plagiarism before enrolling in a course. The following resource is available for guidance in this manner. http://www.nicholls.edu/library/student-portal/#plagiarism
The following are CLEAR examples of cheating: the extensive use of online translating services, the extensive use of a dictionary (especially on compositions), corresponding with another student on any assignment/assessment, working with a tutor and/or native speaker on quizzes or compositions. If you are producing native-like work or advanced grammar structures and/or vocabulary on ANY assignment/assessment in this course (and are not a native or heritage speaker), you will receive a notification via e-mail to schedule a conversation with me in Spanish by phone. You may also be asked to meet with another professor on campus. Records of academic dishonesty will be maintained in the Office of Academic Affairs. If a student is recorded as a multiple offender (more than one listing in the data file) of the academic honesty policy, the student will be brought before the Academic Affairs Integrity committee for review as per Section 5.46 of the Code of Student Conduct. Multiple cheating offenses: Section Five of the Code of Student Conduct, Academic Dishonesty and Disruptive Behavior, includes a requirement that faculty file a charge complaint statement with their respective dean whenever a student is confronted or disciplined for cheating. The Office of Academic Affairs will maintain these records, and any student confronted and/or disciplined for multiple offenses of academic dishonesty will be brought before the Academic Affairs Integrity Committee for further review and potential sanctions. Please read the Code of Student Conduct for further details regarding this policy." Nicholls Online Honor Code By enrolling in an online course, I agree that I will: Complete all assignments, exams and other assessment activities with my own work and only my own work (unless otherwise permitted by instructor). I will not submit the work of any other person. Maintain only one user account and not allow anyone else to use my username and/or password. Not engage in any activity that would dishonestly improve my results, or improve or hurt the results of others. Not post answers to problems, assignments or exams that are being used to assess student performance. Follow all codes of student conduct as specified in the published Code of Student Conduct. http://www.nicholls.edu/documents/student_life/code_of_conduct.pdf Academic Grievances: The proper procedure for filing grade appeals or grievances related to academic matters is listed in Section 5 of the Code of Student Conduct and at the following link: http://www.nicholls.edu/documents/student_life/code_of_conduct.pdf. Civility Policy and Netiquette: Continued Learning Following an Extreme Emergency
Students are responsible for: reading regular emergency notifications on the NSU website; knowing how to use and access Moodle (or university designated electronic delivery system); being familiar with emergency guidelines; evacuating textbooks and other course materials; knowing their Moodle (or designated system) student login and password; contacting faculty regarding their intentions for completing the course. Faculty are responsible for: their development in the use of the Moodle (or designated) software; having a plan for continuing their courses using only Moodle and email; continuing their course in whatever way suits the completion of the course best, and being creative in the continuation of these courses. Student Support Services Technical Problems: If you are having problems with the technology involved in this course, you can either e-mail the instructor or itsupport@its.nicholls.edu Grievance: If you have an issue relating to the instructor or your fellow classmates, you can follow the procedures set up in the Code of Student Conduct. This document and the Student Academic Grievance Form are located at http://www.nicholls.edu/sja/ Library: The Library Home Page has a link to a specific webpage dedicated to distance education students. This webpage contains tutorials on accessing the library from home, finding and using electronic books, using the electronic research databases, emailing a reference librarian, and other useful information. The page also offers a direct contact with reference librarian through e- mail or telephone. http://www.nicholls.edu/library/distance.htm Counseling: Nicholls Counseling Center provides professional assistance for students dealing with a range of mental health, wellness, and adjustment issues through individual, couple, and group counseling; consultation; and various forms of outreach, you can go to the following website http://www.nicholls.edu/counseling/ Disability Services: Disability Services acts as a liaison between students and faculty to facilitate the provision of accommodations as per Americans with Disabilities Act. http://www.nicholls.edu/disability/ Career Services: Career Services offers placement assistance for students and alumni for temporary and permanent part-time and full-time employment and internships in addition to professional
coaching in resume writing, interviewing, and dressing for success. http://www.nicholls.edu/career/ and http://www.collegecentral.com/nicholls/. Tutoring: Questions concerning academic tutoring can be sent to: tutoring@nicholls.edu. This e-mail is usually staffed during normal business hours. Miscellaneous: Class Progress and Concerns about the class: If you feel that you are having trouble with the course material or any other part of this class, you should e-mail me immediately. This communication is essential. Many students contact me the day something is due or even afterwards. This is not acceptable. As you have about two weeks to complete practice and websam activities each chapter, please do not write me the day they are due and tell me you are ill. You have had two weeks to complete them so please anticipate that unexpected situations do arise and do not wait until the last minute. You will not be allowed to make-up anything medicalrelated that was scheduled in advance. Tentative Course Schedule Module Assignments Week 1 Familiarize yourself with Supersite Register at Vhlcentral.com; Purchase materials Week 2 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Practice and Chapter 1 Quiz Week 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Practice and Chapter 2 Quiz Week 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Practice and Chapter 3 Quiz Composition 1 Week 5 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Practice and Chapter 4 Quiz Composition 2 Week 6 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Practice and Chapter 5 Quiz Week 7 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Practice and Chapter 6 Quiz Week 8 Final Exam Complete final exam