Syllabus

Spanish 1130 is the first course of a four semester sequence which introduces the essential elements of Spanish structure, vocabulary and cultural aspects of the Hispanic countries. Attention is paid to the functional use of the structures presented in this on-line class. Spanish language knowledge and skills are developed through varied learning activities.The student will act as the main agent of her/his own learning with the instructor as the facilitator.

Please review the FIU's Policies webpage. The policies webpage contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU, as well as additional information about acceptable netiquette for online courses.

Policy on Heritage Learners

SPN 1130 is NOT designed for heritage learners or native speakers who already speak and/or understand Spanish. Heritage learners and/or native speakers should register for SPN 2340, SPN 2341 or a higher level according to their speaking and writing proficiency in academic Spanish. Please come by the Department of Modern Languages if you are not sure about the course you need to enroll in.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" webpage to find out more information on this subject.

This course utilizes Adobe Connect Pro and WileyPlus.

Please visit our Technical Requirements webpage for additional information.

Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for information about accessibility involving the tools used in this course.

Please visit Blackboard's Commitment Accessibility webpage for more information. 

For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center.

This is a fully online course, meaning that all course work, except the final exam, will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in fully online courses are the same as for traditional courses; in fact, fully online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

Fully online courses are not independent study courses. You will be expected to interact online with the professor and your fellow students; to do assignments; to meet deadlines; and to work in virtual groups. Students are also required to come to campus or to find a proctoring center to take the final exam.

It is expected that interactive learning and teaching will enrich the learning experience of all students, and that each student will work in partnership with the professor to create a positive learning experience for all. Student engagement is a necessary condition for an effective learning experience, and includes contributions to debate and discussion (if any), positive interactive learning with others, and an enthusiastic attitude towards inquiry. Everyone is expected to be a positive contributor to the class learning community, and students are expected to share the responsibility of teaching each other.

Students are expected to:

• Review the how to get started information located in the course content
• Take the practice quiz to ensure that your computer is compatible with Blackboard
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Review and follow the course calendar
• Log in to the course every day each week
• Respond to discussion boards, blogs and journal postings within 6 days
• Respond to messages within 1 day
• Submit assignments by the corresponding deadline

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Students can arrange up to 10 tutoring sessions (15-20 minutes each) per semester. Visit the Tutoring webpage for tutor schedules.

Labs are located at:

• MMC: SIPA 240 – (305) 348-5743
• BBC: AC II 214 – (305) 919-5872

Communication in this course will take place via Messages.

Messages is a private and secure text-based communication system which occurs within a course among its Course members. Users must log on to Blackboard to send, receive, or read messages. The Messages tool is located on the Course Menu, on the left side of the course webpage. It is recommended that students check their messages routinely to ensure up-to-date communication. 

Visit our Writing Resources webpage for more information on professional writing and technical communication skills.

There will be two partial exams administered through Blackboard. Partial Exam 1 covers chapters 1 and 2, Partial Exam 2 covers chapters 3 and 4. Each exam will cover the following topics from each chapter: 

• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Listening comprehension
• Culture

Exams are intended to help the students to review the material learned up to that point. The dates of the partial exams are stated on the syllabus. You will be able to take the partial exams only once, and since you have a week to take each exam no make-ups will be given, except in exceptional circumstances, in which case you must contact your instructor immediately. There will be no make-ups without a documented and valid reason. Exam feedback will be available after the exam's scheduled availability period.

Final Exam

The Final Exam for this fully-online section of SPN 1130 will be comprehensive and it will be administered ON-SITE at MMC. If a student cannot come on the final exam date, s/he should take the exam with Proctor U.

Proctor U is a virtual proctoring center recommended by FIU that allows students to take exams from any comfortable and private location. Please note that should a student need to take an assessment at a location other than their home or a private room, the student will need to gain prior approval from the professor. ProctorU connects students to a real person who can be seen and heard. This person will walk students through the exam process and provide assistance in the event that the student should run into any technical problems.

Review the Preparing for Your Exam and the Getting Started pages for information on how to successfully register with ProctorU.

Students who choose ProctorU will be responsible for:

• An additional fee associated with every exam (Note: Exams over two hours will be allocated an extra charge unless the student has other accommodation requests from the Disability Resource Center.)
• Complying with the ProctorU requirements, including but not limited to a functioning web cam.

The second option for students who live outside South Florida is to find a proctoring center via the National College Testing Association where a proctor can administer the Final Exam during the last week of the semester.

The ProctorU option is highly recommended.

Students must notify their professor if they will take the final exam with ProctorU or at a proctoring center. Please review the Student Proctored Exam Instructions page for complete instructions, proctor agreement form, and additional information.

The final exam will cover the following topics:

• Listening comprehension
• Reading
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Writing

Students are requested to write one (1) composition about one of the topics provided. Failure to write this composition may indicate to the instructor that the compositions and/or the postings for the discussion boards written by the student throughout the semester were not his or her own. This could significantly affect the student’s final grade. Students will also need to answer some personal questions in complete sentences.

Students need to be aware that the final exam will not be open book.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

Students will need to complete the Work Manual, Lab Manual, and Videos activities for each chapter in WileyPLUS. In addition, you will be required to write a total of 2 compositions during the semester. Both compositions must be AT LEAST 100 WORDS LONG and written IN SPANISH. Lists of words, songs, dialogs, and copies of other texts are not acceptable compositions. Copying sections of another classmate's composition will result in a grade of zero for that composition. Please note that if your instructor suspects that you have used the aid of a translator or of another person to write your composition, you will receive a zero.

Students have two days after the composition deadline to submit compositions. Late compositions will receive a 20% deduction. After 2 days, no compositions will be accepted. You can see the composition topic and the submission instructions by clicking Assignment Dropbox in Blackboard's course menu.

Compositions will be evaluated using the grading criteria below:

• 9-10 points
  • Addresses the topic assigned.
  • Uses a wide variety of the vocabulary covered in the lessons.
  • Control of grammar is what would be considered typical for this level.
• 7-8 points
  • Addresses the topic assigned.
  • Uses a wide variety of the vocabulary covered in the lessons.
  • Control of grammar is somewhat less than what would be considered typical for this level.
• 5-6 points
  • Addresses the topic assigned.
  • Uses some variety of the vocabulary covered in the lessons.
  • Control of grammar is considerably less than what would be typical for this level.
• 3-4 points
  • Addresses the topic assigned.
  • Uses only minimal variety of the vocabulary covered in the lessons.
  • Control of grammar is significantly below what would be considered typical for this level.
• 0 points
  • Does not address the topic.
  • Uses a translator or the aid of another person to write the composition.
  • Lists words, sentences, songs or copies other texts.

Adobe Connect is an online meeting room where you can interact with your professor and fellow students by sharing screens, sharing files, chatting, broadcasting live audio, and taking part in other interactive online activities. Students will have the opportunity to orally interact with an online assistant via Adobe Connect.

This communicative activity will be done for each chapter except for the chapter Preliminar. Each oral session will last 45 minutes and students will need to participate once per chapter (5 oral meetings total). Participation is mandatory. Students will receive 10 points per each oral meeting if they do not arrive late to the oral meeting, come prepared, and engage actively in the activities conducted by the instructor.

Requirements for using Adobe Connect:

• Disable any window pop-up blocker.
• Adobe Flash Player is required to successfully run your Adobe Connect meeting. You can test your computer to make sure your computer and network connections are properly configured to provide you with the best possible Adobe Connect meeting experience.
• Use of a combination headset and microphone with USB connection is recommended to ensure quality sound and reduce technical difficulties.
  
  Reference Adobe Connect (Tutorials & Help) to learn about the tool, how to access your meeting rooms and recordings.

Interaction among students will be achieved through the Discussion Board (DBs) on a given topic per lesson. You can find the topics for each of the five discussion boards under Group Discussion Board. Students will be divided into groups for each discussion board and are required to read and reply to the comments of the other group members about the topic. You do not need to wait for the other members of your group to comment in order to post your entry about the chapter topic. You can start writing your comments once you see your group link. Groups will be created once the add/drop period ends on the second week of class. The instructor will notify students once the groups are available. Each discussion board will close at 11:55 PM on the ending date of its corresponding lesson as indicated in the course calendar. All postings must be in Spanish.

Discussion Board grades will be assigned based on several factors: the number of postings per student per topic, as well as how interesting, appropriate and relevant the comment is. Grammar accuracy will not be as important in terms of participation grade as long as posting is understandable. Students who post more entries will receive a better grade. Entries such as "Sí", "No", "Yo también" or "Estoy de acuerdo" are not acceptable and will count as not having posted anything. Postings do not necessarily need to be extremely long (5-6 lines would be acceptable) as long as the comment made is relevant, appropriate, and interesting. Two entries of about 5-6 full sentences each should be a good guideline to go by as you post your entries in the discussion boards throughout the semester.

Keep in mind that board discussions are public, and care should be taken when determining what to post.