Pellissippi State Community College

Academic Audit

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

January 29, 2015

Compiled by

Marilyn Palatinus, Associate Professor, Spanish (Team Leader)

Wendy Bennett-Turner, , Associate Professor, Spanish

Joan Easterly, Professor, French

Ana Hansen, Associate Professor, Spanish

Terry Hansen, Associate Professor, Spanish

Donald Mueller, Assistant Professor, Spanish

Maria Rivero, Assistant Professor, Spanish

Maria Sills, Assistant Professor, Spanish

Edited by

Jane Stribling, Associate Professor, Spanish/French

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Introduction

The Foreign Language program at PSCC began when State Technical Institute of Knoxville changed its name

and mission to become Pellissippi State Technical Community College. During the first two years of the

College, the foreign languages were taught by adjuncts, but in 1990 both French and Spanish instructors were

hired in tenure track positions. As the student population changed from students seeking purely technical

training to students needing university parallel courses, the foreign language program flourished.

The Foreign language program offers four classes each of Spanish, French, German and Chinese: Beginning

I and Beginning II, and Intermediate I and Intermediate II. The intermediate levels 2010 and 2020 are

required for students preparing for an Associate of Arts degree from PSCC or to satisfy the intermediate

foreign language requirement for students who ultimately transfer to a four year institution. French, German,

Chinese and American Sign Language are offered only in the conventional format at the Hardin Valley

Campus.

Spanish is by far the most popular language and classes are offered in traditional day/evening, TWAV (two

way audio visual), fast-track five week, dual enrollment, and online formats. The campuses at Blount

County, Division Street and Hardin Valley offer all traditional formats of all levels of Spanish. Beginning I

and II Spanish classes are offered at the other campuses and students can complete degree requirements by

taking TWAV classes at these site campuses when traditional classes are not available.

The Foreign Language program offers six courses in the Spanish language. Spanish 1000 was designed at the

request of a Knoxville financial institution that wanted a course to teach the employees enough Spanish to

deal effectively with Spanish speaking customers. The department was prepared to offer the course and the

bank offered reimbursement of the tuition for participants who earned at least a grade of C, but in the end

only four students matriculated and it was deemed impractical to offer a course with such a low enrollment.

Over the years we have been asked to offer courses for law enforcement and medical personnel, but the

enrollment figures were always too low. At the moment, we are in discussions with the nursing program to

offer a course targeted at medical personnel. Courses targeted at the functional use of language in specific

contexts, such as police, day-care and medicine, are a possible growth area.

Spanish 2510 is a fifth semester conversation course. This course is offered in spring semesters, but does not

always make, as many students graduate or transfer before they are eligible to take this course. There are,

however, conversation courses the PSCC students may take in the TBR/TNCIS Study abroad program. The

students give high praise on the surveys for the opportunity to put the classroom knowledge gained in these

classes to work in the service learning component of these international classes.

The demographics of the students in language classes are reflective of the general college population.

Caucasians account for approximately 90% of the student body, African-Americans 7% and others 3%. The

average age of a Pellissippi State student is 26 and most of the students are between the ages of 18 and 30, but

it is not unusual to find a dual enrollment student or homeschooled student as young as 13 or a retired senior

citizen over 70 years of age honing language skills to do missionary work in Haiti or Latin America. The

difference in ages is sometimes challenging as the textbooks and digital technology tend to favor the young.

The Spanish language faculty has been very successful in promoting its program. During the spring of 2014

there were 58 sections with a total enrollment of 933 students including the four RODP classes on the

registration screen. The summer classes had 53 sections (804 enrolled students) and in the fall of 2014 there

were 54 sections (949 enrolled students).There were 2684 students enrolled in Spanish classes during the

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2014 calendar year. French had 121 enrollees in spring and 92 in fall. German had 24 in spring and 52 in fall

and Chinese had 17 and 19 respectively. The program has been lucky to be able to hire adjunct faculty from a

viable doctoral program at UT-K, but the summer program presents some difficulties as both institutions offer

classes every day. During the regular academic year, UT-K offers the beginning and intermediate class

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the adjuncts are available to teach at Pellissippi State on Tuesdays,

Thursdays and evenings.

In addition to teaching and advising students, the PSCC Foreign Language faculty is involved in many extra-

curricular and co-curricular activities that offer students specific opportunities to use the foreign language

and/or interact with people from other cultures. The specifics of these culture laced events are described in

detail in other sections. The very collegial Pellissippi State faculty works very hard to make the foreign

language program rich academic experiences that will help the students succeed in achieving their educational

goals.

One senior French faculty, one senior Spanish faculty and one Spanish professor emeritus have been

recipients of the annual Jacqueline Elliott Memorial Award – a statewide honor conferred by the Tennessee

Foreign Language Teaching Association. Our senior Spanish faculty member was awarded this statewide

honor in 2014. A French Adjunct faculty member also received the “Teacher of the Year Award” for

exemplary teaching from the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association in 2007 while she earned

honors as PSCC’s Most Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member in 2014.

Overall performance

To ever improve success rates, the Foreign Language Faculty is enthusiastic to take part in the academic audit

of the program. To that end, in the fall of 2014 at a meeting called by the dean of Liberal Arts, the foreign

language faculty met with the history, sociology, and philosophy faculty who had completed an academic

audit during the 2013-2014 cycle and graciously explained their experience with this audit. This initial

meeting was followed the next day by a gathering of the language faculty during the in-service lunch break.

The academic audit was fully discussed and faculty suggested that the audit sections be divided up. The

examination of goals and outcomes was first on the agenda and it was agreed that several faculty would

examine these parameters by updating and modifying them and subsequently sending them to all language

faculty for further suggestions and comments. When the faculty had an opportunity to examine the goals and

objectives and reach a consensus, the master syllabi were revised and the lead teacher of each course was

tasked to update the master syllabi. The focal areas were discussed further when the faculty was together at

the annual Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association (TFLTA) meeting in Nashville in November.

After the focal area analysis was completed all faculty were asked to formulate improvement initiatives.

Everybody suggested at least one initiative and five of the most comprehensive and promising proposals have

been presented in the matrix.

The foreign language program at Pellissippi State fulfills an important course requirement for students

wanting an Associate of Arts degree from the community college and ultimately a Bachelor’s degree from a

four-year institution. The PSCC faculty is committed to offering a four-semester sequence of Chinese,

French, German and Spanish that will not only fulfill the language requirement but prepare students to major

in one of these languages if they should choose to do so. Even if language specialization is not the ultimate

goal of the students, the language courses provide basic and intermediate levels of language education as well

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as a global perspective to students, most of whom have had little experience outside the state of Tennessee. In

addition, the foreign language faculty try to promote appreciation and understanding of different cultural

mores by providing awareness of events at the institution as well events in the community that promote

cultural edification.

The Tennessee Consortium for International studies, housed at Pellissippi State, offers students from all TBR

institutions opportunities to study abroad. The French program, located in Paris, offers not only the French

language and other courses, but also all of the cultural advantages available in the capitol of France. The

Spanish program is housed in Segovia, Spain and offers language classes, home stays and service learning

experiences. The Spanish language classes are also offered in Peru where students visit Machu Picchu, one of

the most unique and mysterious archeological sites of the western hemisphere. The students studying in these

programs from all TBR institutions lavishly praise the quality of instruction and the educational value of

these experiences. Last year one of the students lived with a family where the “father” of the family was

director of the famous castle in Segovia. This student was doing a service learning project at the castle. King

Juan Carlos came to visit the castle and this PSCC student was invited to have lunch with the king.

The faculty in the French, Spanish and German programs all have doctorates or master’s degrees and all meet

the SACSCOC criteria for teaching at the community college level. Four of the Spanish faculty are native

speakers of the language and as such are a great source of cultural information. The other Spanish faculty

have either lived or studied in a Spanish speaking country for an extensive period of time. The French faculty

member has studied and traveled to France many times. We have among us one polyglot who has studied in

and traveled extensively to both France and Spain. She is an excellent professor and is certified to teach both

French and Spanish. Such a treasure is hard to find.

The faculty is evaluated each year through use of a self- evaluation instrument. Each faculty member

evaluates his or her performance for accomplishments in the past year, assessing the achievements and setting

goals to accomplish in the next year. This instrument considers curriculum and program development,

classroom and course management, application of new techniques and professional development. These

evaluations are reviewed by the dean of Liberal Arts and the vice president of Academic Affairs and the

material makes up a part of the promotion and tenure system. All full- and part-time faculty are observed by

either the dean, the program coordinator or a peer and the results of the evaluation are discussed with the

faculty member. There is also a student perception survey that evaluates the faculty from a student’s

perspective.

The language faculty are very active in the area of college and community service. They serve on the

Common Book Committee, the Sustainability Committee, and the Green Office Challenge subcommittee.

Several faculty have given presentations at the annual college in-service event, two faculty sing in the choir

and they volunteer at study abroad information fairs and voter registration events. The faculty also support

and attend lectures given as part of the PSCC Faculty Lecture Series, attend concerts directed by our liberal

arts colleagues and art exhibits sponsored by our art faculty. In addition, our senior French faculty member

presented a lecture in the Faculty Lecture Series.

The faculty is always willing to share materials. If a faculty member is teaching a class for the first time and

needs materials, faculty are always willing to share their exams and handouts. Even if a request is not made,

faculty often leave handouts or samples of successful activities that they have used in class in mailboxes or

send a sample of their ideas in an e-mail.

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The faculty hold office hours every day for students needing help, and most of the faculty also volunteer at

the learning center and/or conduct the weekly PSCC Language Conversation Tables. As part of a college

wide effort to increase student engagement, the College has instituted a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).

This plan is designed to engage students. Some of the faculty have participated in QEP for three semesters,

but all of the faculty have agreed to do at least one activity this semester.

This initiative has seemed to improve success rates in foreign languages. Since the 1990’s, the success rate

for most foreign language courses has been between 45% and 55%, but in the spring of 2014 the success rate

for FREN 1010 was 54.17%, for FREN 1020 was 50%, for FREN 2010 was 64%, for FREN 2020 was

71.43%. The success rate for GERM 1020 was 80% and for 2020 was 66.67%. The rate for SPAN 1010

conventional format was 69.66%, for Span 1020 was 71.19%, for Span 2010 Conventional was 85.80%, for

SPAN 2010 web was 54.46%, for SPAN 2020 conventional was 94.07%, for SPAN 2020 TWAV was 100%,

for SPAN 2020 WEB was 75%. (Appendices A and B) In the spring semester with the inception of the QEP,

there were no classes below the 50% success rate and in the fall semester there was only one class below the

50% success rate. It is interesting to note that the highest success rates are for the fourth semester classes.

This high success rate may result from students becoming more engaged in the learning of the language in the

fourth semester and heading to an institution of higher learning to major in that language, or perhaps they

have put forth more effort in their final semester realizing that succeeding in this semester will complete their

language requirement.

To keep current with best practices in language teaching as well as the latest developments in pedagogy, the

faculty attends the annual convention of the TFLTA, and if proximity and money permit they also attend the

ACTFL National Convention. One of our senior Spanish faculty attended the ACTFL National Convention

in 2014. These conventions allow us to hear nationally recognized experts in our field as well as affording us

the opportunity to discuss educational matters with colleagues from similar institutions. Many of the textbook

companies are now supporting free webinars that focus on current best practices in foreign language teaching.

In addition to this, the publishers send technical gurus to visit the campus to aid the faculty in setting up the

digital components for each semester’s classes. Most faculty appreciate this attention to such details and the

book venders always inform the faculty of the latest technical bells and whistles available with the adoption

of their newest textbook.

To conclude, it is difficult to quantify the outcomes of a foreign language course as there are so many

variables in determining satisfactory learning levels. In the foreign language program at Pellissippi State our

students are only at the beginning or intermediate stages of language acquisition. The American Council on

the Teaching of Foreign Languages has exams for determining proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and

speaking, but each of these must be administered separately and each student may excel in one of the four

areas. After much research and discussions the foreign language faculty believe that most of our students

finish our fourth semester series of courses with an intermediate reading, writing, and listening proficiency

and an Intermediate-mid speaking ability as defined by the ACTFL guidelines:

Able to handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated, basic and communicative tasks and

social situations. Can talk simply about self and family members. Can ask and answer

questions and participate in simple conversations on topics beyond the most immediate needs,

e.g. personal history and leisure time activities. Utterance length increases slightly, but may be

characterized by long pauses, since the smooth incorporation of even basic conversational

strategies is often hindered as the speaker struggles to create appropriate language forms.

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Pronunciation may continue to be strongly influenced by first language and fluency may be

strained. Although misunderstandings still arise, the Intermediate-mid speaker can generally be

understood by sympathetic interlocutors. (American Council of the Teaching of Foreign

language)

Focal Point 1: Learning Objectives

The Pellissippi State foreign language faculty have meticulously defined course goals and objectives for each

course taught in the program. This was accomplished by convening program meetings, facilitating lunch

room discussions, arranging publisher presentations, examining textbook content, consulting ACTFL

proficiency guidelines and having candid conversations with colleagues from similar institutions. Once the

goals and objectives were agreed upon, they were incorporated into the master syllabi for the spring of 2015,

available on the college website (http://www.pstcc.edu/curriculum/master-

syllabi/1415/span/index.php#.VMU0NyyTLCs). Understanding and communicating the course goals and

objectives is so important that a full-time faculty member is assigned to provide other faculty and adjuncts

with a day-to-day syllabus including the goals and outcomes for the various schedule formats the course is

presented in. For most of the Spanish classes, we have three formats: three days a week, two days a week,

and a once a week. There are also five-week fast track courses and online classes for both Spanish 2010 and

2020. We once offered Spanish 1010 and 1020 online, but the success rate was so low that these online

offerings were discontinued. There is usually only one section of each of the two beginning and two

intermediate French, German and Chinese classes. The syllabi for all courses are on the Master Syllabi WEB

page and are offered in Word format on the web to both adjuncts and full-time faculty. While all instructors

are permitted to personalize the syllabi for their individual class sections, they are expected to include the

goals and outcomes on the syllabus and to communicate these course goals and learning outcomes to all

students the first day of class.

In support of our objectives and outcomes, there are many programs or activities outside of the classroom that

support and encourage student learning. On campus, there are conversation tables for both Spanish and

French, the TNCIS study abroad programs, the International Film Festival, the Festival of Cultures, and the

Celebration of Hispanic Heritage. In the community there is the Hola Festival, folklore presentations within

the community and at the University of Tennessee. The faculty also calls attention to events and movies of

global cultural interest such as the Chinese New Year celebration, the Kwanza festival, the faculty lecture

series and other events that might enhance the student’s educational experience. Students in the intermediate

classes are often given assignments to be written in the target language about these academic or community

events. All of these activities help contribute to learning outcomes in the foreign language programs. To

further support the goals and learning objectives of the language programs, four of the five campuses offer

free tutoring services for Spanish at the Academic Support Centers. Since French, German and Chinese are

only offered at the Hardin Valley campus, this arrangement is considered appropriate.

The Foreign Language Faculty use a variety of assessment instruments to evaluate the extent to which our

goals and outcomes have been achieved. These include quizzes, exams, oral presentations, compositions,

journals, poster presentations, service learning evaluations, individual oral exams and various national exams.

The Quality Enhancement Program has offered the faculty the opportunity to engage students in special

activities targeted at the improvement of teaching and learning (See sample QEP activity report in Appendix

E). Most of the full-time faculty and adjuncts have participated in QEP activities at least once in the last three

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semesters. Most activities have received laudatory comments from both the faculty and students and the

foreign language faculty will continue to participate in the Quality Enhancement Program as part of the

SACSCOC initiative.

The foreign language faculty plan to examine the goals and outcomes every fall and each time a new edition

of our present textbook comes up for review. We will continue to keep informed about best practices in

language acquisition by having conversations with colleagues at other TBR institutions, attending important

conferences, subscribing to professional journals, and discussing over lunch or the internet our successes and

frustrations of providing a quality foreign language education for Pellissippi State students.

Focal Point 2: Curriculum and Co-curriculum

As faculty, we work together to determine what is taught, in what order the material is taught and from what

perspective. When designing a coherent curriculum for foreign language courses, meeting the educational

needs of Pellissippi State students is our overriding consideration. Our program’s goals are to help the

students gain the cultural knowledge and develop the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills necessary

to communicate effectively in the target language. As they acquire these skills, they will be prepared “as

citizens and educated members of their communities.” (TBR General Education Goal II) The learning

objectives of each course are aligned with the overall goals so that the students may develop these skills

systematically and at a reasonable pace as they progress through the program.

There are a variety of teaching methodologies with respect to how to best teach a foreign language. After

having studied and experimented with these various approaches, we have decided on a modified

communicative approach which uses the target language with English support as necessary, especially to

introduce grammar structures. We feel this approach best fits the present and future needs of our students,

maximizing short-term student success and establishing a solid foundation for those who wish to continue

their education beyond the scope of our elementary and intermediate classes. It is important to us that the

skills that students need to learn be presented in a logical and appropriate order to ensure that our students

have the best possible opportunity to succeed in learning the material.

Foreign Language Faculty (full-time and adjunct) are invited to participate in the curriculum design and

textbook selection process. We meet regularly to discuss the curriculum, talk about the strengths and

weaknesses of the materials, and explore possible alternatives and/or improvements that can be made. We

decide on a master syllabus for each course but allow each instructor the flexibility to customize the syllabus

to fit his/her teaching strengths. We also communicate with the University of Tennessee and other regional

institutions our students might transfer to, in order to avoid creating too great a gap between our program’s

outcomes and others’ expectations.

The core resource materials for each foreign language course come from a common textbook chosen, as

previously mentioned, with input from both full- and part-time faculty. We actively search out materials and

textbooks that fit our modified, communicative approach. Several of our faculty members have been asked to

contribute in the creation, evaluation and improvement of textbooks and we have thereby directly influenced

and affected the materials that publishers supply to our students. Where omissions are still evident, our

instructors fill in the gaps with materials created by us specifically for those omissions.

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Conscious consideration is given to how each course fits within the framework of the language series. Some

overlap between first- and second-year content is expected and necessary, as language acquisition is a

recursive process, and reintroduction of old material is beneficial; we do, however, introduce new

grammatical concepts combined with familiar vocabulary, and review essential grammar in the context of

new vocabulary.

Using a shared book promotes both horizontal and vertical coherence in the curriculum, which helps students

receive, regardless of their instructor, a consistent set of foundational vocabulary and grammar “tools” at the

introductory levels and lets instructors at the intermediate levels be aware of what prior knowledge and skills

they can reasonably expect students to have. Publishers of the individual textbooks often provide ancillary

materials and other electronic and print resources, and they frequently offer in-person and online training to

keep faculty up-to-date on what these resources are and how to effectively use them. Publishers have also

been very responsive to suggestions and requests of faculty and to providing customized textbooks geared to

meeting the specific needs of Pellissippi State students.

The publishers provide much more material than can be covered in class, so although faculty are required to

use a common textbook, they are given a great deal of latitude in choosing which activities are most

beneficial to their students and most consistent with their own teaching style. Additionally, each member of

our department brings a wealth of personal and professional experience that s/he can draw upon to enrich

students’ knowledge and motivate them to continue their learning beyond the classroom. Both the Pellissippi

State culture and our own foreign language group dynamic encourage us to create and try new activities, test

the validity of our teaching through the QEP program, and share ideas and activities with each other, thereby

continuing our own learning.

A core value of language learning is interaction and involvement with that language’s community of

speakers. Pellissippi State is privileged to host and support a wide variety of opportunities for students to

meet with members of different language communities and learn about other cultures’ products, practices, and

perspectives (ACTFL standards). These interactions, both local and international, serve to connect our

students to the broader world, to provide them with perspective on their own culture, and to invite them to

reflect upon their role(s) in their own community.

Some of the activities that complement our curriculum (and de facto constitute our co-curriculum) include the

following:

Full-time and adjunct faculty regularly dedicate time to Spanish and French Conversation Tables at two

campuses. These low-pressure encounters give students the opportunity to develop their language skills

and advance their cultural awareness outside the classroom by interacting with other students and

faculty—often native speakers—in the target language in a relaxed setting.

TnCIS programs—Many Pellissippi State foreign language faculty participate in study abroad programs

of the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS), actively recruiting and working with

students who may never have had the chance to experience another culture first-hand. In the Spanish

program in Spain, for example, students become “members” of their host families, spending meal times

with them and participating in family parties and cultural celebrations. Studying abroad has been

identified as a “High-Impact Educational Practice” by the Association of American Colleges and

Universities, and our students have described their time abroad as “life-changing.” TnCIS programs also

motivate our faculty, and participating in the TnCIS trainings and conferences provides additional

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opportunities to share ideas with faculty from other Tennessee schools, in a wide variety of disciplines.

As one of our professors expressed, “International education is part of our mission as foreign language

teachers.”

Service-Learning, another high-impact educational practice, is being incorporated into some foreign

language classes. As students reflected on their time working with low-income Spanish-speaking

children, youth, and adults at Knoxville elementary schools and a Hispanic Center, they wrote comments

like “[the experience] opened my eyes to the difference knowing a second language would make”; “The

children and their circumstances inspire me…”; and “I feel like I was given more by those kids than I

gave in volunteering.” Similar sentiments might be expressed by students involved in service-learning in

the TnCIS program in Spain, where one of our senior professors has been able to make arrangements with

more than 40 organizations in Segovia, allowing many students to have “customized” experiences,

working with others in the student’s proposed career field.

Faculty support student participation in the annual Pellissippi State International Film Festival (in

conjunction with International Education Week) and are often involved in recommending films to be

screened and discussed. Some of our faculty have provided the introduction to various films being

screened.

Faculty members encourage student participation in a variety of campus-based and community events,

such as Pellissippi State’s monthly “multicultural mixer,” Knoxville’s annual HOLA Festival (sponsored

by a local Latino non-profit organization), Pellissippi State’s annual Festival of Cultures, events our

colleagues at the University of Tennessee make us aware of, campus activities associated with Hispanic

Heritage Month, and special events, such as the art exhibit “Máscaras de Michoacán,” a performance by

the Mexican Folkloric Dance group, and the play Tres vidas (Three Lives), which tells the stories of three

Hispanic women. Students often report to their professor or to the class about their participation in these

activities.

In addition to these activities, many faculty members dedicate office or campus hours to working at tutoring

centers on the various campuses. This practice gives students seeking help or practice a chance to meet other

professors.

We attend the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association conference each year and there we have

the opportunity to talk with colleagues from across the state to find out what they do and what is effective.

Our faculty are open to comments and observations from students about what they find to be effective. We

often have representatives from the publishers come and suggest ways to enhance our courses. As technology

advances, so too do the resources that become available to us to improve the curriculum. Recently, voice

boards were added to the publisher’s website. This feature enables us to expand the experience that students

have while working on assignments outside of class time. Some faculty have participated in online training or

faculty development sessions involving faculty from around the United States. Using tablets and smart phone

technology offers other opportunities to expand our curriculum, and some of our faculty are experimenting

with ways to take advantage of these new resources. We have also received copies of curricula from the

University of Tennessee and are aware of their course content and practices, as many of our full-time and

adjunct faculty have worked or are currently working at UT-K on dual contracts. We have been invited to

publishers’ trainings with the language department at UT, and we work to maintain productive and friendly

ties through open communication with our colleagues there.

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We strive to clearly communicate the curricular and co-curricular requirements to the students. The course

syllabus outlines the requirements and each instructor goes through the expectations that s/he has of the

students as well as the expectations the students can have of the instructor. We do our best to get our students

to invest in our courses, emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness and the ability to communicate

with others from different backgrounds in an ever more global world.

As stated earlier, we meet regularly—normally at the beginning of each semester since we are spread out over

multiple campuses—to discuss curriculum and whether changes should be made. We also communicate via

email when concerns arise and a meeting is impractical.

Focal Point 3: Teaching and Learning

Structured under the umbrella of the National Standards of Foreign Language Learning and TBR guidelines,

our foreign language department teaching methods and student language learning process addresses

Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

We teach grammar structures, oral comprehension, vocabulary, pronunciation, and culture, with the ultimate

goal of Communication. We want our students to start using all aspects of the language learned in class and

outside of class to express themselves and to ask for information. Students begin by understanding single

written sentences and then progress to readings on a given topic. Also they do a laboratory online to practice

comprehension of the spoken language as an important component in responding appropriately in

conversation.

Conversation groups outside of class are offered to provide students with an opportunity to use the target

language. These groups are offered one to five days a week, depending upon the campus, and at different

times to accommodate different schedules. They are led by full-time instructors, adjuncts or native Spanish or

French tutors. The setting is a small room where they sit around a table and answer questions or express

ideas on a given topic or grammar skill. It is a “safe environment” where students can take their time speaking

and answering questions without pressure and where they feel at ease when making mistakes. They know that

there is always someone present to assist them if needed. The main purpose of the conversation groups is to

encourage students to gradually lose the fear of speaking and to become more confident as they make

practical applications for the material they are learning in the classroom.

Other learning strategies and activities have been implemented for Spanish 2020. At the end of the semester,

the students prepare themselves for a skit or a video, based upon the vocabulary and grammar structures in

Lessons 4, 5 and 6 covered in the textbook, Facetas. These special projects presented at the end of the

semester have shown that the learning engagement, performance and assessment are reached. Tutoring and

guidance are given to the students at the Academic support Center to help with pronunciation, writing and

organization of the project. The result of this activity is discussed with the groups individually.

As part of the SACSCOC accreditation process and the implementation of the Quality Enhancement Plan, the

Spanish faculty have created activities to improve the Spanish students’ Learning Acquisition and Outcomes,

based on speaking, writing, and grammar and verb conjugation. At the end of the semester the students’

outcomes will be discussed and the activity presented for QEP will be reinforced for future use. The Spanish

QEP Activity meets the general objectives for each level (first year- second year) of Spanish.

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Since 2013, the office of Academic Affairs at PSCC has encouraged the implementation of mobile devices in

the classroom. The idea of this new teaching strategy is to introduce the use of electronic devices, smart

phones, iPhones, tablets and i-Pads in the classroom and to engage the students in the different activities

designed for the class. The implementation of the digital technology in the classroom has been used to

enhance and improve writing, vocabulary, reading and grammar. In one case, a pilot study was conducted for

Spanish 2010; the results showed an improvement in the students’ outcomes and an absolute student

engagement in the activities designed (results in available notebook). The students’ performance was

assessed through quizzes, chapter exams and special applications activities, i.e. recording, reading, verb

conjugation and storytelling.

During the fall semester 2014, a continuation of the QEP/Mobilization activity has been implemented. This

time there will be a control group and a study group. At the end of the semester, the results obtained from the

assessment will be submitted to the vice president’s office for revision as part of the Mobilization Fellows

Report. One of the goals of the Mobilization Team is to have more Spanish faculty engaged and trained in the

use of the digital technology to help the digital generation students with their Spanish learning acquisition in a

more engaging and diverse way. The results are scheduled to be available the following semester for

comparison.

The study of Culture/culture is encouraged from the beginning, as an important component of language

learning. Students start with a basic knowledge of the Spanish speaking countries and capitols, and then

gradually continue to learn about daily life, celebrations, customs, literature, poems, and art. The students

gain understanding of the way native speakers experience life, what is appropriate or not, and what is valued

in their culture. Many times students express how they like the way native Spanish speakers do things

differently than their own culture, such as family life and traditions. Other times they can’t understand why

Spanish speakers do certain things, for example, bullfights. But as students make comparisons with their own

culture and way of living, they are encouraged to show respect for the target language’s culture despite any

differences.

The TBR/TnCIS Study Abroad Program in Segovia, Spain has been designed to fulfill not only the academic

goals of the students participating in the program but to engage them in the culture of the visited country. The

students live with native families in Spain, sharing their experiences and immersing themselves into the

culture through excursions, visiting historic sites and museums. This opportunity expands the students’

perception of the world, encouraging the learners to become engaged in local communicative activities and

practices and to acquire skills to be globally and cross-culturally competent (language, history and art). The

Spanish courses offered in this TBR/TNCIS program are SPANISH 1020, 2010, 2020 and Conversation.

All the students in the Spanish Conversation course in Spain are required to participate in a service learning

activity as part of the course, based upon availability. Students in all other Spanish language courses also

have the opportunity to participate in service learning activities. Service learning activities consist of working

with immigrants that lack the necessary language skills to live and work in Spain, teaching English to young

children or college students that are studying English or helping people with special needs.

As students learn the language, the culture and the countries where the language is spoken, they also make

connections with other subjects such as history, geography, sociology, literature, art, and music. They learn

the history of countries like Spain with its monarchy, Latin American countries and their different

governments, women presidents, aspects of the heritage the Spanish brought in the conquest, and so on. They

gain understanding of the strategic geographical location of Spanish speaking countries in the world, and their

11

capitols, riches, goods, exports etc. They discuss customs and behaviors appropriate in the target culture,

social classes, Indians, peasants in the countryside, cities versus small towns. They do this especially through

videos and movies. They read short literary selections and poems and gain understanding of their meaning.

They discuss famous paintings illustrated in their books and can see the real ones when they visit the Prado

Museum during Study Abroad. They listen to Latin American music with its different genres of pop,

traditional, Andean music etc., and express opinions about it.

Comparisons of the Spanish language structures and the English counterparts are encouraged even from the

beginning courses. Most of them serve as background information for the students to build upon their new

language learning. For example students know what adjectives are in English and how they are used. When

we teach adjectives in Spanish we make comparisons with English on how they describe nouns. Then we

have students discover the differences in the use of adjectives in the two languages, differences such as the

placement of the adjectives in the sentence, as well as the need for gender and number agreement with the

noun in Spanish. When these comparisons are made based upon what the students already know, they can

solidify and expand their knowledge of the new language. The same type of comparisons are incorporated

into teaching culture by asking the students to find similarities and differences as they do activities related to

culture such as watching a video, discussing a painting, reading a book about holidays, and so on. This is

especially a reality for the students who study abroad. They are immersed in the culture of Segovia, Spain, a

medieval town rich in history, or Cuzco, Peru, a town surrounded by the relics of the Incan Empire. In the

first case, students live with families and experience first-hand the daily life of Spanish families. They are

constantly making comparisons and expressing differences with their culture as they discuss it in class or

write in their diaries.

Communities are the last “C” of the Foreign Language National Standards. Students in Spanish classes are

encouraged to use the language beyond the classroom, in the community in which they live. Many share

experiences when they have had to use the Spanish learned in class to communicate with native speakers at a

Mexican restaurant, to help someone at the store or to communicate with someone at their work place. There

is a sense of pride in the students as they discover the power of knowing Spanish and its practical use among

the growing Hispanic community. Students also are encouraged to study abroad beyond their community, to

experience the language and the culture and to use their Spanish as much as possible according to their

individual level. In Spain they use Spanish to communicate with their families, to shop or to find information.

Service Learning is another avenue used to engage students in using Spanish in live situations and in making

connections with the growing Hispanic community around them. On a volunteer basis, students serve 10 to

15 hours a semester in either the Hispanic Center of East Tennessee or one of two elementary schools that

have a large population of Spanish speaking children. Students are required to go each week during the whole

semester in order to have greater impact. They help adults at the Hispanic Center with ESL, the GED, or

forms for employment or housing. And they help children at the elementary schools with homework and

enrichment activities. At the same time, the Spanish speaking students help our students with pronunciation,

new vocabulary words and culture. It is a two-way learning opportunity, a way for our students to connect to

the Hispanic Community. Once a year, depending on the school, Pellissippi State students also do a “piñata”

for the children to embrace their culture. PSCC students have also done Service Learning at the “HOLA

Festival,” an annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Students help at various tables and activities

during the festival. They learn about the culture first hand. It is a great opportunity to experience music, food,

folk dances and displays from the different Spanish speaking countries. They also practice oral

comprehension as they hear native speaker conversations, and venture into using what is learned in the

12

classroom in simple sentences. Regardless of where they do Service Leaning, they are required to write a

reflection paper on their experience expressing what they learned and how it relates to their learning Spanish

and to the Hispanic population in Knoxville/ the United States. Students who study abroad also have the

opportunity to do Service Learning in Spain where all students in the Spanish Conversation course are

required to participate in a service learning activity as part of the course, based on availability. Students in all

other Spanish language courses have the opportunity to participate in service learning activities, based upon

availability. Service learning activities consist of working with immigrants who lack the necessary language

skills to live and work in Spain (Cáritas), teaching English to young children or college students who are

studying English (Escuela de idiomas Lope de Vega,); helping people with special needs (Los hermanos de la

Cruz Blanca); El Alcázar, AIDA, Librería, Logos. Students who do Service Learning in Knoxville or Spain

have the opportunity to use Spanish when they work with children or adults beyond the classroom and

beyond PSCC.

The Festival of Cultures at Pellissippi State is another way students experience the culture of Spanish

speaking countries beyond the classroom. They can see authentic handicrafts, taste native food and inquire

about the displays during the festival.

The Spanish faculty use a variety of teaching methods to ensure student learning according to different

learning styles such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Examples are lecture style, Power Points, visual and

auditory activities using authentic materials such as “telenovelas,” cultural videos, Google Earth, paintings,

and literary selections. Each classroom is equipped with a console that consists of a computer, a video player

and a document camera to access materials and enhance student learning.

Work during class is done in different formats. Students do individual work but most of the time they work in

pairs or small groups. They collaborate to solve a problem at hand, such as figuring out how to apply

grammar skills to communicate a message or how to express ideas using new vocabulary in context. Group

games and interactive activities are also incorporated into the classes. The question and answer approach is

used to involve students in conversation and to encourage critical thinking as part of daily classes. The

textbook and workbook for each level, plus supplemental materials, are used during class, selecting the best

of all the resources to enhance students’ learning and to accommodate different learning styles. The second

year textbook is the best we have found but we are constantly looking for a better fit for our traditional and

non-traditional students. We would like a book with more practical vocabulary that the students can use in

conversation with native speakers.

Pronunciation is part of every class. As students read sentences in class to check practice exercises, they also

work on pronunciation with the help of the teacher if needed. Also pronunciation of new vocabulary is done

by practicing the words in class with the teacher or by using the e-book. The e-book uses the approach

“Flipped Classroom,” where the students learn and practice the vocabulary for homework with the e-book and

come to class to practice it in context and in conversation.

The first two semesters focus on basic Spanish grammar and vocabulary, and translation is used as a way to

ensure students’ understanding of commands, written sentences and practice exercises. Translation phases out

in the second year, where “Spanish only” is encouraged and made a high priority.

13

Full-time faculty and adjuncts schedule one office hour per class taught so that students can meet with

instructors to discuss projects or concerns or clarify information or do extra practice. In many cases full-time

faculty go beyond their daily office hours to help students and accommodate different schedules.

Collaboration and support among faculty is done on a regular basis in informal meetings during lunch or in

the office, depending upon the campus. Formal meetings for full-time and adjunct faculty take place once

before the semester starts, unless there is a significant issue we need to discuss, such as adopting a new book,

changing procedures or objectives, or anything else concerning student outcomes. Also we communicate on a

regular basis through email. This is the most effective way since full-time and adjunct faculty are spread out

on five campuses, and have diverse schedules.

In order to constantly improve teaching methods and student outcomes, full-time faculty attend different

professional development opportunities such as the Tennessee Foreign Language Teachers Association

(TFLTA) conference, Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS) conference, Villa Maria

Symposium at Maryville College, and Knoxville World Language Symposium put on by the Pearson

Publishing Company. In 2014, we were able to send one full-time Spanish instructor to the ACTFL

conference. Full-time faculty and adjuncts also attend training sessions offered by our Plazas book company,

during yearly in-services at Pellissippi State, and in Faculty Lecture series and sessions offered each semester

on topics such as technology, teaching and so forth. Faculty also read articles from various professional

journals to stay up to date on innovations related to the field of education. NISOD Innovation Abstracts are

helpful too for information and to get ideas on what other professionals are doing in other community

colleges. ACTFL Smart Briefs are also helpful for keeping up with the latest things happening in the field of

foreign language education (methods, technology, policies that affect our students, and so on).

Teaching and learning are evaluated on a regular basis through dean and peer observations where feedback is

a key component. Student perception of the faculty is administered every semester. Lastly, we use a grading

system as a quantitative way to measure student learning outcomes.

Focal Point 4: Student Learning Assessment

At Pellissippi State Community College, our student body reflects the diversity of our community. Our

student population ranges from recent high school graduates to returning students with full-time employment

and family responsibilities. A certain percentage of our student body has had very little or no foreign

language exposure. On the other hand, their classmates may have had two or more years of foreign language

instruction. Our first task is to insure that the student placement in the language class is commensurate with

their knowledge. The placement of students without previous foreign language education is obvious, but the

placement of students with previous language experience can be more difficult. If the student has had two or

more years of high school language classes it is recommended that they begin their college language studies

in the intermediate class. However, most of our students come from the local high schools. These schools

offer the languages on a block scheduling format. This means they may have completed their high school

foreign language classes at least three years ago. If the student did not enter college immediately after high

school graduation, it may be that ten or even twenty years have passed since their last language lesson. We

tried to give a placement test several years ago, but with five campuses and more than 2600 students in the

Spanish classes, it was impossible to give and grade these exams before the drop/add deadline. The solution

was for faculty teaching the intermediate classes to give their own “first day” activity which was a grammar

and vocabulary assessment of common words and phrases used in beginning Spanish lessons. This activity

14

has worked quite well. Often students themselves quickly realize that they are not prepared for the

intermediate class. While there are commercial tests available, most of these exams are expensive and require

more equipment and space than our small testing center can service.

As our syllabi show, our department lists a number of learning objectives for our classes. We want our

students to be able to:

Build listening comprehension, develop speaking skills, improve reading comprehension, develop writing

skills, expand understanding of different cultures as well as develop cultural sensitivity. For the

intermediate classes, we expect more extensive written and oral expressions to be part of our student

objectives.

Several measures are used to see if students are achieving these learning objectives. Students are to complete

online, as well as in class, assignments. Many of the textbooks have self-assessment sections that refer

students to further exercises or information if the student has not mastered the lesson. At times the use of

personal computers or smart phones is encouraged in order to assist with translating complicated reading

passages. In some classes, students get to video each other using their respective smartphones so they can

hear and see themselves speaking in Spanish. Classroom participation is essential. All class material provides

a number of required chapter quizzes to promote practice and attendance. Exams are given after the

completion of each chapter. In the second year classes, students have to prepare an oral presentation or a skit,

as a capstone project. The final exam can be an oral or written.

As a department, we collaborate to develop and implement assessments of program learning objectives. Our

department shares all handouts, power points, and exams. Our faculty and adjunct faculty members are free to

create their own exams or use those in the test bank. Our exams are tailored by our textbook or by own

teaching styles. All faculty members are involved in selecting the textbook for both the first and the second

year programs. During presentations of various book representatives, faculty members have the opportunity

to discuss the material which is most fitting for our student population. The office of Disability Services is

also consulted to assure our material is accessible to students with disabilities.

As a department, the faculty review results from all sections and discuss the success rates for these classes.

In the past, our department offered face-to-face and online classes for all sections. Our first year classes in

online sections did not have a very positive success rate. As a result, the first year online classes are no longer

being offered. In the future, we would like to consider the hybrid format as part of our class offerings.

At a recent language conference there was a session on “Best Practices.” The speaker suggested that the

professor should set high expectations for all students. For example, “at the end of the first semester you will

be able to express personal information about yourself such where you live, your profession, your family,

your leisure time activities, your work, what you eat and you should be able to ask questions about directions

and other immediate needs.” By letting the students know that there are concrete goals and objectives the

students can aspire to achieve these requirements. The speaker also mentioned that the learning environment

should be positive and friendly and students should be given time to self-correct an error and if the student

cannot self-correct, the instructor should review the concept for the whole class. Another best practice is self-

assessment. Many of our faculty use self-assessment tools that are part of the online textbook package.

Other faculty handout a practice exam. Students report that these practice exams help them focus on the

material to be tested. Another best practice is the physical environment of the classroom. It is suggested that

15

there be displays of students work or cultural artifacts. All of the above mentioned ”Best practices” are

assimilated into the teaching techniques at PSCC.

As our student population increases, we are actively searching for ways to improve our methods of student

engagement. Currently the College offers the opportunity for a Mobile Engagement Fellows Program. The

program provides incentives for faculty members to research methods of student engagement through mobile

learning. Currently, several of our faculty members are involved in this endeavor.

The faculty at PSCC uses all the traditional forms of assessment, quizzes, exams, practice exams, oral exams,

oral presentations, compositions, listening comprehension activities, videos with comprehension activities,

poster presentations, and reading assignments. The faculty has identified as an initiative the desire to find a

comprehensive exam that can be given as a pre and post-test to the intermediate classes.

Focal Point 5: Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is achieved by hiring quality faculty. Every open position is nationally advertised in the

Chronicle of Higher Education and other nationally recognized outlets. After the candidate is selected for the

position, s/he is evaluated by the dean of Liberal Arts to make sure that his/her credentials comply with the

SACSCOC criteria. Further requirements include an official transcript, reference checks and a background

check.

After being hired, the faculty member is provided with materials and encouraged to freely offer suggestions

regarding curriculum and language pedagogy. Each year the faculty -- whether full or part-time -- are

observed by either the dean, the program coordinator or another full-time faculty member. The classroom

observation form contains pertinent questions about the syllabus and prompts the observer to make sure that

the material being taught is progressing at the same pace as displayed on the master syllabus. This is

particularly important in sequential courses like the foreign language courses.

The full-time faculty prepare a self-evaluation form each year (appendix C.) This process requires the faculty

member to examine his/her work during the last calendar year and to establish new initiatives for the coming

year. The dean and the faculty member discuss the contents. Full-time faculty also have to prepare a portfolio

for promotion and tenure. This portfolio includes yearly evaluations, results of student perceptions, and

yearly classroom observations. The adjuncts are evaluated by classroom observation (appendix D) and

informal meetings with the program coordinator. After six semesters, the part-time instructor may compile a

portfolio and receive a 15% pay raise upon gaining approval for this effort. Additionally, we are fortunate to

have colleagues at UT-K who will give us candid evaluations of prospective instructors so we are able to hire

good quality adjuncts without difficulty.

There is a continual effort by faculty to assure quality in the courses, by reviewing best practices, revising

course material, consulting colleagues, reading the results of the student perception instrument, talking to

students about what they found most interesting and helpful to learning in the classroom and talking to

representatives of various publishing companies about technical innovations that accompany their products.

Since our program is designed to bring students to the intermediate level of language proficiency, consulting

employers about their qualifications for linguistic preparation is not an issue, but often students in our

beginning and intermediate classes report with satisfaction and pride that they have understood and helped a

client in their place of employment because of their knowledge of the foreign language.

16

Although we only have anecdotal information about the success of our students at four-year or graduate level

institutions, we do know of two students who began their language education at Pellissippi State and

continued at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Both of them have now earned master’s degrees in

Spanish and one is a full-time employee and the other an adjunct professor. They felt that they were properly

prepared at Pellissippi State.

French Program

The French and Spanish programs are the only two language programs that have full-time faculty and while

they collaborate, they have different program managers. Each program has a set of goals and objectives that

may be found on the master syllabi. Learning objectives for the four French courses were originally written

using the textbook content and the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines as sources. French faculty members work

together to correlate learning objectives for easy transition from FRE 1010 to FRE 1020 to FRE 2010 to FRE

2020.

Learning objectives are formally reviewed by the lead instructor for French every five years after consultation

with adjunct faculty members. The inclusion of an objective regarding the cultures of Francophone countries

has been recently proposed. Proposed changes to the objectives must be reviewed and approved by college

administrators before implementation. Faculty members are encouraged to update methods and engage

students through QEP initiatives. French faculty members are encouraged to attend professional conferences

like those of AATF and TFLTA and to give presentations on “best practices.”

The use of sequential chapters in the Debuts textbook, workbook, film, and on-line resources gives

consistency and continuity to the four French courses. Students who have used different textbooks or who

have been away from French for an extended time can use earlier chapters in the textbook for review. Having

a single textbook is thus reassuring for old and new students, saves students money, and gives new teachers a

record of what previous courses have covered.

The French faculty completed a thorough analysis of their process for guiding and improving teaching and

learning throughout the program. One result is that Learning Objectives for French courses will be placed on

student syllabi beginning spring 2015.

In past years, the lead instructor in French, a full-time employee, designed the course content, the syllabus,

test reviews, and tests for all four French courses since all other French faculty were not permanent

employees. When Débuts became the textbook for the College’s French courses, French instructors began

creating their own materials from the extensive on-line library and test bank for Débuts. These materials are

shared. Adjunct faculty members have always been consulted on textbook choices and course content.

The University of Tennessee Second-Year French Placement Test was used to assess course content and

student learning in the past. The recent Knox County Assessment Test for French has been suggested for

future use. French students’ test scores, final grades, and student Perception of Instruction evaluations are

used to assess student learning and French program effectiveness. Faculty self-Evaluations and faculty

observations (of classroom teaching) are used to help teachers improve.

French teachers propose continuing to improve courses through the use of web-based activities. Instructors

are using D2L for better teacher/student communication and Drop Box has become a popular vehicle for

written and oral assessment.

17

German Program

The German program offers GERM 1010 and GERM 2010 in the fall semester and GERM 1020 and GERM

2020 in the spring. The course goals and outcomes are basically the same for all languages, but there are

accommodations in the syllabi for linguistic differences. The foreign language program coordinator has taken

German courses as part of her graduate school requirements and is therefore familiar with the German

language and meets with the adjunct to discuss the syllabi each year. The German syllabi clearly elucidate the

agreed upon goals and objectives and these goals are communicated to the students the first day of class. The

program at PSCC uses the same textbook for four semesters as the program at UT-K and this facilitates the

easy transfer for students to the four year institution. The German instructor makes good use of the many

digital materials that accompany the textbook and provides many opportunities for students to interact in the

classroom. She also gives regular quizzes and chapter exams, and final exams to assess the progress of the

students and participates in the QEP program. Additionally, the German instructor is a native speaker of the

language who attends professional development at UT-K, the TFLTA meetings and in-service meetings

PSCC.

Chinese Program

Chinese is the latest addition to the foreign language program. In 2010, the Confucius Institute at the

University of Memphis offered PSCC the opportunity to have a Confucius classroom, a classroom dedicated

to the teaching of Chinese language and culture. The requirements included a computer equipped with

Chinese characters, space to display Chinese artifacts and the space to offer Chinese 1010, 1020, 2010, and

2020. The institute also supplied a Chinese national to teach the courses. In 2014 the program became

associated with the Confucius Institute at UT-K. The PSCC Chinese professor regularly meets with the UTK

Chinese faculty and follows their teaching program. PSCC has sponsored several Chinese festivals in the last

several years and these have had great support and attendance from the Knoxville Community. The program

has not had very large enrollments. The 1010 classes usually have eleven or twelve, but the enrollment drops

to three or four students per class after the first semester. After offering Chinese for five years, the 2015

semester is the first time we have offered CHIN 2020. In the spring of 2014 there were only seventeen

students and in the fall there were nineteen students. It is hard to evaluate such a small program.

American Sign Language Program

The ASL program has been offered at PSCC since the early 1990’s. While the College offers four levels of

ASL usually only ASL1010 and 1020 make, but if there is sufficient interest the instructor will offer 2010

and/or 2020 as independent study classes. The instructor is very well respected by UTK and Maryville

College, a local, private liberal arts college. Our students who transfer to these previously mentioned

institutions do very well in continued ASL studies. The students in the ASL classes are very satisfied with

the program that includes lots of practical work and interaction with students from Tennessee School for the

Deaf and other community organizations dedicated to helping the hearing impaired. While ASL is a very

valuable subject, most four year institutions do not accept ASL as fulfilling the foreign language requirement,

but many schools accept it as an elective and even encourage it for students specializing in social work or

special education.

While the Pellissippi State foreign language faculty is very proud of the existing educational opportunities

offered for our students—relevant classes, language conversation tables, tutoring, cultural events, foreign

18

movies, international mixers, and study abroad opportunities—we are always looking to improve our teaching

and the learning experiences of our students. To that end we have proposed five potential improvement

initiatives in the following matrix.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Introduce pre and post testing for the intermediate 2010 class.

2. Introduce students to virtual visits using Google Earth or other browsers

3. Enhance student engagement by having program faculty complete at least one QEP activity in each

class each semester.

4. Introduce students to Quick Response Codes and apps to facilitate language learning.

5. Go over the syllabus to examine goals and objectives at the beginning of every fall.

19

MATRIX OF PROPOSED INITIATIVES

1. Initiative Objective Who Performance Indicator When

Give pre and

post exams.

Pre to improve

placement and

post for quality

assurance

Increase student

success, by

placement and

for evaluation

particularly at

the intermediate

level

All

instructors

a) Development

placement exam; b)

Gather data on student

performance via pre-

test/post-test

Beginning Fall

2015

2. Use Google

earth to locate

and visit places

of interest in

places where

Spanish is the

principal

language

To learn

directions,

vocabulary,

Geography-

country location

Museums

Monuments

Historical sites

All

instructors

Pre and post test Beginning Fall

2015

3. To incorporate

QEP activities

in each foreign

language

course, each

semester.

To enhance

student

engagement in

each foreign

language

course.

All faculty Assessment tools such

as quizzes and exams,

administered after each

QEP activity. Student

Perception Survey to

measure student

satisfaction with

activities.

To begin spring

of 2015 and to

continue

indefinitely.

4. To Engage and

Foster active

involvement of

second-year

Spanish

students by

using mobile

devices in and

out of the

classroom.

Test and

evaluate the

effectiveness of

the application

of new

technology in

language

acquisition.

Authorized

faculty.

Record the use of QR

codes by the students to

access instructional

material: practice

quizzes and exams,

handouts uploaded in

the cloud.

This project

was initiated in

Spring 2014

and will

continue.

5. Examination of

master syllabi

to update goals

and objectives

Make sure that

goals and

objectives are

current.

All Full-

time and

Adjunct

faculty.

Update Syllabi posted

on PSCC web site.

Beginning Fall

2015.

20

Appendix A

Spring 2014 Foreign Language Grade Distribution

CourseSect InstrMethc A B C D F W ASL-1010 CON 12 5 1 0 4 ASL-1020 , CON 7 2 1 0 2 0 ASL-2010 IND 1 0 0 0 0 0 ASL-2020 IND 5 0 0 0 0 0 CHIN-1010 CON 4 3 0 0 1 1 CHIN-1020 CON 2 2 0 0 0 0 CHIN-2010 CON 3 1 0 0 0 0 FREN-1010 CON 10 15 1 2 11 9 FREN-1020 CON 4 3 3 6 2 2 FREN-2010 CON 4 6 6 2 2 5 FREN-2020 CON 6 5 4 2 3 1 GERM-1021 CON 1 7 4 2 0 GERM-2021 CON 1 4 1 2 1 SPAN-1010 CON 67 67 52 14 50 17 SPAN-1020 CON 41 54 31 18 20 13 SPAN-2010 CON 52 49 38 5 7 11 SPAN-2010 WEB 7 8 40 4 24 18 SPAN-2020 CON 47 49 15 1 6 0 SPAN-2020 TWY 3 6 4 0 0 0 SPAN-2020 WEB 6 22 41 6 13 4

CourseSect

InstrIV

Success

EarnCrd

Nonlndctr

Enr11Crd

Retained

Completed

SuccessPer ASL-1010

CON

18 18 0 25 22 22 72% ASL-1020

CON

10 10 0 12 12 12 83.33% ASL-2010

IND 1 1 0 1 1 1 100% ASL-2020

IND 5 5 0 5 5 5 100% CHIN-1010

CON

7 7 0 9 8 8 77.78% CHIN-1020

CON

4 4 0 4 4 4 100% CHIN-2010

CON

4 4 0 4 4 4 100% FREN-1010

CON

26 28 0 48 39 39 54.17% FREN-1020

CON

10 16 0 20 18 18 50% FREN-2010

CON

16 18 0 25 20 20 64% FREN-2020

CON

15 17 0 21 20 20 71.43% GERM-1021

CON

12 14 0 15 14 14 80% GERM-2021

CON

6 8 0 9 9 9 66.67% SPAN-1010

CON

186 200 1 267 250 250 69.66% SPAN-1020

CON

126 144 2 177 164 164 71.19% SPAN-2010

CON

139 144 0 162 151 151 85.80% SPAN-2010

WEB

55 59 0 101 83 83 54.46% SPAN-2020

CON

111 112 0 118 118 118 94.07% SPAN-2020

TWY

13 13 0 13 13 13 100% 2014 Student Foreign Language Data

Total Enrolled Spring Summer Fall Success by percentage

Spring Fall ASL 91 43 0 48 85.11 86.76

CHIN 36 17 0 19 92.59 85.86 FREN 213 121 0 92 59.90 65.42 GERM 76 `1 0 52 73.33 50.70 SPAN 2686 933 804 949 78.59 71.89

21

Appendix B

Fall 2014 Foreign Language Grade Distribution

CourseSectl InstrMethc

A B ASL-1010 CON

21 '4 4 0 3 ASL-1020

CON

5 1 0 1 1 0 ASL-2010

CON

4 2 0 0 0 0 CHIN-1010

CON

5 3 2 0 1 0 CHIN-1020

CON

2 0 0 0 0 1 CHIN-2010

CON

4 1 0 0 0 0 FREN-1010

CON

10 12 6 2 6 4 FREN-1020

CON

6 2 0 2 0 1 FREN-2010

CON

9 6 5 4 2 3 FREN-2020

VTP

1 4 0 1 1 3 GERM-1020

CON

4 7 4 0 7 6 GERM-2020

CON

2 8 1 1 5 6 SPAN-1010

CON

126 83 60 18 36 29

SPAN-1020

CON

22 24 19 12 16 14 SPAN-2010

CON

80 68 33 8 23 8 SPAN-2010

TWY

6 4 2 0 4 0 SPAN-2010

WEB

1 10 23 4 26 11 SPAN-2020

CON

25 42 26 2 3 5 SPAN-2020 WEB

5 18 18 8

CourseSect

Instrl

Success

EarnCrd

Nonlndctr

EnrIICrd

Retained

Completed

SuccessPe ASL-

1010 CON

29 29 2 34 32 32 85.29% ASL-1020 ,

CON

6 7 0 8 8 8 75% ASL-2010

CON 1

6 6 0 6 6 6 100% CHIN-1010

CON 1

10 10 0 11 11 11 90.91% CHIN-1020

CON

2 2 0 3 2 2 66.67% CHIN-2010

CON I

5 5 0 5 5 5 100% FREN-1010

CON

28 30 2 40 36 36 70% FREN-1020

CON

8 10 0 11 10 10 72.73%

FREN-2010

CON

20 24 0 29 26 26 68.97% FREN-2020

VTP

5 6 0 10 7 7 50% GERM-1020

CON

15 15 1 28 22 22 53.57%

GERM-2020

CO

N

11 12 0 23 17 17 47.83%

SPAN-1010

CON

269 287 3 352 323 323 76.42% SPAN-1020

CON

65 77 0 107 93 93 60.75% SPAN-201

CON

181 189 0 220 212 212 82.27% SPAN-2010

TWY I

12 12 0 16 16 16 75% SPAN-2010

WEB.

34 38 1 75 64 64 45.33% SPAN-2020

CON

93 95 2 103 98 98 90.29% SPAN-2020

WEB

41 49 0 56 52 52 73.21%

22

Appendix C

Full-Time Faculty Evaluation Form

PELLISSIPPI STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

FACULTY EVALUATION

(Explanatory text under categories should be eliminated prior to submission.)

Faculty Member's Name ___________________ Department Dean___________________

Department_______________________________ Evaluation Period__________________

The Academic Department Dean will indicate the faculty member's level of performance for the

year in each category with accompanying narrative comments. Suggestions for improvement

must be included where indicated. The overall final ranking will be acceptable or unacceptable

with summary comments required.

I have read this document and discussed it with my Academic Department Dean.

Faculty Member Signature _________________________________ Date ______________

Department Dean Signature ___________________________________ Date _ _____________

Vice President of Academic Affairs

Overall Job Performance:

Summary Comments: Provide comments which address the overall job performance. Provide an

overview of performance—strengths and challenges—and, where appropriate, suggest strategies

for improvement. In writing summary comments, consider every component of the Evaluation

Portfolio.

Rating: Acceptable Unacceptable

COMMENTS (REQUIRED)

Category A: Teaching (65%)

Teaching applies to any manner in which information is imparted so that others may learn, and

may include, but is not limited to, a variety of techniques including instruction, development of

course materials and courseware, and development of innovative approaches to teaching.

23

Appendix C

Five distinct elements to be considered are

1. Curriculum and or program development—creating effective course materials and

courseware either on the classroom, discipline, or institutional level, organizing subject

matter in a logical way to motivate students, and generally stimulating creativity in students

within the discipline area.

2. Development and application of current instructional techniques—employing innovative

techniques that might include online and computer-assisted course development. Many

possibilities might be applicable to this category such as use of multimedia stations, visual aids,

and other enrichment techniques.

3. Use of diverse teaching methodologies—being mindful of developing approaches that result in

outstanding student products and/or student learning. A variety of methodologies might be

appropriate including group work, student created projects, discussion, etc.

4. Staying current in his/her field or discipline/specialization—while this category may most

often suggest traditional professional development, other possibilities exist such as reading

relevant publications, doing research through various avenues for material to incorporate in the

classroom, and regularly revising all elements used in the individual teaching environment.

5. Student perception of instructor—the faculty member summarizes the data and responds to the

students' perceptions, if deemed necessary by the faculty member. Responses may include

explanation, agreement, disagreement, plans for revision or improvement, etc.

Mark the appropriate blank. Provide comments which explain ratings. If appropriate,

suggest strategies for improvement.

Rating: ____ Exceptional; ______ Good; _____ Needs Improvement; _______ Unsatisfactory

Category B: Service/Outreach (20%)

The College benefits from faculty interaction with students outside the bounds of the classroom;

from faculty participation in departmental, college, or state committees and other initiatives; and

from faculty contributions to the community at large.

1: Student InteractionThis component of the faculty member's service might include activities such as advising, mentoring, offering help sessions, holding conferences, sponsoring student organizations and/or participating in student-oriented events, writing letters of reference for students, etc.

Rating: _____ Exceptional; _____ Good; _____ Needs Improvement; _____ Unsatisfactory

Comments:

24

Appendix C

2: College and Community Service*

a. The faculty member may serve the College in a variety of ways. Chairing or participating in

departmental, program, or college-wide committees or undertaking special projects or

assignments are examples of college service.

b. Community service involves the faculty member giving of his/her time and professional

expertise outside the College to the community at large; professional service involves

contributions to organizations related to the faculty member's discipline or to the teaching

profession generally. Examples might be working with area K-12 schools, consulting,

providing professional expertise, supporting charitable organizations or causes, serving on

statewide or TBR committees, guest lecturing on other campuses and other appropriate

activities.

Rating: _____ Exceptional; _____ Good; _____ Needs Improvement; _____ Unsatisfactory

* Community service does not take the place of college service

Category C: Scholarship/Creative Activities/Research (15%)

Professional Development

This category contains typical professional development activities such as presentations at a

professional meeting, journal editorship, article and grant proposal review, performances,

exhibitions, creative activities, as well as completing books, journal articles or monographs,

and other appropriate activities. Taking classes, attending workshops, and professional

conferences are also included.

Rating: _____ Exceptional; _____ Good; _____ Needs Improvement; ______ Unsatisfactory

Comments:

Category D: Goals

Provide comments about the instructor's goals. Individual faculty member's goals should lead to

self-improvement, furtherance of the department and/or college goals, and higher levels of

student achievement as measured by academic program goals.

25

Appendix D

FACULTY OBSERVATION FORM

Faculty Member____________________ Date of Observation____________

Number of students attending ______________ Course ______________________

Fill in the appropriate letter in the space provided. Provide comments for all I and U marks.

I. PRESENTATION Satisfactory Improvement Needed Unsatisfactory Not Applicable

S I U N

____ 1. Instructor spoke clearly. ___ 2. The material was presented in an interesting, enthusiastic manner. ____ 3. Instructor used examples, illustrations, or applications to clarify the concepts. ___ 4. (If appropriate) Instructor used a variety of teaching techniques. Please list (e.g., lecture, group work, etc.): ___ 5. Instructor used technology appropriately. If applicable, please list (e.g., overhead projector, graphing calculator, multimedia presentation, etc.): ____6. Instructor achieved session objectives. ___ 7.The presentation was well organized. ___ 8.Instructor summarized or reinforced ideas discussed during the lesson.

9. Instructor built on previous experience in class. ___ 10.Instructor was knowledgeable about the material:

II. INTERACTION WITH STUDENTS (S I, U, N)

_1. Students appeared to be comfortable in class.

_2. Students were encouraged to ask questions, express opinions, and participate in class discussion.

_3. Instructor used student ideas to encourage class discussion or to further the session objectives.

_4. Instructor asked questions that encourage learning.

_5. Instructor asked questions that encourage critical thinking.

_6. Instructor exhibited a respectful attitude toward students.

_7. Instructor was approximately on schedule according to course syllabus.

_8. Course documents are clear, thorough, and appropriate.

_9. Graded papers are marked and graded according to department standards.

III. ASSESSMENT

1. What was the most positive aspect of this instructor's lesson? 2. What are some possible suggestions for this lesson? 3. Overall assessment, with comments: Satisfactory, Improvement Needed, Unsatisfactory

SIGNATURES

Observer _____________________________________ Date _____________

Faculty Member _____________________________ Date _____________

Response of Faculty Member:

26

Appendix E

Foreign Language Faculty

Participation in Quality Enhancement Plan Activities

Full-Time Faculty

Last Name First Name Department 2013F 2014S 2014F

Hansen Ana LA/SPAN X X

Palatinus Marilyn LA/SPAN X X X

Rivero Maria LA/SPAN X X X

Sills Maria LA/SPAN X X X

Easterly Joan LA/SPAN X

Stribling Jane LA/SPAN X

Adjunct Faculty

Last Name First Name Department 2014F

Taylor Saralee P. LA/FREN

Sczesni Ulrike LA/GERM

Glees Leonel LA/SPAN

Harris Jules LA/SPAN

Expansion of the Quality Enhancement Plan program and activities to the Liberal Arts

Department, beyond the core course of Speech 2100, took place in fall 2013. This expansion

included Foreign Language.

27

Appendix E

QEP Activity Report-Hansen-Spring 2014

Learning Activity Objective: 1. Learn the colors in Spanish 2. Learn the use of colors as adjectives and match

them with the Spanish nouns (masculine or feminine) 3 Learn the cultural information about the history of the

color 4. The association of colors and emotions 5. The uses of the color in marketing. 6. Use technology to

research information

Preparation and Activity: They will fill in the blanks concerning color in a Spanish paragraph describing the history, adjectives and emotions.

Post-activity: the students will have a quiz on colors in Spanish, colors as adjectives and colors

associated with the emotions after the research and the hand-out.

Results-Engagement: The students were asked to complete the QEP in-class activity survey

upon completion of all three groups' presentations by marking choices along the v arious

spectrums. The students chose engagement rather than boring and stayed on task during the

activity. Twenty-three out of twenty-five marked either the first or 2nd box on the "engaging"

end of the spectrum on the engagement survey.

Quality Education Plan (QEF9 In-class Activity Survey

Engaging 10:13:0:1:0:0:1 boring Useless 1:0:0:0:1:8:15 beneficial Easy 0:0:0:0:0:5:20 difficult

Dull 2:0:0:0:0:5:18 exciting

Valuable 2 3 : 2 : 0 :0 :0 :0 :0 worthless

Complex 2 4 :0 :0 :0 : 0 :0 :1 simple

Comments: Most comments indicated that the students loved it.

Conclusion and Reflection: The student quiz results were: 18A, 3 B+, IC, 1F.

The activity achieved the desired learning outcome apparently in all but one

student who made an F. I will definitely use the activity again.

Appendix E

QEP Activity Report-Mueller-Fall 2014

Learning Activity Objective: Students will read and comprehend contextualized Spanish vocabulary related

to communication between a waiter and a customer. (Students were from a small Beginning Spanish II class).

Preparation: The script of a dialogue between a waiter and a customer modeling target vocabulary was cut

into strips and randomized. Sets were made for the anticipated number of participating students. The

students were divided into pairs, and each pair received an envelope containing a set. Students were

instructed to "reconstruct" the dialogue to form a logical exchange between the customer and waiter,

showing comprehension of the target vocabulary.

Activity: The activity in question was one in which student pairs had to correctly arrange strips of paper

containing lines of Spanish dialogue one might hear or use in a restaurant; if completed correctly, the

interchange between a waiter and a customer makes sense. Formative assessment was carried out informally as

the instructor monitored progress by reading through each pair's dialogue and providing feedback where a non

sequitur occurred (usually at the micro level--"Does this line make sense after this line?"). Eventually, all

students were able to correctly organize the strips of paper. At the end of the activity, one pair was chosen to

read their dialogue aloud as others followed along to see if they had the same results.

Results-Engagement: The students were asked to complete the QEP in-class activity survey upon

completion of all three groups' presentations by marking choices along various spectrums. The students

showed engagement as they got on task quickly and stayed on task during the activity. 8 out of 10 marked

either the first or 2nd box on the "engaging" end of the spectrum on the engagement survey.

Quality Education Plan (QEP) In-class Activity Survey

Engaging 4:4:1:0:1:0:0 boring

Useless 0:0:0:0:2:4:4 beneficial Easy 0:2:3:3:2:0:0 difficult

Dull 0:0:1:2:3:1:3 exciting

Valuable 5:2:3:0:0:0:0 worthless

Complex 0:2:2:3:2:0:1 simple

Comments: The only noticeable (non-content-related) difficulty was that the students' desks did not provide

adequate work space to spread out the strips of paper comfortably (one student commented on this), and strips

would sometimes slide onto the floor unnoticed, creating gaps in the dialogue.

Conclusion and Reflection: I think this is good way to work with contextualized vocabulary. If I repeat the activity in a

"hard copy" format, a larger space should be provided; also, I need to have an alternative post-activity besides "practice

reading the dialogue aloud with your partner," as those who finished earliest got bored. Maybe students could alter the

dialogue to meet different clients' dietary needs.

Appendix E

QEP Activity Report-Sills-Spring 2014

Learning Activity Objective: Students will learn Spanish vocabulary and verbs related to

clothing, in an appropriate context. They will use them in conversation to describe what they

are wearing today, with the present tense conjugation, and what they wore yesterday, with the

past tense conjugation.

Activity: First, Students learned the vocabulary (pronunciation and meanings) using the Ebook

prior to class. Also they completed the blank "Bingo Card" with items of clothing they chose,

along with related verbs. Second, At the beginning of class, we went over a few vocabulary words

that have special pronunciation or meaning according to different Spanish speaking countries and

answered questions the students had. Also, we discussed fashion in Argentina (gauchos, leather

etc.) with students providing some input. Third, the students worked with a partner and did

exercises in the book/workbook to practice the vocabulary in context. I walked around answering

questions or clarifying information. Fourth, students learned to answer questions describing what

they are wearing today and what they wore yesterday, using the appropriate verb conjugation

(present tense and past tense) and appropriate adjectives (gender and number), describing colors

Nilo materials and styles. Then they swapped papers with their partner for correction. Then they

used this information in conversation, asking their partner what they are wearing or wore

yesterday. Fifth The students practiced oral comprehension identifying the words called and also

reviewed the meanings of the words as they were called out. Students who made bingo called out

the words, and received extra points for the quiz on vocabulary in the next class.

Results-Engagement: The students were asked to complete the QEP in-class activity survey upon completion

of all three groups' presentations by marking choices along various spectrums. The students showed

engagement as they got on task quickly and stayed on task during the activity. Fifteen out of eighteen marked

either the first or 2nd box on the "engaging" end of the spectrum on the engagement survey. The tally of their

responses is as follows:

Quality Education Plan (QEF9 In-class Activity Survey Span 1020

Engaging 4:11:2:1:0:0:0 boring

Useless 0:1:1;0;3;9;4 beneficial

Easy 0:0:1:11:2:1:3 difficult

D u l l 0 : 1 : 0 : 3 : 1 0 : 4 : 0 ex c i t i n g

V a l u ab l e 4 : 9 : 4 : 0 : 1 : 0 : 0 w o r t h l e s s

C o m p l ex 0 :4 : 6 : 5 : 2 : 1 : 0 s im p l e

Comments: Fun, Very effective teaching methods, Today was good!, The Bingo actually helped me and kept

me interested more than the typical lecture.

Conclusion and Reflection: The results of the quiz to evaluate the students' mastery of vocabulary and use in

context was as follows:

A 4 B-F 1 B 3 C+ 3 C 1 2 F 2

This activity accomplished the goal of teaching students clothing vocabulary in context

(sentences) and in conjunction with other structures previously learned. Also it

accomplished the purpose of using it in conversation related to real perso nal situations,

which is the ultimate goal of learning a foreign language.