Course requirements
Please read the following requirements carefully; continued enrollment in the course indicates understanding and acceptance of all policies.

1. Active participation in all class work is central to your language development. You will receive at least one class work grade per week, based on your oral and written performance in class and on the quality and quantity of your contributions to class activities. Your instructor will show you the criteria used to evaluate your work so that you’ll know what you should do in order to reach your own personal goals.

2. In conjunction with class activities, homework assignments will give you vital tools that you will need as you develop effective communication skills in Spanish. Your instructor will assign both self-corrected exercises as well as at least five open-ended activities.  Your instructor will collect and evaluate the open-ended assignments for both content and accuracy.  If you would like feedback on the other homework, it is your right and responsibility to meet with your instructor outside of class to go over those activities.  

3. The self-corrected homework that your instructor assigns will form the basis of several short (3-5 minute) quizzes that you will take on your own time, on the class' online program. These quizzes serve to measure whether or not you have prepared to participate in the day's activities.  If your instructor has asked that you study a grammar explanation, verb conjugation or some vocabulary words, then the prep quiz might ask you to briefly summarize the grammar rule, conjugate verbs, or identify words.  If your homework was to complete and self-correct activities in your textbook or from a website, then your instructor might use one or more of those activities as the quiz. Some instructors might tell you ahead of time when you will take your quizzes, others will make them pop quizzes. For success in this area, your best bet is to do all of your homework, all of the time.

4. There will be at least two 15-20 minute tests throughout the semester, at least one before the midterm exam and at least one between the midterm and the final exam. They will give you the chance to demonstrate the knowledge that you’ve gained and the skills that you’ve acquired; they will also help you measure your achievement of course objectives and identify areas that need more work.

5. The recorded project will give you the chance to pay special attention to your interpersonal oral communication skills. Your instructor will give you details about what you should prepare for your recording. Your instructor will use the following rubric evaluate your work: grading rubric. For help with using programs i-Chat to prepare the recordings, you should go to the Language Learning Resource Center (Swan 301).

6. You will help to prepare and perform one group presentation (8-10 minutes long, on topics relevant to those studied in class and previously discussed with your instructor) to hone in on and apply your oral communication and presentational skills into practice. Your audience is the class (not your instructor), so part of your responsibility is to assure that everyone will understand; if you use new words or structures, it’s your responsibility to make them comprehensible –without using any English.

7. The final group conversation will give you one more chance to show off your communication skills and cultural knowledge. Approximately one week before your conversation, your instructor will distribute detailed instructions on how to prepare. You will be given a series of conversation topics to practice discussing in groups of 4-5 students and then, when you come in for your conversation appointment, you and your conversation partners will be given - randomly - one of the topics. In preparation for your conversation you should not attempt to memorize a script, but rather put to use your spontaneous communication skills. Your instructor will evaluate your ability to speak Spanish comprehensibly, to solicit and gain clarification, and to respond to relevant questions: grading rubric. The final group conversations will last 6-8 minutes and will take place in lieu of the last class session. Your instructor will distribute a sign-up sheet with appointments at 10-minute increments. Depending on the size of your class, some conversations may take place during your instructor's office hours (for example, if there are six or seven groups, then one or two groups will do their conversation during your instructor's office hour that day).

8. The composition and the revision of the composition allow you to demonstrate the writing skills that you develop during the semester. Your instructor will give you topics that will be the basis of a well-organized essay written during class time. Your instructor will use the following rubric to evaluate your composition: grading rubric. After receiving your instructor's feedback and comments, you'll work at home using the correction code to figure out and correct any mistakes, and then you'll type or word-process the final revision and expansion of your composition.

9. The midterm and final examinations give you the chance to demonstrate your general achievement of course goals by examining your communication skills and your knowledge about Hispanic cultures. The Final Exam will take place during one of the Common Exam slots that, at a later date, the Office of Enrollment Services will determine and then post at the following site: www.uri.edu/es/calexams/examScheduleFall2009.html. The Department of Languages has no control over when the Office of Enrollment Services schedules the Common Exams. If you have questions as to when the common exams will be scheduled, you should contact the Office of Enrollment Services directly.