http://media.www.technicianonline.com/media/storage/paper848/news/2007/10/15/News/Professors.Find.New.Class.Style.Adequate-3031755.shtml

Professors find new class style adequate

Students not pleased with the new lecture-style format

By: Ashley Bennett

Posted: 10/15/07

The implementation of lecture-style Elementary Spanish I courses this semester has drawn differing responses from the professor and students on how efficient the new teaching method actually is.

Ruth Gross, head of the foreign languages and literatures department, and Scott Despain, an associate professor in foreign languages and literatures, developed the model for lecture-style Spanish courses last spring and applied the teaching method to Despain's Spanish 101 courses at the beginning of the fall semester.

The reason for this change in teaching method was to "meet all the demands this institution has," Despain said. "We had the basic question of 'Could we increase the number of students in basic foreign language courses as the University enrollment increases?'"

According to Despain, the lecture-style model is only being used for the FLS 101 courses because a vast majority of students already have some knowledge of the language under their belts from what they have studied in high school.

"Our preference is to have small classes and as much interaction with the professor as possible, but we are willing to try this at the 101-level, and it seems to be working very well," Despain said.

Despain attempts to make his newly modified FLS 101 courses, which have approximately 180 students enrolled in each section, as interactive as possible.

"We have a few minutes of teacher-fronted material, which then prepares the students for a group activity," Despain said.

Despain also makes sure to move around the room while lecturing and changes the seating after each exam.

"I hope the students can see a very animated professor when they are in class," Despain said.

Since the FLS 101 courses are based on a new model and also have a high enrollment of students, Despain receives four teaching assistants to aid him in the classes.

"There is an excellent training ground for TAs," Despain said. "They work hard and feel ownership of the class."

Despite the professor's efforts to make the class as interactive as possible, students continue to feel that the larger setting is not the best learning environment.

Will Jakes, a sophomore in political science said, "I prefer the small setting because it is more intimate. You have a more personal relationship with professors, and it's a lot easier to contact them if you have questions."

Despain does agree that since the class is so large, it takes a little less effort to hide in class, but the class is still very interactive.

"There is an advantage in numbers," Despain said. "Everyone is yelling out answers, so if a student is reticent to participate, there are 199 other students saying the answers also."

Kali Hudgins, a freshman in psychology, said that while you do have to participate in the class, there is a big difference from a smaller class.

"Since we have four TAs, I get to know my TA, but I still haven't spoken with my professor at all," Hudgins said.

Not getting to know all of his students is the one of drawback Despain says.

"I don't get to know all 400 of my students, whereas in a week in one of my smaller classes, I would know everyone's name. I have a similar level of interaction in the large class, but I don't know names," Despain said.

Although he may not get to know each student individually, Despain still agrees there are many advantages to using the lecture-style method.

"It's a challenge, and I enjoy the challenge. We have wonderful, enthusiastic and engaged students in those classes, and it's very rewarding," Despain said.

According to Despain, the University plans to continue using this model. For now, the University also has no further plans to make any other Spanish course lecture-style.

Students who would rather not take FLS 101 in the lecture-style setting are encouraged to take it during the first summer session.

FLS 101 Internet courses are also available during the fall, spring, and first summer semesters.