Chabot College
Distance Education Course Proposal Form
2008-2009
Course Title & Number: Beginning French: French 1A
Faculty Name: Caren Barnezet Parrish
Course Delivery Method (check one):
 Online (all instruction is online; campus orientations/assessments may be included)
X Hybrid online (instruction occurs both online and on campus)
 Telecourse
 Other (please describe)
First Semester To Be Offered: Fall 2009
1.
Need/Justification
What is the intent in offering the course by distance education?
 French 1A is a five-unit course that satisfies several requirements (CSU/GE: Area C;
AA/AS) and is UC and SCS transferable.
 The intent in offering a hybrid French course is to increase enrollment and access to this
lower division course for students who cannot meet the required five contact hours per week
on-campus. A hybrid French course would provide more schedule flexibility to students with
demanding personal and professional responsabilities that conflict with traditional instruction
of campus.
 This course will respond to a growing interest by the local community in online/hybrid
courses. As of now, several community colleges in the area are already proposing language
instruction this way, including City College of San Francisco (online) and Cabrillo College
(online) for French.
 Currently, Chabot College successfully offers a Spanish hybrid course. Providing a hybrid
French section is the next step in accomodating students’ interest in learning a foreign
language non-traditionally.
What student needs will this offering meet?
 Offering French 1A as a hybrid course would give students greater flexibility in their pursuit
of a higher education and learning French while providing them more flexibility to respond
to their life demands.
 A hybrid course takes into consideration the challenges incured with beginning language
learning as it maintains a 50% face to face contact between intructor and learners to insure a
successful acquisition of the four linguistics skills (speaking, listening, writing, and reading).
Are there learning opportunities made possible in a distance education course that might not be
available in a traditional course?
 As Chabot College is gradually providing more opportunities to teach in “smart classrooms”
with internet and computer access, offering a French hybrid course would guarantee that
students benefit from accessing online authentic materials (video/audio) exposing them to the
various cultures of the Francophone world.
 Through the online component, students would be expected to make full use of the textbook
editors’ interactive website that propose pedagogical activities to reinforce vocabulary and
grammar structures, video sequences to develop listening comprehension abilities, and audio
recording to improve pronunciation.
 The online part of the course would also respect student’s individual learning style, and
insure flexibility in the student’s pace of processing the course information.
If this course has previously been offered at Chabot using this delivery method (online, for
example), what have you learned from prior instructors that will influence your instruction in
this course?
 This course has not yet been offered at Chabot, be it online or as a hybrid course.
2.
Course Content Delivery
Describe the distance education modalities used to deliver the course content and provide an
approximate schedule of the time allocated to each modality. What percentage of the course will
be on-campus, if any? What percentage of the course will consist of online lecture, video,
podcasts, email, supplemental websites, CD-ROM, etc.?
Note that the total number of contact hours should approximate the equivalent number of hours
required in an on-campus setting. Account for those hours in your proposal.
 French 1A is a five-unit course that requires 5 instructional hours per week, a total of 87
hours throughout the term. In a typical face to face French 1A course, the hours are divided
as follows:
59 hours
8 hours
8 hours
3 hours
3 hours
6 hours
Lectures, in-class discussion and communicative activities
Reading, listening and audio recording activities that accompany the textbook
Chapter exams
Oral presentations
Compositions (brainstorming and pre-writing activities; peer editing)
Preparation/review for exams
= 87 hours Total
 The hybrid French 1 A course will be divided 50% on campus and 50% online instuction.
The course will meet twice a week (for 3 hours), a total of 44 hours during the semester on
campus. The hours will be divided as follows:
33 hours
8 hours
3 hours
Lectures, in-class discussion and communicative activities
Reading, listening and audio recording activities that accompany the textbook
Oral presentations
= 44 hours Total
 The remaining 43 hours of online class time will be divided as follows:
10 hours
14 hours
8 hours
5 hours
6 hours
Threaded class discussion on course subject matter
Reading, listening and audio recording activities/viewing and listening of lectures
in podcasts, Camtasia and Jing recordings and supplemental websites resources
Quizzes and exams
Compositions (brainstorming and pre-writing activities; online peer editing)
E-workbook and e-activities (Preparation/review for exams)
= 43 hours Total
In addition to this structured time:
- On campus, students will be able to meet with the instructor during office hours, and
to get additional support through the PATH center tutoring program.
- On-line, students will be able to work together via discussion boards, and to evaluate
the instructor and course via online surveys.
Provide examples of course components taught using distance education technology. This will
include either or both synchronous—online at the same time and asynchronous—online at
different times.
 The online instruction via Blackboard will be asynchronous in delivery. Students will have
the flexibility to complete the set tasks and assignments according to their own schedule;
however a time frame will be set for each one. The online course components will include
chapter exams/quizzes, homework (E-workbook), compositions, discussion board posts.
3.
Nature and Frequency of Instructor-Student Interactions
Describe the number and frequency of your interactions with and feedback to students making
satisfactory progress and of interventions when students are at-risk of dropping or failing due to
poor performance or participation.
 One of the advantages of a hybrid course that meets 50% of the time on-campus is the
continuity in monitoring student’s progress in the course. A lack of attendance in the oncampus meetings (twice a week) would bring me to contact via email the students and
inquire about their current situation. Similarly students failing to complete assignments
online (quiz/exam/activities) while attending in-class meetings would be asked the reason
preventing them to do so.
 Aside from on-campus meetings, students will be able to interact with the instrutor on a daily
basis (Monday through Friday) via the Discussion board and email.
For each type of interaction listed above, describe why you believe it will be effective for this
particular curriculum and delivery model.
Describe how the interactions will facilitate student learning and how students will benefit from
the DE modalities selected.
 This hybrid course adheres to the standards (5C’s) in Foreign Language Acquisition set by
ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages):
(Source: http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3324)
-
Communication : usage of the language for communicative purposes in realistic situations
Culture : exposure and understanding of another cultural framework in relation to one’s own
Connections : language instruction to be intrinscally linked to other subject areas
Comparisons : contrasting languages and cultures to develop analytical skills
Communities : learning a foreign language while reaching to outside classroom resources
 The combination of on-campus and online instructions will address the criteria set by ACTFL:
On-campus meetings will provide in the target language:
- overview of French vocabulary and gramatical structures,
- communicative activities to contextualize the linguistic strutures,
- an introduction to Francophone cultures,
- student centered reflexion ,
Online instruction (asynchronous) will provide in the target language:
- lectures and web resources to supplement vocabulary and gramatical strutures,
- discussion boards for students to reflect on and contrast cultural topics, while improving
interpersonal communicative skills,
- writing assignments centered on students’ personal interests and life experiences,
- listening comprehension activities (audio/video) that develop linguistic skills,
- E-homework to practice linguistic structures,
- Testing to assess students’ progress and acquisition
4.
Nature and Frequency of Student-Student Interactions
Describe opportunities in your course for student to student interaction. This may include
discussions, group projects, peer review of assignments, and other approaches.
 Students frequently interact with each other in French in the on-campus class meetings, and
will have regular opportunities to do the same on Blackboard through:
o Discussion board related to course topics,
o Chat/group meetings,
o Peer review of composition and other assignments.
5.
Assignments & Methods of Evaluation
List the criteria that will be used to substantiate student learning, and describe the methods of
evaluating student progress.
 Student progress will be evaluated with the following assigments:
o Online:
 Chapter exams / quizzes
= 30%
 Homework (E-workbook)
= 10%
 Compositions
= 10%
 Discussion Boards = 10%
o In-class:
 Participation
= 10%
 Oral presentations
= 10%
 Final exam
= 20%
Total = 100%
 For each graded assignment, student will be provided with detailed directions, and will be
evaluated on the quality and the completion of the assignment. Rubrics will be used to
provide comprehensive feedback to students.
o Sample rublic for in-class participation:
Class Participation Self-Evaluation Sheet
Name: _____________________________
This evaluation sheet allows you to monitor your own participation in class week by week, and enables you and your instructor to address
questions and comments to each other. The class participation point system is organized as follows:
* Students receive a maximum of 4 points per day for participation (8 pts/week when available).
* 4 points/day are automatically deducted for absences.
Please rate your daily performance on the back of this page based on a scale of 0-4 and the following factors:
4 = commendable: spoke only French, positive attitude, motivated, very well prepared, volunteered several times to answer questions, arrived on
time.
3 = good: usually spoke French, volunteered often to answer questions, motivated and well-prepared, arrived on time.
2 = satisfactory: some attempt at speaking French, sometimes volunteered to answer questions, somewhat prepared, or arrived late/left early.
1 = mediocre: minimal attempt at speaking French, apathetic attitude, somewhat prepared, arrived late/left early.
0 = very poor: no attempt at speaking French, negative attitude, unprepared and unmotivated, arrived late/left early OR not assessable: absent.
Describe planned interactions and evaluations to ensure participation and verification of student
learning that permit timely instructor intervention.
 Online: Any student failing to complete these assignments in the allocated timeframe will be
contacted by the instructor via email and/or in-class.
o Chapter exams / quizzes: there will be 10 chapter exams and 10 quizzes,
computer-generated (test bank) and computer-graded (results available
immediately). Each testing will have a set time frame.
o Homework (E-workbook): students are expected to complete the homework
that accompanies the textbook. These exercices are computer-graded (results
available immediately). Homework will need to be completed by the end of
each chapter.
o Compositions: there will be 2 compositions with peer review activities. Each
composition will be submitted online with SafeAssignment.
o Discussion Boards: each chapter will have a discussion board with a set
assignment requiring students to do research on given online ressources, then
to post and respond twice to others in the forum using French the target
language. Students take full responsibility for their posts (no anonymity).
 In-class:
o Participation: attendance and in-class participation is graded. (cf. sample
rubric)
o Oral presentations: there will be 2 in-class presentations that will require
students to do online research.
o Final exam: a cumulative final exam administered during the regular final
exams week.
6.
Technology
Describe any special software or multimedia tools you plan to utilize in your course
(PowerPoint, Articulate, Camtasia, Flash, podcasts or other audio, etc.). This is helpful to
determine technology support needs.
 The online portion of the course will be managed through Blackboard already in use by many
instructors at Chabot College. Students will be provided on the first in-class meeting with a
detailed presentation of the Blackboard portal and its various features used in the online
portion of the course. Additional information will be provided to help students use
accentuation in their writing in French (keyboard shortcuts, “International Keyboard,”
language and grammar features in Word).
 Students will be expected to have an email account, personnal access to a computer and
internet connection allowing them to play/hear streaming video (plug-ins such as Media
Player or Real Player), a microphone to record vocal assignments, and be able to open
Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint presentationcourse.
 I have used Blackboard with my previous courses (fourth year) for online testing, posting
resources and additional lectures, utilizing the gradebook and dropbox/SafeAssignment
functions, and encouraging students to share their research through discussion boards. I have
also experience using WebCT for several years at UC Davis prior to Blackboard.
7.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Describe how you will accommodate students with disabilities. For a telecourse, is the video
close-captioned? If you plan to use any multimedia (video, podcasts, specialized software), is
that accessible to your students in terms of both software availability at home and on campus
and accessible for students with disabilities?
 Every effort is made to accommodate students with disabilities in accordance with the
recommendations from the Disabled Student Programs and Services and Special Services at
Chabot College. Blackboard meets the basic requirements for accessibility for students with
disabilities.
8.
Input from Colleagues and Administrators
As you develop your proposal and build your course, please consult with your colleagues and do
some background research, including the following:
X a. Meet with Instructional Designer for initial consultation and Blackboard training.
Date(s) completed:
X b. Review of similar courses elsewhere. Are similar courses offered at other
colleges? If so, note the college(s).
- City College of San Francisco offers a full online French 1A course.
- Cabrillo College offers several sections of a full online French Advanced Grammar /
Composition Course, and French Language Lab.
X c. Meet with your Division Dean and subdivision colleagues to secure preliminary
support for offering this course via Distance Education. Date completed:
X d. Consult with other faculty experienced in DE.
- With whom did you consult? Cristina Moon who offers a hybrid Spanish 1 A
course.
- Date completed: Fall 2008 and current term.
X e. Review your completed plan with your subdivision colleagues. Attach a separate
page listing attendees, meeting date, and a summary of the recommendations or
reservations of your division/subdivision.
9.
Submit your proposal (electronic version via email and hard copy via campus mail)
to the chair of the DE Committee
Faculty signature: _______________________________
Date: _______________
Division Dean signature: __________________________
Date: ________________
c:\documents\word\curric\handbook2008\definalform.doc