SPAN 1420

Spring 08

COURSE TEXTS

• Puntos de Partida. Custom edition. Knorre et al MacGraw Hill, 2007.

1. Online digital workbook to accompany Puntos de Partida –book key-
2. Online digital laboratory manual to accompany Puntos de Partida –book key-

Bookstores in town only have a limited number of digital workbooks available. You can purchase them online by following these directions:

1. Go to:  http://books.quia.com

2. Click on “bookstore” 

3. From the drop down arrow, choose:  

4. Discipline: “Spanish”; Publisher: “McGraw-Hill” 

5. Select Puntos de Partida online workbook; click on “BUY”

6. Repeat the process for purchasing your online lab manual

If you were enrolled my Span 1410 class during the past semester, come see me in my office before you purchase any electronic component. 

In addition to the textbook, we are going to use an additional web page. The activities from this page will be part of your course requirement (as homework, see bellow). Further directions are provided in the Tracs page for the course, under Announcements.

Take advantage of extra learning resources: interactive CD ROM and Online Learning Center Website -Free Content- at www.mhhe.com/puntos7. 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING BREAKDOWN

• partial exams (3 x 100): 30%

• final exam (1 x 100): 30%

• QUIA assignments : 20%

• homework: 20%   

Your grades are confidential. Your instructor cannot give you grades by phone or e-mail. Graded exams or assignments should not be made accessible to anyone but the individual student. If you find that your instructor is in violation of confidentiality, please address your concerns to the coordinator of the course, whose name appears at the end of this document.

Final exams cannot be rescheduled without permission from the Dean of Liberal Arts and the Chairman of the Department of Modern Languages. If you cannot take the exam the day scheduled by the university, you have to address the issue with an explanatory letter and documented proof of your circumstances to the before mentioned administrators.

Requirements deadlines and additional information will appear posted in Tracs, under Announcements. It is advisable that you check the course page on a regular basis. 

The course will be conducted in Spanish. 

EXAMS

Partial exams  

Exams will only be administered on the day announced. There will be no make-up exams. Only documented absences will be considered for reevaluation (see note under ATTENDANCE). All partial exams will count toward your final grade. Since linguistic knowledge is accumulative, the contents of the exams should cover all the material studied up to that moment. The grades for every exam would take over the grades for each previous one –only if the grades keep increasing-

Final exam  

The final exam is departmental. The format of the exam will be a composite multiple-choice and composition form. 

QUIA ASSIGNMENT

Specific QUIA activities from your workbook and lab manuals will be assigned on a regular basis. This information will be posted in TRACS. Grades for these activities are assigned automatically by the on-line program. You may submit your answers twice. Your cumulative scores will be calculated based on your second attempt. QUIA activities are dated and not available for completion once the deadline for submission has been met. 

In order to register your product, please follow these directions:

Step 1. Log in to your Quia account
1. Go to http://books.quia.com/

2. Go to Students and click Create new account.
3. Fill out and submit the form. 

Remember to write down your username and password.

Step 2. Enter your book key in the field labeled Enter a book key. The book will be added to your account. Note that book keys may only be used once; your book key will become invalid after you use it.

Step 3. Enter your instructor's course code in the field labeled Enter Course Code (next to your book). To add additional books to your account enter the book key in the field labeled Enter a book key.

The course code number is RGCFB964. Sign up for your class by entering into the section named gragera266

To test your progress, and in order to prepare for exams, it is advisable that you complete some additional sections in your QUIA book. Instructional assistants are available in the language lab for tutoring sessions. Their names and schedules will be posted in TRACS. In order to avoid technical problems with your QUIA book, make sure you follow these guidelines:

a) When logging-in, make sure that you follow directions strictly. QUIA support system is self-explanatory and user friendly. You should be able to navigate through and operate the on-line program without difficulties. You can also print directions from  the “Printable Quia Manual” link that appears on screen upon completing registration

b) The program is space sensitive. Be mindful of this or your answers will be rendered wrong.

c) The program may recognize just one of a few possible answers. If you think that your answer is correct in spite of the dictum of the computer, feel free to discuss the matter with your instructor.

d) Do not wait until the very last moment to submit your work. This will prevent you from any source of frustration from last minute computer access problems. If you encounter any technical difficulty, make sure you keep records of the precise activity, the nature of the computer and the modem used to make it, as well as the time and day you tried to complete the activity. Without being able to reproduce the environment, your request may not be addressed. 

e) We recommend using Window Media Player as your default system. 

f) If you need assistance in the use of computers in our language lab, please make an appointment with our lab technician.

g) The possible errors found in the on-line work are not different from common typological errors found in any printed version. Make sure you inform your instructor of such errors if you happen to find any.

h) Keep your proof of purchase for as long as you are going to be using the on-line products. It may be the only possible way to solve login problems in the processes of registration and/or on-going work. 

i) This program, properly used, may help you to reinforce your knowledge of the language. The amount of time spent in on-line work does indeed affect your grades: it should be a part of your preparation for exams.

HOMEWORK

In addition to your QUIA assignments, you will complete an additional online series of activities. This is a self learning instrument. It incorporates implicit knowledge of linguistic structures that will be explicitly study in other levels of Spanish. Students complete the activities on their own according to the schedule bellow. It is important that students contact the instructor whenever they encounter any difficulty, whether technical or linguistic

Exams and homework dates

The following chart shows dates for exams and deadlines for homework completion. In the chart find contents for each partial exam and the corresponding QUIA lessons for each lesson. The contents of some lessons differ from the contents that appear in your textbook. 

ATTENDANCE

University policy specifies:

• Class Attendance: Texas State expects students to attend every scheduled class meeting.  General requirements for class attendance are as follows:
1.  Faculty are encouraged to establish mandatory attendance requirements in each course.
2.  Each faculty member will inform students of the course attendance policy at the initial class meeting

The attendance policy for first-year Spanish classes follows directly from the university's policy. Daily class attendance is mandatory. Your final grade will be lowered one letter grade for every two class sessions that you miss. Only documented absences are excused. The policy takes effect after the add-drop period ends (January 17). 

Documented absences do refer exclusively to any eventual emergency that may require your full attention, or other commitments with the university. Any recreational trip scheduled during the course of the semester does not qualify as documented absences. Commuting incidents may qualify only when they interfere with exams and the information given has been verified. 

STUDY TIPS

-Minimize distractions. Study requires concentration.

- There is a difference between studying and cramming for an exam. Studying is a long term process that should be taking place throughout the semester. It is steady and conscientious work on a regular basis. The human brain is wired to best store new information gradually, upon preexistent information gained also gradually.

-Set up your studying so that you have to spend time thinking. Take time to think about the possible meaning of unfamiliar words. Resorting to a translation in a preconfigured list is reading, which may not be enough for you to learn the material. 

-Look for connections: group ideas/words together. There are many different ways of doing this. One is by creating a mental map: choose one term and look for all of the others that can be associated with it because of the meaning, the context, and-or their form. Just the act of thinking about how terms relate (or not) to each other is a useful exercise. Relate grammar structures to the meaning they convey in a sentence. Understand the functionality of specific forms and put it in contrast with other forms used to convey different function.

- Working on a regular basis is time consuming. You must make it a priority. Priorities involve choices about balancing work, family and social life as well as school. The choices can seem overwhelming at times. However, you must ultimately take responsibility for each of these choices. 

SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS

Students with special needs, as documented by the Office of Disability Services, should identify themselves to the instructor at the beginning of the semester. The Department of Modern Languages is committed to making appropriate academic adjustments to facilitate the participation in the classroom.

Course instructor:

Dr. Antonio Gragera (ag20@txstate.edu)

125 Centennial Hall

Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:00, or by arrangement