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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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
1
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.
5
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
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.
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.
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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.
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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