Dr. Kelly Frances Davidson

Dr. Devall's Tips for Online Language Learning Success

 

Attend the weekly live BlackBoard Collaborate session offered by your instructor!

 

Although you are not required to attend these sessions—just to watch the archive each week—actually attending can bring you many benefits. You will get one-on-one practice with your instructor, you will be able to practice concepts with other students in groups, and you can immediately ask any questions that may arise with the material.

 

Don’t forget pronunciation and speaking!

 

These elements are key for communication in a foreign language. In our class, we will use oral exam projects as well as Transparent Language modules to help refine your speaking skills, but taking advantage of the opportunity to interact with your professor or other students during Bb Collaborate lessons or office hours is the best way to develop in these areas.

 

Don’t be afraid to speak up!

 

When attending office hours or Bb Collaborate lessons, you will benefit much more if you use the “Talk” button to repeat after the professor or to answer questions. This will help your instructor to personalize your instruction, just as he or she would during a face-to-face class.

 

Despite how the online format may feel at first, we have a warm classroom environment that encourages trial and error…everyone makes mistakes, so don’t be afraid to try! …and remember to always be respectful of those who do!

 

CAREFULLY read all of the information regarding exams, compositions, and other projects.

 

A successful, smooth online experience requires a lot of details…if you are not aware of these at the beginning of the course, you risk your grades on assignments or other class expectations.

 

For example: How should you contact your instructor? When are exams scheduled? Is there a cost associated with proctored exams? How should you prepare for non-proctored exams? How should the homework be completed? What is the difference between a regular exam and an oral exam? How can you interact with your professor (online, in person, etc.)?

 

These are just some of the questions that every online language student will encounter. If you look carefully, you will find the answers to most—if not all—of your questions. 

 

Check your VSU email and our BlazeVIEW page at least once per day!

 

This is a good rule for all courses, whether face-to-face or online. Your instructor will communicate important (and helpful!) information to you through both channels; logging in once a day is worth it for the possible reminders or clarifications you might see.

 

**BlazeVIEW offers the option to have “News” items automatically forwarded to your email—this is a great timesaver for you and your instructor…please do select this at the beginning of your course!

 

Start with a schedule and a timeline!

 

At the beginning of the semester, review the course schedule and take a look at the assignments. All important dates should be clearly indicated in your syllabus, on BlazeVIEW, or on your Textbook/Homework website. This includes due dates for homework, rough and final drafts of compositions, oral exams, “written exams,” when to notify your instructor about your testing preferences, etc. After looking through all of this, do 2 things: 

 

a. Enter important dates on your general schedule (iCal, agenda, datebook, reminders, etc.)

 

b. Consider how you can create a consistent daily work schedule for each week. Don’t leave all of your work until the last minute! Why? Well…

 

(1)  Daily interaction with the course content is the best way to build foreign language skills.

 

(2)  Beginning your work early will help you to identify questions faster so that you can contact your instructor ASAP.

 

(3)  Online courses are generally divided into weekly modules; looking at the amount of work for one week can often seem more daunting than looking at it as if you were attending a face-to-face course 2 or 3 times per week.

 

(4)  Online courses require work with many different technological applications. Rest assured that technical problems will ALWAYS arise when you are working at the last minute! Most instructors will not accept technical difficulties as an excuse for late work. Avoid this by beginning assignments  early and carefully reviewing the instructional materials posted.

 

(5)  Working for a set amount of time (30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.) each day is much easier than settling down for 8 to 10 hours worth of work on the last day of the week. 

 

(6)  If you are not able to follow your schedule for a certain day, you have a better idea of what you will need to do to catch up in the following days.

 

When you need help, ask ASAP!  Problems left unsolved will only snowball into bigger issues. 

 

One caveat: when reviewing the course structure, identify the most effective lines of inquiry.

 

For example, if you have a question about grammar, culture, or course requirements…contact your instructor.

 

If you have a question about how BlazeVIEW or the textbook website functions, it’s probably faster to contact their technical support. The same goes for other applications used in the online forum.  

 

You may have to scroll to the bottom or top of the page to find the “Help” or “Support” link, but going straight to the source will probably save you a lot of time!

 

Be proactive!

 

Remember that your instructor has probably taught this course or a similar one in the past…and has thus encountered many of your questions.

 

Take time to go back through the support documents provided on BlazeVIEW or other modules to see if the answer to your question is already there.

 

For example, you may find troubleshooting details for projects or even something as simple as office hours or phone numbers.