NSU Spanish program expands to Broken Arrow campus Ashley Duke TNE Writer

Ashley Duke/TNE Dr. Donna Shelton, professor of Spanish, reviews Spanish vocabulary with her intermediate Spanish class. Shelton will continue instructing Spanish courses as they expand to the Broken Arrow campus. NSUs Spanish program is expanding and is offering the students== the ability to take Spanish courses at the NSU Broken Arrow campus. The expansion of the Spanish program was proposed during the 2012-2013 academic year. In the summer of 2013 the expansion was approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the regents of Regional University System of Oklahoma. We believe that providing students in the Tulsa area with an opportunity to study the language at an advanced level, whether for a degree or a minor, will help the Spanish program grow, said Dr. Donna Shelton, professor of Spanish. NSU is the only institution located in the Tulsa metro area that offers a bachelors degree in Spanish. I love that the Spanish program is now expanded to the Broken Arrow campus, said Breah Boone, Sand Springs sophomore. It gives me an opportunity to get ahead on my minor over the summer since I live in Tulsa.

NSUBA is working with Tulsa Community College to assure the transfer of Spanish courses from TCC to NSUBA. To indicate how the TCC Spanish courses will transfer, the NSUBA Spanish program has Smart Choice agreements with TCC. By making the courses available, we expect more students to declare Spanish and Spanish education as their majors, said Dr. Audell Shelburne, chair of languages and literature. We have an excellent program. The upper-division curriculum for the Spanish program is available as a blended format. This allows classes to be offered during the late afternoon, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays. On the days we meet face-to-face, we emphasize active language use by students to develop their speaking skills, said Shelton. In the online portion of the course, we provide authentic resources in the form of readings and videos, and students engage in many types of writing activities. We also have the option of interacting via Blackboard Collaborate. We place a high emphasis on technology use, which is unusual in a language program. The class sessions that are face-to-face are directed by interactive television or ITV so students from Tahlequah and Broken Arrow can both participate. When available, the program will make the switch to Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing rooms. The blended course format, in which students both attend classes and participate in online opportunities, promises to foster learning by drawing on the best of both formats, said Shelburne. Our professors are well-equipped to lead students in these courses, and I think students will find the courses both challenging and rewarding. For more information, email at sheltods@nsuok.edu.

Published 2/11/14